The three-day timeline

A birthday cake is about four hours of work. The trick is never doing them in a row.

Two days before

• Bake the sponges in the evening. Wrap them while barely warm and refrigerate.
• Make the fruit filling; it keeps for five days in a jar.
• Check you own candles. Every year, check.

The day before

• Make the buttercream.
• Level the cold sponges with a bread knife, fill, stack and apply a thin crumb coat.
• Chill for at least an hour, then add the final coat and smooth it with a warm palette knife.
• Box the cake and keep it in the fridge overnight.

Party morning

• Decorate: piped border, fresh fruit, sprinkles, the name.
• Take the cake out of the fridge two hours before serving so the buttercream softens.
• Cut with a long knife dipped in hot water and wiped between slices.

How many does it feed?