Step 1

Preheat oven to 350º F (175°C). Line two (or four) 8 inch (20cm) springform tins with baking parchment, grease lightly and dust with flour. Set aside.

Step 2

In a large bowl beat the butter and shortening until light and fluffy. Slowly add the sugar and mix until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition. Mix the flour with baking powder and salt. Mix the milk with buttermilk and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture alternating with the milk mixture in three portions and mix until just combined – do not overmix. Divide the batter evenly between the tins and bake for 25-35 minutes (baked in two tins takes a bit more time) or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Take out of the oven and let cool down in the tins for some time, remove from the tins and let cool down completely on a wire rack.

Step 3

For the buttercream add the butter to a large bowl and mix until light and fluffy. Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract and start mixing slowly, then on high speed until well combined, light and fluffy. If the buttercream is too thick, gradually add heavy cream and mix until you get the desired consistency.

Step 4

To assemble the cake, place the fist cake layer on a serving plate (cut off the top, if domed to get an even layer; if you baked in two forms, cut each cake in half to get 4 layers) and spread 1-2 tablespoons of raspberry jam on the cake. Top with some butter cream and repeat with the second and third cake layer. Finish the cake with the last cake layer (no jam this time) and coat the complete cake with a thin layer (crumb coat) of buttercream. Place in the fridge for about 20-30 minutes. Take out again and spread the remaining buttercream all over the cake. Make sure you get a nice and even surface this time or you will get problems when decorating the cake with the mirror glaze. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours to cool completely.

Step 5

When the cake has cooled enough, you can start with the mirror glaze by mixing the powdered gelatin with the cold water. Let sit until thickened, for about 4-5 minutes. Add the sugar, corn syrup and water to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Let cook for about 7-8 minutes until the sugar has dissolved completely. Take off the heat and mix in the gelatin until dissolved completely. Add the condensed milk and mix in. Add the chopped chocolate to a large bowl and pour the gelatin mix over the chocolate and let melt (2-3 minutes). Use a whisk or immersion blender to get a smooth mixture. The glaze is now ready for some color. Divide the glaze between several small bowls and a larger bowl. The large bowl with a larger amount of glaze is for the “base color” – in my case black. The smaller amounts were purple, blue, pink, and a tiny bit of yellow. Place the cooled cake on a wire rack over a bowl or baking sheet to catch all the overflowing glaze. Pour the base color first over the cake and cover the cake completely, drizzle the other colors to your liking on top. You can also pour the colors into the base color and then pour over the cake – you have to experiment a bit. Sprinkle the cake with some gold powder and let the glaze dry before you remove the cake from the wire rack.