Solar system

1.Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease and line round cake pan. Grease lamington pans, line base and long sides with baking paper, extending paper 5cm over sides.

2.Make two cakes according to directions on packets, spread into round pan, bake about 50 minutes. Stand cake in pan 10 minutes, turn top-side up onto wire rack to cool.

3.Make remaining cakes according to directions on packets. Divide mixture between lamington pans, bake about 35 minutes. Stand cakes in pans 5 minutes, turn, top-side up, onto wire rack to cool.

4.Level lamington cake tops, turn cut-side down. Use round cake to make the Sun and lamington cakes to make the planets. Cut two 3cm- rounds to make Mercury and Pluto. Cut three 4cm-rounds to make Venus, Mars and Earth. Cut two 6cm-rounds to make Uranus and Neptune. Cut a 9cm-round from cake to make Jupiter. Using picture as a guide, cut out Saturn.

5.To make butter cream. Beat the butter (and any flavouring if using) in a small bowl with an electric beater until the butter is as white as possible. (This will result in a whiter buttercream which will give you better results if colouring it). Gradually beat in half of the sifted icing sugar, then the milk, then the remaining sifted icing sugar.Beat until the butter cream is smooth and spreadable. Keep scraping down the side of the bowl during beating.

6.Place two-thirds of the butter cream in a medium bowl, tint dark orange. Place half the remaining butter cream in a small bowl, tint medium orange. Divide remaining butter cream equally into four small bowls, leave one bowl plain and tint each remaining bowl with one of the suggested colours, red, blue and green.

7.Position the round cake, top-side up, at the end of the prepared board, secure with a little butter cream. Starting from the Sun, and working left to right, position and secure (with a little butter cream) each planet to the prepared board as you finish it.

8.SUN: Using picture as a guide, spread about two-thirds of the dark orange butter cream over the top and side of the Sun, roughen with a fork. Dip a bamboo skewer into red colouring, pull through the butter cream to resemble flares.

9.MECURY: Spread top and side of a 3cm cake with dark orange butter cream; roughen with a fork. Dip a bamboo skewer into yellow colouring and pull through the butter cream.

10.VENUS: Spread top and side of a 4cm cake with medium orange butter cream blended with a little dark orange butter cream.

11.EARTH: Spread top and side of a 4cm cake with blue butter cream, dot with a little green butter cream to resemble land on Earth’s surface.

12.MARS: Spread top and side of a 4cm cake with red butter cream blended with a little dark orange butter cream.

13.JUPITER: Spread top and side of a 9cm cake with red butter cream blended with a little dark orange butter cream and plain butter cream to create bands of colour across the planet.

14.SATURN: Tint 1 tablespoon of the plain butter cream yellow. Spread top and side of Saturn and Saturn’s rings with medium orange butter cream blended with a little yellow and dark orange butter cream. Top Saturn’s rings with yellow strips from sour straps.

15.URANUS: Spread top and side of a 6cm cake with blended blue and green butter cream.

16.NEPTUNE: Spread top and side of a 6cm cake with blue butter cream.

17.pluto Tint 1 tablespoon of the plain butter cream with black food colouring to make grey. Spread top and side of a 3cm cake with grey butter cream; blend a little blue butter cream over the top of the grey and swirl through the butter cream.