Skydiver 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

• Blue, white and green buttercream or fondant
• Food coloring in skydiving colors (blue, white and green)
• Piping bags and tips in different sizes
• Small plastic toy parachutists
• Edible sugar sheets printed with skydivers and planes

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 blue buttercream or fondant. Divide the remaining icing or fondant into portions and tint them blue, white and green.
8. Use piping bags and tips to create skydiving designs on the cake, using the printed sugar sheets as a guide. Place the small toy parachutists on top of the cake for extra detail.
9. Add white clouds and fondant or icing planes to decorate the sides of the cake, using different shades for depth and realism.
10. As a finishing touch, add fondant or icing stars and numbers to personalize the cake, or a printed sugar sheet with the name of the birthday person or the event.