Step 1

Preheat your fan oven to 160°C (325°F) or 175°C (350°F) if you're not using a fan oven. Grease and line with parchment paper three 6' round cake tins. Alternatively, you can use two 8' cake tins.

Step 2

In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk until combined and set aside.

Step 3

In a measuring jug combine sour cream, whole milk and vanilla extract. These are your wet ingredients.

Step 4

In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on a medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. (approx. 3 min) Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl.

Step 5

Turn the mixer to medium-low speed and add eggs one at a time – making sure it’s fully incorporated after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl.

Step 6

Add your dry and wet ingredients, alternating between one another, starting and finishing with dry ones. (3 additions of dry and 2 of wet ingredients)Coat your sprinkles with a little bit of flour and fold them in your batter using a silicone spatula.

Step 7

Divide the batter evenly among the 3 tins and bake for 20-25 minutes or until skewer inserted in the middle comes out with a few crumbs (not traces of uncooked batter). Do not overbake it.

Step 8

Once they're done, let the cakes cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire rack before removing them from the pans to cool completely. They will continue to cook in the pan, so it's better that the skewer is not entirely clean. Otherwise, your cake will overbake and that will cause dryness.

Step 9

Cook strawberries with sugar and squeeze of a lemon juice over a medium-high heat until it reaches boiling. Using a potato masher, mash strawberries. Turn the heat down and let it simmer for approx. 15 minutes or until it thickens. It's better to be thicker than looser, the plan is to lose a lot of water content and have concentrated flavour. I like to have small strawberry pieces here and there, but if you want your jam to be extra smooth then strain it through a sieve or blitz with a hand blender. Cover it with cling film and leave it to cool in the fridge.

Step 10

In a small saucepan (I always use heavy-bottomed one to prevent burning) combine flour, sugar, salt and milk. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a whisk until it thickens. This can take about 15 minutes. The moment you realize it's thicker, cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Step 11

Once it's done, put a cling film over it touching the surface to prevent "skin" forming and let it cool to room temperature. This is your pudding base. You can do this in a fridge, but before using it let it come to room temperature.

Step 12

Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter for 5 minutes until it's pale and fluffy. Then add spoonful by spoonful of previously made pudding. Mix until it's all nicely incorporated and with no lumps. Add vanilla extract and mix until everything is combined.For decorating purposes, leave a tablespoon of buttercream for each desired sprinkle colour - I made 4: blue, red, yellow, pink. Mix it with gel food colouring. Start by adding just a tiny bit if you want pastel colours, instead of bright.

Step 13

Clean the bowl of your stand mixer, as well as the whisk attachment, using a little bit of lemon juice or vinegar and a clean paper towel. This way we're eliminating traces of grease which could make making meringue impossible.Combine the egg whites, sugar and a pinch of salt in a prepared bowl and put over a bain marie (a pot of simmering water). Stir constantly with a whisk to make sure the egg whites cook evenly. The mixture is done when it's hot and the sugar is completely dissolved. Rub a little bit of the mixture between your clean thumb and forefinger to test for graininess. If you can feel sugar granules, cook the egg whites some more.Ideally, the mixture should reach 70°C or 160°F. But if you don't have a thermometer, just make sure it's hot and smooth.

Step 14

Wipe the bottom of the bowl, place it on your stand mixer and mix on high speed using a whisk attachment until you get stiff peak meringue and the sides of the bowl are cool to the touch. This could take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes.Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 100°C (210°F) and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Use some prepared meringue to stick the paper to the tray, so it won't slide and move while you're piping.Put the meringue in a large piping bag fitted with Wilton 4B french star nozzle. Or Wilton 2A round nozzle for classic meringues like on my Banana Dulce de Leche Cake.Holding your piping bag vertically, pipe meringue kisses. Bake them in a preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until you can pick them up without sticking.

Step 15

Using a cake leveler or a long serrated knife level the tops of your cakes if needed.

Step 16

In the middle of your cake board or a serving plate put some buttercream to stop the cake from moving around.

Step 17

Place one cake layer on a cake board or a serving plate. Using a small offset palette knife or a piping bag, spread the frosting over the cake and drizzle some berry jam over the frosting. Top it with the next cake layer and repeat the process.

Step 18

Place final layer on top, upside down, and do a thin crumb coat on the cake. Chill for 20-30 minutes in the fridge before final decorating.

Step 19

Once cooled, frost and smooth the top and sides of the cake with remaining frosting. Place it back in the fridge before doing brush strokes with coloured buttercream for sprinkle effect.

Step 20

Using a small brush or a palette knife, paint your buttercream with colours of your choice. Bigger cakes can handle more colours ( more surface to paint) and I suggest for smaller cakes limiting your colours to 4-5.

Step 21

Pile up meringiue kisses on top and your cake is ready! :)