Naked Buttercream Cake

This cake was inspired by a number of Instagram cakes I saw when I was looking for something fancy, yet different, to make for my cousin's engagement. It's just a basic vanilla buttercream cake with a buttercream filling and buttercream topping. I also made a similar version with a buttercream-fresh cream topping two days later which turned out great as well.

Ingredients:

For the cake:

1 cup flour
1 cup butter
1 cup caster sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract

Sugar syrup

For the cream filling and topping:

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cup caster sugar (can add more if you like your icing sweeter)
1 cup fresh cream (optional)

Fresh strawberries (whole and diced)

Chocolates

Method:

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs with the vanilla extract until light and fluffy.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter and caster sugar.

Add the butter-cream mixture to the fluffy eggs and beat until well-combined.

Sift the flour and baking powder. Fold into the egg-butter-sugar mixture until fully mixed. Do not over-mix.

Pour into an 8-inch diameter baking pan and bake at 360 degrees F or gas mark 4 for 35-45 min, until a wooden pick inserted comes out clean.

As you allow the cake to cool, prepare the buttercream by whipping the butter till it’s light and fluffy.

Fold in the caster sugar, one batch at a time, whipping well between batches to make sure the sugar and butter have mixed well.

If including fresh cream, whip it separately till stiff peaks form. Fold into the buttercream mixture and refrigerate till you’re ready to pipe.

Ensure that the cake has cooled completely before you start using the buttercream.

Slice the cake horizontally into two halves and place them side-by-side with the inner surface facing upwards.

Poke holes into the two halves using a toothpick, and sprinkle the sugar syrup onto both halves, ensuring that they are evenly and lightly soaked.

Pipe the buttercream in blobs, starting with the outer edges of the lower half of the cake and moving to the center.

Sprinkle a generous amount of the diced strawberries on top, ensuring that they don't fall too close to the edges.

Gently place the other half of the cake on top of the buttercream blobs, ensuring not to press down too hard.

Pipe the rest of the buttercream in blobs on top of the cake, again, starting from the outer edges and moving to the center.

Top this with the fresh strawberries and chocolates.