Vanilla Birthday Cake

1. Make the cake layers. Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line with baking paper two 18cm cake tins.
2. Beat the butter and sugar until light and airy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Fold through the flour, milk and vanilla paste and vodka until the mixture is smooth.
3. Divide the batter equally between prepared tins. Tap the bottom of the tins on your work surface to eliminate any air bubbles. 
4. Bake the layers for about 45 minutes until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the tins for about 10 minutes and then turn out onto a cooling wrack to cool completely.  
5. Make the buttercream. Beat the butter until airy and pale. Add the powdered sugar gradually and beat until fluffy and smooth. Add the cream, milk powder, vanilla paste, lemon juice, vodka and small amount of pink paste food coloring (use a toothpick to drop the color in the bowl), and beat for few minutes more. 
6. To make the punch mix all the ingredients in a medium size bowl and set aside until needed. 
7. To assemble the cake, slice each layer horizontally so you will have four tin layers for the cake.
8. Place the first layer on a board or a cake plate. Drizzle 1/4 of the punch over the layer and spread an even coat of frosting. Repeat until you've covered three layers. Place the last layer on top, cut side down. Drizzle the last part of the punch over the layer and spread the remaining frosting evenly around the cake. Decorate with buttercream flowers if you like. 

Happy baking!