Take a large serated knife and cut across the top of each cake so that they are perfectly flat. Spread the jam over the top of the bottom layer to 2cm from the edge.

Place the second layer on top. Using a mixer, beat the butter until pale and fluffy. Add the icing mixture half a cup at a time. Beat in the milk and vanilla until the icing is whipped and fluffy.

Roughly coat the cake in a thin layer of buttercream icing and place in the refrigerator for half an hour. Reserve remaining buttercream for the final finish. Remove ready-prepared icing from the pack and divide into 5 portions. (See notes below).

Tint each portion pink, yellow, pale green, pale blue and purple. Use the yellow and blue colouring to make green and the pink and blue to make the purple colouring.

Dust your work surface with some icing mixture and roll out thinly using a rolling pin. Cut 6 strips of each colour that is 2 cm longer than the side of the cake. Use remaining icing to cut out the hearts and star shapes.

Lay all pieces on a piece of baking paper to dry until you finish icing the cake. Remove the cake from the fridge and coat it in the remaining buttercream icing, giving it as smooth a finish as possible. I use an offset palate knife for this job. Place the strips all around the cake and use a sharp pair of scissors to cut the overhangs at the top.

Place stars and hearts around the cake board, putting a few on the top of the cake. Place the My Little Pony figures on top of the cake and on the board.