Preheat the oven to 325° F / 160° C / 140° Fan / Gas 3.

Grease & line 2x 9" round cake tins.

Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy.

Slowly add the beaten eggs.

Add 10ml of the vanilla & the milk and mix well.

Finally add the flour and mix thoroughly until smooth.

Carefully divide the batter evenly into the 2 tins, weighing the tins will help to get them as even as possible.

Bake for around 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Turn out of the tins and leave to cool on a wire rack.

Mix together the icing sugar and the softened butter until creamy and lump free.

Then add the remaining 5ml of vanilla.

Once the cakes are cool slice the crust off of each one so they are level.

Spread some of the buttercream onto one of the smooth bottoms of one of the cakes and place it buttercream side down on you cakeboard.

Then cover the up facing cut side of the cake with an even layer of the buttercream, using a knife as if spreading butter, making sure to get right to the edges.

Then do the same to the cut side of the other cake.

Spoon 4-5tbsps of the jam onto the cake stuck to the board and spread it out evenly over the buttercream.

Now place the other cake buttercream side down on top of the other cake making a sandwich with all the filling in the middle.

Using the back of a knife, spread the rest of the buttercream over the sides and top of the sandwiched cakes until none of the sponge is showing.

Carefully drag a clean ruler or other straight edge around the edge of the cake to scrape off the excess buttercream to leave a smooth finish and place in the fridge for and hour or so until the buttercream has hardened.

Remove the cake from the fridge and using a pastry brush, cover the buttercream in a thin layer of jam.

Lightly dust your clean worktop with cornflour and roll the fondant icing out as evenly as possible to a thickness of around 6mm, making sure it is wide enough to cover the cake with at least an inch excess on each side.

Place the rolling pin on top of the rolled icing at the top and gently wrap the edge of it over the rolling pin.

You should now be able to carefully pick up the icing with the rolling pin and place it over the top of the cake.

Using the palms of your hands gently smooth the icing over the sides of the cake, starting at the top and gradually working your way down, pulling the excess icing out and away from the cake as you go to prevent it bunching and overlapping.

When it is smoothed out all the way down to the bottom, use a pizza cutter or a sharp knife to carefully remove the excess icing.

Your basic cake is now finished and ready for decoration!