Easy Christmas Cake

Preheat oven to 180°C (fan forced). Grease and line a 26cm x 16cm rectangular cake tin with baking paper. Try not to miss any bits or your cake will get stuck.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter, sugar and Vanilla Bean Paste until light and creamy. Don't be an impatient creamer and rush this step (unless you want a greasy cake). Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.

Mix through flour and milk with a wooden spoon until smooth. Go on, stick your finger in and have a taste - it's Christmas! Spoon into prepared tin and bake for 60 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Cool in tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth and lightened in colour. Add icing sugar and beat on LOW until just combined. This step is important otherwise it will look like it's snowed in your kitchen. Increase speed to high and mix until light & fluffy. Add Vanilla Bean Paste, mixing to combine. Spread over cooled cake and lick the spoon to ensure no buttercream goes to waste.

Break icing block into two or three pieces and knead on a bench lightly dusted with corn flour until smooth. Keep unused fondant covered in cling wrap until ready to use. Roll out to 4mm and cut various sizes stars and leaf shapes with cookie cutters. Allow to dry slightly (for 30-60 minutes) before placing onto your cake as a border. It's also ok to skip this step if you can't be bothered, your cake will still be delicious.

Prepare Royal Icing by weighing out 75g of icing and adding 2 ½ tsp of water, mix on medium speed for 1 minute. Add Red Food Colour Gel to create a vibrant red shade. Spoon into piping bag with the tip cut off or one fitted with a fine writing tip. Pipe your message onto the cake. Don't panic if your message doesn't fit, your cake will be more than good enough!