Ingredients

• 225g/8oz self-raising flour
• 225g/8oz baking spread or softened butter
• 225g/8oz caster sugar
• 1 lemon
• grated rind only
• 4 free-range eggs
• 250g/9oz unsalted butter
• softened
• 200g/7oz icing sugar
• 3 tbsp apricot jam
• 200g/7oz marzipan
• 1 kg/2lb 4oz white fondant icing
• 150ml/5fl oz water
• food colouring (any colour)
• flavouring (any flavouring)
• 100g/3½oz dark chocolate

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 160C/140C Fan/Gas 3. Grease and line a 20cm/8in square tin with two strips of parchment paper.
• For the sponge
• beat together all the sponge ingredients until smooth. Tip the cake mixture into the tin and tap lightly to level out.
• Bake for about 40 minutes
• or until a metal skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes
• then turn out and allow to cool completely on a wire rack
• before putting in the fridge to chill (or alternatively place in the freezer for a few minutes until chilled but not frozen).
• While the cake is chilling
• make the buttercream. Beat together the softened butter and icing sugar in a bowl until lighter in colour
• and smooth.
• Place 100g/3½oz of the buttercream in a piping bag and allow to slightly firm up in the fridge. Keep the rest in a bowl for the cake sides.
• For the marzipan topping
• heat the apricot jam in a small saucepan and sieve it into a bowl.
• Brush the top of the cake with the sieved apricot jam.
• Roll the marzipan out very thinly
• cover the top of the cake and chill again.
• Cut the cake into 25 equal squares (each 4cm/1½in square). You may need to cut off the edges if they have rounded and pulled away from the sides of the tin - all the edges must be straight and neat.
• Cover four sides of each square with buttercream (not the marzipan top or the base). Using the buttercream in the piping bag
• pipe a blob in the centre of each square on top of the marzipan. Leave to set in the fridge for 20 minutes.
• For the icing and decoration
• cut the fondant icing into small cubes. Place in a sturdy free-standing mixer with a paddle. Churn the icing until it stars to break down
• adding a splash of water if it's too hard. Very gradually add the water - the icing will become smooth and more liquid.
• Add flavouring and food colouring to taste - be careful not to add too much at once
• you can always add more but can’t undo it!
• Melt the chocolate either in the microwave or in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water (do not allow the bottom of the bowl to touch the water). Once melted
• place the chocolate in piping bag and set aside.
• Take the cakes out of the fridge and place one onto a fork.
• Dip each square into the icing one at a time and carefully set onto a cooling rack
• with parchment underneath to catch the drips. Try not to get finger prints on them - for this reason it is best to insert the fork at an angle so that you can slide the cake off onto the cooling rack easily.
• Leave the fondant to set
• but do not put in the fridge as the icing will lose its shine.
• Using the piping bag of melted chocolate
• drizzle the chocolate over each fancy in a zig-zag pattern.
• Leave to set and then place on a cake stand to serve.