There’s something sweetly nostalgic about vanilla birthday cake — though this guy has a little more flavour than the shop-bought fondant versions I
remember as a kid and is super fun to make. Also, who doesn’t want a giant donut for their birthday?

Preheat the oven to 180°C and liberally grease the savarin tin (mould) with butter.

Put the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk until pale and fluffy. 

Beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding a spoonful of flour with each egg. Gently fold in the rest of the flour, baking powder and salt, trying not to
overwork it. Add the milk if it seems stiff.

Place the mixture into the cake tin and bake in the oven for 25 – 30 minutes, or until skewer or cocktail stick inserted in the centre should comes out clean. Leave to cool before transferring to a wire rack. 

To make the vanilla bean icing: 

Place the icing sugar, vanilla bean paste and half the milk into a bowl and stir. Gradually add the rest of the milk, while mixing, until you end up with a smooth mixture.

Place the icing into a bowl and add a drop of pink food colouring. Mix together and set aside. 

To make the giant sprinkles, divide the fondant into 4 even pieces and colour each one with each of the shades of food colouring.

Using the palms of your hands, make small sausage shapes of around 1¼ cm width with each of the colours. With a sharp knife, cut 3 cm lengths
from each sausage shape to make giant sprinkles.

Turn the cooled cake out onto a stand or dish. Give the icing a quick stir then pour it over the cake. Be quick and confident with it – you don’t
want it to begin to set before you’ve finished covering the cake, otherwise lumps will form. If the icing seems too thick, warm it up a little either in the microwave for a few seconds or in a pan on a low heat.

While the icing is still damp, press the fondant sprinkles onto the cake in a random formation.

Let the icing set before slicing up to serve.

Recipe adapted from Donuts