Rainbow Swirl Lollipop Cake

Preheat oven to 180°C and grease three 15cm (6”) (or 18cm (7”), cake will be shorter) round cake tins. Line the base of the tins with baking paper.

Combine flour and baking powder in a medium bowl and set aside. Mix milk and vanilla together in a measuring jug.

Using an electric mixer on low speed, beat sugar and butter in a large bowl until blended. Increase speed to high and beat well until very pale and creamy, at least 5 minutes. Reduce speed to medium low, add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add flour mix and milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture (I did it by adding 1/4 of of the dry mixture followed by 1/3 of the wet mixture at a time). Beat until smooth, occasionally scraping bowl with a spatula. Split mixture equally between prepared tins and smooth top with a spatula (Tip- do this accurately by weighing the batter first).

Bake until an inserted skewer comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes. Cool in tins for 15 minutes, and then carefully turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely. Keep cakes wrapped in cling film and chilled in fridge until ready to assemble. Stored in an airtight container overnight if preparing a day ahead.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter on high with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium-low and gradually add icing sugar until combined, add vanilla then increase speed to high and beat until very pale and fluffy. Gradually add milk until smooth. Icing should be smooth and easily spreadable, but stiff enough to hold its shape. Adjust consistency with milk or icing sugar as needed.

To assemble cake; remove cake layers from the fridge and use a long sharp serrated knife to carefully trim the tops of the cake to ensure they are level. Flip cake layers upside down before assembling. Place one layer on top of cake stand and use an offset spatula to spread a thick layer of icing over the top of the cake. Repeat with remaining cake layer and more icing.

Crumb coat outside of cake and then chill for about half an hour, then cover with remaining icing and smooth cake with offset spatula.Chill cake to set icing, and prepare royal rainbow icing.

Prepare Queen Royal Icing to packet instructions. Separate white icing into 7 small bowls and tint with Queen Food Colour Gels to create colours yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, blue and green (see tip for more colour details).

Carefully drizzle small amounts of each colour over the top of the cake. Start from the centre and worked outwards, making it easier to gauge when there is enough icing for it to just start over-flowing around the edge of the cake. Some of the icing may pool around the bottom of the cake stand.

Chill cake until ready to serve, then remove from the fridge 30 minutes before serving and decorate with lollipops. Decorate bottom of cake rainbow popping candy.