Ingredients

Step by step

1. Heat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Grease and line a 21cm square baking tin with baking paper. Beat together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, then beat in the eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract with the final bit of beaten egg. Add the flour and beat briefly to combine.
2. Spoon into the prepared baking tin and bake for 40-45 minutes, until risen, golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin completely.
3. While the cake cools make the buttercream. Whisk the butter until it is nice and soft, then add the icing sugar bit by bit along with the vanilla extract, until it is completely mixed. Keep this cool, but don't let it set.
   Tip

   Use the leftover cake trimmings to make cake pops – crumble and mix with a little buttercream then roll into balls and chill, then dip in melted chocolate and leave to set.
4. Once the cake is cool remove from the tin and trim the top with a large serrated knife if it is at all domed – you need a level, flat surface. Using a 6cm straight-sided round cutter, carefully cut out 8-9 rounds of cake. Arrange the cakes into 3 sets, one of 4-5 cakes, one of 3 cakes and one solo cake. Carve the top cake of each candle with a small serrated knife to create indents, this will help make them look like the wax has melted once you apply the drizzle.
5. Sandwich the cakes together with a thin layer of the buttercream and press a chopstick or skewer into the cakes to help them to stay together. Gently smooth a thin layer of buttercream over all the cakes, then chill for at least 30 minutes. This layer is to catch the crumbs from the cakes and give you a good base for the rest of the buttercream.
6. Once the candles are cool and firm, cover them all over in a thicker layer of buttercream, smoothing it with a large palette knife. Return the candles to the fridge and chill for another 30 minutes at least.
7. For the drizzle, put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small pan until bubbles form at the edges and it is hot, pour over the white chocolate and stir until the chocolate is melted. Leave the mixture to cool and firm up, it needs to be thick yet runny, so that it doesn't slide off the cakes.
8. Arrange the candles on a serving plate and remove the chopstick. The candles should be firm and able to stand on their own. Press a white birthday cake candle into the hole that the chopstick has left, leaving the wick and about ½ cm of wax poking out of the top of the cakes. Using a small spoon, spoon the drizzle over the tops of the cakes, easing it down the sides. The cakes can be chilled and extra drizzle applied to build up the layers of 'melted wax' if you like. Light the candles to serve!
9. Watch this...

   Candle cakes