INGREDIENTS:

• 500ml cake flour
• Pinch of salt
• 20ml baking powder
• 8 eggs
• 370ml castor sugar
• 10ml vanilla essence
• 120ml cold water
• 250ml sunflower oil
• Chopped white chocolate, to garnish
• Roasted pistachio nuts, to garnish
• Cream cheese frosting:
• 150g butter, at room temperature
• 375g icing sugar, sifted
• 350g cream cheese
• 75ml fresh cream

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line three 20cm cake tins. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder twice.

Place the eggs in a large mixing bowl and beat using a hand-held egg beater.

Gradually add in the castor sugar and continue beating.

The mixture must be light and should leave a trail on the surface that is visible for three seconds.

Add vanilla essence and fold half the sifted dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Add the cold water and then the remaining sifted flour.

Lastly, fold in the sunflower oil. Ensure that you have folded in the ingredients properly, especially the batter at the bottom of the bowl.

Divide the batter between the three cake tins and bake in a preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes until the cake shrinks slightly away from the tin.

Let the cakes stand for a minute or two before turning them out onto a wire rack. Leave to cool completely.

To make the cream cheese frosting: Beat the butter and icing sugar with a hand-held beater until well combined - the butter should be light in colour.

Add the cream cheese and continue beating until the mixture is completely smooth. Add fresh cream and beat for another minute.

To assemble the cake: Spread the cream cheese frosting over one of the sponges. Then sandwich with second sponge and repeat until all three layers are frosted. Frost the sides of the cake. Garnish the cake with chopped white chocolate and pistachio nuts.

SERVES: 10

TIME: 45 minutes + cooling