Easy crowd-pleasing marbled cake

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas mark 4. Butter and flour the sides of two 20cm (8in) diameter spring-form/loose-bottomed cake tin and line the base with greaseproof paper.

2. Cream the butter in a large bowl or in an electric food mixer until soft. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

3. Whisk the eggs and vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Gradually add the eggs to the butter mixture, beating all the time. Sift in the flour and baking powder and fold in gently to mix, then add the milk and mix gently to combine.

4. Tip half of the cake mixture into another large bowl. Fold in the sifted cocoa powder (you can make it a red velvet layer instead by replacing the cocoa with 1-2 tsps of natural red food colouring).

5. Place the cake mixtures into the prepared tin by alternating spoonfuls of the vanilla batter with the chocolate (or red velvet) batter, then with a skewer or similar implement, gently draw swirls through the cake mixture to ‘marblise’ it. Don’t overmix.

6. Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Turn the cake out onto a wire rack and allow to cool.

7. For the buttercream mix 50g butter, 500g icing sugar and 2 tsps vanilla extract. Add 25g of cocoa to make a chocolate vanilla icing.

8. Sandwich the cake with a good amount of cream and then cover the cake completely in a thin layer of the cream. Cover the sides with Kit Kat sticks - the cream should help them to stay put. Pour the M&Ms over the top.