Email the ingredients

Please enter a valid email address
Terms of Use. We will send you an email containing the ingredients list and method for this recipe as well as a link to access it on Tesco Real Food. This service involves no registration or subscription.
You should receive an email shortly.
Add this recipe to your binder

Please log in to add this recipe

This recipe is in your binder

Go to binder
Share this recipe

Neapolitan layer cake recipe

34 ratings

This impressive layered strawberry, chocolate and vanilla cake is a must for Neapolitan ice cream lovers. A perfect special occasion cake, whether it's for a baby shower, birthday party or Mother’s Day afternoon tea, you can even go the extra mile and make the gorgeous cake bunting in our tip below. See method

Serves 20
25 mins to prepare and 20-25 mins to cook, plus cooling
463 calories / serving
Freezable

Ingredients

325g strawberries, halved and hulled
300g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
375g caster sugar
3 tsp vanilla extract
1 x 284ml pot buttermilk
3 eggs
375g self-raising flour, sifted
1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
100g dark chocolate, melted
1 x 10g tube pink gel food colour
700g icing sugar
6-7 tbsp milk
20g dark chocolate, grated

No self-raising flour? Add 2 tsp baking powder for every 150g plain flour

Each serving contains

Energy
1950kj
463kcal 23%
Fat
16g 22%
Saturates
9g 45%
Sugars
65g 72%
Salt
0.4g 7%

of the reference intake
Carbohydrate 81.4g Protein 3.9g Fibre 1.2g

Method

Preheat the oven to gas 4, 180°C, fan 160°C. Grease and line 3 x 18cm round tins. In a blender, purée 100g of the strawberries, then remove the pips by passing through a fine sieve. Set aside.

We value your privacy

We use cookies to help give you the best experience on our site. By playing this video, you're consenting to receive third party privacy-enhanced cookies.
Using an electric hand whisk, beat 180g of the butter until smooth. Add the caster sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract and beat until light and fluffy, then beat in half the buttermilk. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well, then fold through the flour and bicarbonate of soda. Stir in the remaining buttermilk.
Divide the batter between 3 bowls. Fold the melted chocolate into one bowl, and 1 tsp vanilla extract into the second. Mix the strawberry purée and pink food colour into the third. Pour the batters into the 3 lined tins. Bake for 20-25 mins, until a skewer comes out clean.

We value your privacy

We use cookies to help give you the best experience on our site. By playing this video, you're consenting to receive third party privacy-enhanced cookies.
To make the buttercream, whisk together the icing sugar, remaining butter, vanilla extract and 6 tbsp milk, until of a smooth spreading consistency. Add an extra 1 tbsp milk if necessary.
Level the sponges using a serrated knife, then sandwich the cakes together by spreading 200g buttercream between each layer, with the chocolate sponge on the base, the vanilla sponge in the middle and the strawberry sponge at the top.
Using a knife, coat the cake with the remaining buttercream. Sweep around the cake with a palette knife held at a 45 degree angle to remove the excess icing and reveal the sponge beneath. Decorate with the grated chocolate and remaining strawberries, and add the bunting (see tip).

Tip: To make cake bunting, cut out small diamonds from pretty wrapping paper. Fold each in half to make a triangle. Glue the points of the triangles together, leaving space at the fold. Thread onto string, insert 2 skewers into the cake and secure the bunting in place by tying the string onto the top of each skewer and securing with sticky tape.

Freezing and defrosting guidelines

Freeze cakes only. Bake according to the recipe but stop before adding decoration or icing if called for. Allow to cool completely. Wrap well in clingfilm and tin foil (to prevent freezer burn) and freeze for up to 3 months.

Loosen tin foil and clingfilm but leave to defrost in packaging at room temperature for several hours before serving. If you wish to serve the baked goods warm, place them on a baking sheet for 10 mins in a moderate oven.

See more Adventurous baking recipes