Sweetapolita's Inside-Out (Mini) Neapolitan Cake

Isn't this sweet? I made this mini cake with 4.5 inch springform fans for a dear friend of mine for her 30th birthday. I wanted to make something special so I thought I'd tackle a three-buttercream recipe. I was inspired from the cover of the latest cookbook from Miette (I just adore the bare edges) but mainly from Sweetapolita.

It was harder to make than I thought because I didn't level the layers of cake properly so one of them was at an angle, and it seemed to me like the cake would tip over.

This cake ended up being a bit of an investment because of the springform pans, but I'm so glad I purchased them because I am always looking for a way to indulge my friends and I think a mini-tiered cake is the perfect way.

I'll be honest. This recipe has completely changed the way I feel about buttercream. I love it now. This buttercream recipe is to die for. And you can play with it to produce strawberry, vanilla and chocolate buttercream as you see here.
If I may be perfectly blunt: Don't try to recreate this unless you use the best products. Grocery-store food colouring will not cut it. I literally ordered strawberry puree from a cooks' supply store and it made all the difference. The strawberry buttercream actually tasted like strawberries rather than some chemical version of the fruit. (I did add a teeny bit of pink food gel, but I only needed a little bit because I was using what the professionals use).

Normally, when I eat buttercream I taste butter first before any other flavour. Not with this recipe, it tastes like clouds of heaven. It is delicate, smooth - but not reminiscent of a mouthful of butter in the slightest. I think the cake base helped too. It was deep, dark, luscious, and held it's own.

This recipe is not for newbies. I had to make it over several days as it will take some time. But if you have some experience baking, try your hand, you may just be surprised at what you can do.

Substitutions: None (well, other than the mini springform pans).

Would I make this again: Yes, but only for my nearest and dearest.

Grade: Five stars out of five. Fool-proof recipe, eye-catching, delectable. It ticks off all my boxes. I love this recipe.