A perfect cake for over the holidays. If you want to make it child friendly, just heat double the amount of baileys liquor over a hot heat until reduced by half. This will evaporate the alcohol just leaving the flavour but remember to leave it to cool before using or it will melt the fat in the icing and cake batter.
200g Stork margarine or unsalted butter, softened
200g caster sugar
4 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
200g self-raising flour
2 tablespoons Baileys chocolate Liqueur (any flavour Baileys will work)
Buttercream:
500g icing sugar
250g unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons Baileys chocolate Liqueur
Family size packet of Maltesers (the biggest one)
You will also need 2 x 20cm sandwich tins, greased and the bases lined with buttered baking parchment.
Preheat the oven to 170c
In the bowl of a free-standing mixer cream the Stork and sugar together until pale, light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten eggs and vanilla extract. Add the flour and Baileys and mix until light and fluffy.
Divide equally between the prepared sandwich tins, spread level and bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for about 22-28 minutes until golden and a skewer comes away clean when inserted into the middle of the cakes.
Turn the cakes out of the tins onto a wire cooling rack and leave until cold.
To make the buttercream tip all of the ingredients into the bowl of free-standing mixer and beat until light and fluffy.
Lay one cake layer on a serving plate and spread with half of the buttercream. Chop a third of the maltesers in half. sprinkle half of the whole maltesers over the buttercream. Sandwich together with the second cake. Spread the second cake layer with the remaining buttercream (I also piped some swirls using a french swirl style nozzle) Finish with a ring of whole maltesers and the halves in the centre.
*The Cakestand can be found here
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