Ingredients
For the sponge
350g (12oz) caster sugar
350g (12oz) butter, softened
115g (4oz) ground almonds
2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 tsp almond essence
6 medium eggs, lightly beaten
170g (6oz) plain flour
4 tsp milk
For the almond buttercream
170g (6oz) icing sugar
85g (3oz) ground almonds
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp almond essence
To decorate
1.8kg (4lb) ready-to-roll icing
2 tbsp jam
Cocktail sticks
Red, white and blue ribbon
Double-sided sticky tape
Method
Preheat oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 4. Line a 12.5cm/5in and a 20cm/8in round cake tin with greaseproof paper. Cream the sugar and butter together. Beat in the ground almonds and essences until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Sift the flours together, fold into the creamed mixture and add the milk. Put the mixture into the tins and bake for one hour until it is golden brown. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
For the buttercream, beat the butter until light in colour. Add the icing sugar, ground almonds and essences and beat until fluffy. Trim the top off each cooled cake, if uneven. Cut each in half and spread buttercream on top of each cut layer (reserving one-third). Carefully place the layer cake on a cake board, and coat with a thin layer of buttercream.
Roll out a sheet of ready-to-roll icing and cover the top and sides of the cake, then rotate the palm of your hand on the top to smooth the icing and expel any trapped air using a sterilised stainless steel knife. Smooth the surface again. Place the smaller cake on greaseproof paper and cover in the same way. Leave both to dry for 24 hours. When dry, place the smaller one on top of the larger one, ready for final decoration.
To make the flags, fold a 10cm piece of ribbon in half and wrap around the top of a cocktail stick, fastening the sides together with double-sided sticky tape. You can also decorate the bases of the cakes with Smarties or Jelly Tots.
Recipe from The Ultimate Ribbon Book by Annabel Lewis (Conran Octopus, £9.95). Ribbons by VV Rouleaux.
