NAKED BAKING RECIPES

Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Lightly oil chosen tin and line base and sides with baking parchment, cutting it about 4cm (11/2in) higher than the sides of your tin. For 20.5cm (8in) and 25.5cm (10in) cakes, wrap outside of the tin in a strip of newspaper seven layers thick and tie with a plain (not plastic-coated) string to protect sponge from over-cooking.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar, vanilla seeds or vanilla bean paste and extract with an electric mixer until very light and fluffy, about 2-3min.

Add eggs one at a time. Stir in 1tbsp of the flour if mixture begins to curdle. Fold in flour, baking powder and water in stages, mixing until batter is smooth. Pour into the prepared cake tin and smooth top to level.

Bake the 15cm (6in) cake for 1hr-1hr 10min; the 20.5cm (8in) cake for 1hr 15min-1hr 25min; and the 25.5cm (10in) cake for 1hr 40min-1hr 50min, or until cake is risen, springy to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 15min. Remove tin apart from the base and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Don't cool the sponge directly on a wire rack - indentations on the base will affect the look of your finished cake. To store, follow Storing and Freezing guidelines. Bake the remaining cakes.

Make the plain sugar syrup: in a large pan over a gentle heat, stir the sugar and water until sugar has dissolved and the mixture is clear. Boil for 1min, then set aside to cool. See Storing and Freezing advice if making ahead. Divide syrup into three portions, roughly: 175ml (6fl oz) for the 15cm (6in) cake layers, 350ml (12fl oz) for the 20.5cm (8in) cake layers and 550ml (19fl oz) for the 25.5cm (10in) cake layers. Add desired flavouring (see Flavourings) and set aside.

Make buttercream just before you're ready to assemble the cake so it stays soft and spreadable. If you do not have a bowl large enough, make buttercream in two batches. Beat butter until really soft with an electric whisk. Add half the icing sugar, beating with the back of a wooden spoon to combine. Add remaining icing sugar and vanilla extract, beating with an electric whisk for 3min until light and fluffy. Add enough milk so the frosting is a thick, spreadable consistency. Set aside, covering the surface with clingfilm to prevent crystallization.

To begin assembling the cake, remove the disc of baking parchment from the cake base and put cake on a turntable or chopping board. If the top of your cake is not flat, use a serrated knife to level it so each layer will sit flush with the next.

With one hand firmly on top of the cake, run a serrated knife around the centre, marking it where you intend to cut. To slice in half evenly, continue to hold your knife level and gently saw into the mark you have made while turning the cake in front of you, gradually cutting deeper until you reach the middle of the cake.

Before separating the layers, make a fine, vertical incision on the side of the cake. This mark will help you line up the two halves evenly when you reassemble them. Repeat the slicing, splitting and marking with the second cake so you have 4 layers to make up a tier.

Brush the cut sides of each layer with flavoured sugar syrup (see right). Do this slowly, in 10min intervals if necessary, allowing all the syrup to be absorbed.

Select the most evenly-baked base for the top of your tier. Turn it baked side up and set it aside. Prepare the remaining layers individually before stacking to avoid the filling squeezing out at the sides as you assemble them. Spread a little buttercream on a cake board the same size as your tier and stick the bottom cake layer on top of it. Spread the top of each of the three cut cake layers generously with buttercream, right to the edge. Spread a layer of jam over the buttercream, leaving a 2cm gap around the edge.

Once all 3 layers are prepared, gently stack them on top of each other with your hands, or use a cake lifter. Make sure the marks on the side of each layer line up. Finish with the evenly-baked base for the top tier. Repeat to assemble other tiers.

Insert 8 dowelling rods into the bottom tier to form a circle just smaller in circumference than the middle 20.5cm (8in) tier. Add 3 more rods evenly spaced around the centre of the circle shape for extra support. Push them into the cake, all the way down to the board. Mark the rods with a pen 3mm (?in) above where they poke out of the cake. Remove rods one at a time. With sharp scissors, score well around the mark. Snap the rod at the scored point. Insert the rod back into the hole it came from. Repeat process with the middle tier, marking, snapping and inserting rods to support the top 15cm (6in) tie.

Transport the tiers separately and finish assembling them where the cake will be sliced and eaten. To stack, carefully lift the middle tier on its cake board to sit on the dowels in the bottom tier. It should balance on the dowels to avoid putting pressure on the cake itself. Repeat with the top tier. For a smooth finish, use a small palette knife to ‘grout' extra buttercream in between the layers, if necessary. Using a pastry brush, dust the outside edges of the sponge with icing sugar for a softened effect, or leave the cake plain. Decorate with fresh flowers.

For a vanilla flavoured tier:

If you want a vanilla flavoured top tier, add 2tsp vanilla bean paste to 175ml (6fl oz) portion of sugar syrup to brush over both the split 15cm (6in) sponges. For a vanilla flavoured middle tier, add 4tsp vanilla bean paste to the 350ml (12fl oz) of sugar syrup and brush over both the split 20.5cm (8in) cakes. Or for a vanilla flavoured base tier, add 6tsp of vanilla bean paste to the 550ml (1 pint 2fl oz) portion of sugar syrup and brush over both the split 25.5cm (10in) cakes.

For a lemon flavoured tier:
If you want a lemon flavoured top tier, add the juice and zest of 1 lemon to the 175ml (6fl oz) portion of sugar syrup to brush over both the split 15cm (6in) cakes. If you want a lemon flavoured middle tier, add the juice and zest of 2 lemons to the 350ml (12fl oz) portion of sugar syrup to brush over both the split 20.5cm (8in) cakes. Or for a lemon flavoured base tier, add the juice and zest of 3 lemons to the 550ml (1 pint 2fl oz) portion of sugar syrup and brush over both the split 25.5cm (10in) cakes.

For an English Rose flavoured tier:
Rose water and rose flavourings can vary in concentration and flavour so taste your sugar syrup before brushing over your finished cake tier. We used Nielsen Massey rose water. Add 1tsp of rose water to the 175ml (6fl oz) portion of sugar syrup to brush over both the split 15cm (6in) cakes. Add 2tsp of rose water to the 350ml (12fl oz) portion of sugar syrup to brush over both the split 20.5cm (8in) cakes. Or add 3tsp of rose water to the 550ml (1pint 2fl oz) portion of sugar syrup to brush both the split 25.5cm (10in) cakes.