* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 200ml (8 fl oz) milk
* 125g (4 oz) Stork margarine
* 250g (9 oz) castor sugar
* 3 eggs, beaten
* 225g (8 oz) plain flour, sieved with
* 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda and
* 50g (2 oz) cocoa powder

FOR THE ICING
250g (9 oz) sifted, icing sugar
250g (9 oz) unsalted, softened butter
splash of milk

OVEN: Pre-heat to moderate (180°C, 350°F, Gas No. 4)
SHELF: Middle
1. Grease and bottom line 2 x 20 cm (8 inch) sandwich tins.
2. Add lemon juice to the milk and set aside.
3. Cream the Stork and the sugar, then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk and mix well. Divide between the sandwich tins and bake in the centre of the oven for 30-35 minutes or until firm to the touch. Turn out remove paper and cool on a wire tray.

TO DECORATE:
5. Beat the butter on a high speed for a few minutes.
6. Slowly add the SIFTED sugar and a splash of milk
8. Fill your cakes and add a crumb coat.
9. Separate your remaining buttercream into 5/6 bowls, make it as even as possible.
10. Use food colouring/ gel and make 2/3 shades of orange (getting darker each time)- 2 shades of green and leave 1 white.
11. Spread the orange (the darkest first) and get lighter as you go up the cake.
12. Cover the top in white.
13. Pipe green cactuses up the sides and on top of the cake.
14. Crush biscuits to resemble sand and spread them around/ on the cake
15. Finish with edible flowers, you could use fondant or buy some ready-made, I died my fondant purple, but you could do any colour.