Poppy cake

Ingredients

For the cake

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For decorating

• White, red and green buttercream or fondant
• Food coloring in poppy colors (red and green)
• Piping bags and tips in different sizes
• Edible sugar sheets printed with poppies

Step-by-step preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C) and prepare two round cake pans with nonstick spray or butter and flour.
2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. In another bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
4. Add half the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on low speed until combined. Then add the milk and vanilla, followed by the rest of the flour. Beat on low speed until the batter is smooth.
5. Pour the batter into the pans and bake for 25–30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning them out onto a rack to cool completely.
7. To decorate, cover each layer with white buttercream or fondant. Divide the remaining icing or fondant into portions and tint them red for the poppies and green for the leaves.
8. Use piping bags and tips to create poppy designs on the cake, using the printed sugar sheet as a guide. Make the petals with red icing or fondant and the leaves with green.
9. Add extra details such as small flowers, leaves and stems for a more realistic look, using icing or fondant in different colors.
10. As a finishing touch, you can place a few real poppies on top of the cake. Wash them well first and remove them before serving, as they’re decoration only.