Graduating to bigger things - The 4 Tier Ombre Cake

OMBRE - adjective (of a fabric) having a dyed, printed, or woven design in which the colour is graduated  from light to dark.   

• Looking at the above definition it was a graduation in two ways for me.  I was finally taking on the the graduating layers of sponge and also I have recently spent my time baking small offerings of cupcakes and biscuits, it was time to step up to the plate and bake a party size cake.
  
  
  A friend is in the throws of organising a party and so we'd been having conversations about the perfect cake to serve up   There had been much debate on colours and flavours of the cupcakes that should be served but the bigger search had been for a large cake to take centre stage, the cupcakes were the mere pawns in this plan.
  
  
  Now this person has an eye for effortless style, everything she pins is stunning and then she sent me a link, entitled "The Perfect Cake" and to be fair it really was. A blue Ombre cake, simply iced in white and finished with a pallet knife.  
  
  
  I've been a fan of this cake for a while but never had a reason to bake one but I said I would have a go at one to see easy they were to tackle. I had a big family lunch on the Sunday so figured we could at least make a decent attempt at polishing off a good chunk of it it one sitting.
  
  
  I  set aside the morning to take over the kitchen, I had a feeling this was going to take some time to complete (3 hours it turned out).  Stereo turned up & ingredients purchased - I began.  I had decided on a four tier cake shaded from red through to cream.  The filling was to be a Summer Berry conserve and a Pink Champagne & Strawberry fresh cream (purchased from Marks & Spencer's and not home made).  All eventually to be iced with a vanilla frosting.  
  
  
  I started with the batter for the four sponges. You will need;
  
  
  450g butter (room temperature)
  450g caster sugar
  8 medium eggs
  3 tsp vanilla extract
  450g self raising flour (sifted)
  
  
  First, prepare four 7 inch cake tins oiling with melted butter and lining the base with grease proof paper.
  
  
  Then cream the butter and sugar in the mixer with a paddle attachment.  Beat the eggs & vanilla extract in a jug and add a little at a time with the mixer still on a slow speed.  Then finally fold in the flour a tablespoon at a time.
  
  
  Now for the fun part .......split the mixture into four bowls and colour.  I used a red colouring for the the bottom two layers to achieve a bright red and a vibrant pink.  The third layer was coloured using a pink liquid to achieve a subtle shade and the top layer was left it's natural colour.  Spoon into cake tins and bake for 20 mins at 180 degrees (non-fan assisted) for 20 minutes or until the sponge springs back when touched. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Leave for 5 minutes to cool slightly and then turn out onto wire racks and remove the paper, leaving to cool completely.
  
  
  For the butter cream;
  
  
  625g icing sugar (sifted)
  200g unsalted butter (room temperature)
  62 ml full fat milk
  1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  
  
  Beat the icing sugar and butter together on a medium speed, until well mixed.  Turn the mixer down to a slow speed, and having combined the milk and vanilla in a jug - slowly add to the mixture.  Once the liquid has been fully incorporated turn the mixer up to a high speed and continue to beat for approx. 7 minutes.
  
  
  Finally, I was ready to piece it all together - a bit like assembling a small tower, I was nervous at this point.  I started with the darkest layer first and covered the top with half of my Pink champagne cream.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I then placed the dark pink layer on top and over this spread the summer berry conserve, and then continued with the pale pink layer.  Another layer of the remaining cream - and finally the vanilla sponge.  I had sliced the tops off each of the sponges to give a flat top to work with making it much easier to stack up a solid looking cake that didn't look like it would topple over at any moment.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I wanted to pipe the frosting which is why I had opted to mix up a more generous batch.  I started by putting a rough coating on the top as I wanted to add sliced fresh strawberries.  The piping of the sides was a mammoth task and I found my hands were making the piping bag warm and softening the frosting so I tried to work quickly and had to take a couple of breaks.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The finished cake turned out much better than I expected for a first attempt and the wait to cut into was two much too bear, I was desperate to see the overall effect once it was served.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  It went down a storm at lunch and makes a real impact on the centre of the table. Serve with extra fresh strawberries, and of course the best bit is the surprise when everyone gets served a slice and they're not expected the layered effect.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I think my favourite part of this recipe is that the colour, flavour and icing options are endless as are the toppings. It can be altered to suit every occasion and it was so much fun to put together because there are no rules to follow - you bake it to suit you.  This will be making regular appearances on my baking list, perfect for friends' birthdays and I have been now been enrolled to do one for a wedding!  Just be warned - you need plenty of friend's around to share this as it really is a monster of a cake!