To be perfectly honest I've never used a Kitchen Aid stand mixer. I don't know whether I believe all the hype. I mean how could it be so much better than my little red one that I use every day which does me just fine? But when the opportunity came along to have a go of the new Kitchen Aid KSM170 stand mixer, I secretly felt like it was Christmas! Well, it came today, beautiful in matte black and I simply love it. I hadn't even opened the box and yet I was so excited, I can't even tell you. It's no wonder these make the perfect gift for Mothers Day or Christmas for any home cook or baker.

Let's open the box

The Kitchen Aid KSM170 stand mixer comes standard with a 4.7L glass mixing bowl which I'm totally thrilled about because it means that if my butter is a bit cold, I can measure it straight into the bowl and put it in the microwave. I love it! It also comes with a stainless steel wire whisk and a flat beater and dough hook which are shiny and white. My mixer is called Cast Iron Black and it has a lovely matte textured finish. It has a 300w motor and 10 variable speeds. This week I have a sparkly butter cake to make with buttercream icing so this is the perfect time to give the mixer a workout. I'm making an easy vanilla cake and an even easier buttercream icing. These recipes are perfect for making at home if you need an easy delicious birthday cake or just fancy some yummy afternoon tea. There's always a reason to have cake! I doubled the recipe to make a tall 23cm cake in two tins. The KitchenAid's 4.7L bowl is big enough to comfortably make a double batch of the recipe without it overflowing. First thing I have to do for the cake is cream the butter, sugar and vanilla using this shiny white paddle beater. This mixer is so quiet! I wish you could hear it through the screen but I guess you'll have to go and buy one too! I really think the glass bowl is great because I can see when everything is mixed properly which is important when mixing cake batter. Next I add the eggs one at a time until fully mixed in. Then fold in the flour and buttermilk alternately in 3 batches, finishing on the flour. I actually did this on the slowest setting on the mixer and was pleased to see that it goes slow enough to do this step very gently. Then spoon your batter into your cake tin and bake. Easy! Bake for about an hour or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean and the cake has pulled away from the edges of the tin. Turn out and leave to cool on a wire rack. Next, make the buttercream by whipping your butter and vanilla for a good five minutes on speed 5 with the paddle attachment. Then add half your icing sugar and mix on speed 1 until it's incorporated. Add the rest of the icing sugar and mix slowly to incorporate. Add your water and colouring now and then increase to speed 5 and mix for another five minutes. Then add the sprinkles and beat again until they're all mixed in. To assemble the cake, cut your cakes in half horizontally and fill a large piping bag with your buttercream. Fill between each layer of cake with buttercream and then cover the outside and smooth with a palette knife. Gently press some coarse pink sanding sugar around the bottom 2.5cm of the cake, pipe buttercream kisses on top of the cake and sprinkle them with more sugar and ta daa! Finished! Using the Kitchenaid KSM170 stand mixer for this cake was a breeze. It's really easy to use and is a welcome addition to my kitchen. I really love the glass bowl and the variation of speeds. It's much quieter than other stand mixers plus I love looking at it! The one thing I will say though is that the mixer doesn't come with a pouring shield (which would minimise flour explosions) or a flex edge scraper beater which saves you the trouble of scraping the sides of the bowl mid-mix. An essential tool for a lazy baker like me! I think it would absolutely be worth investing in these two items for anyone who bakes more than on the odd occasion.

Here are my top tips for making the perfect birthday cake

• *Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature.
• *If you have the time, chill your un-iced cake for ten minutes before assembling. This will make icing the cake much easier.
• *Invest in a cranked spatula to make smoothing your icing easier or to create a textured finish
• *This buttercream can become a bit bubbly after all the beating. If you find that this has happened to yours, use a spatula to stir the icing in the bowl to pop the air bubbles a bit before spreading it onto your cake.
• *If you don't have a piping bag, you can use a big zip lock bag as a piping bag to make the buttercream kisses. Push the icing to one corner and twist the top of the bag. Then snip off the tip.
• *Most importantly, remember to have fun and relax! The curse of the cake decorator is looking at your cake for too long and seeing all its flaws.
• If it's not perfect, don't worry. No one will see what you think is wrong and everyone will love it anyway!

Now, I just need to find someone to clean up for me. Ha! To explore the entire range of quality KitchenAid mixers and kitchen appliances click here. Purchase any KitchenAid KSM170 mixer in the month of May and receive a bonus KitchenAid spiraliser!

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EASY VANILLA CAKE

Makes 23cm round cake or 24 cupcakes 200g softened butter 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 350g caster sugar 4 eggs 420g self-raising flour, sifted 250ml buttermilk Preheat your oven to 170 degrees. In the bowl of your stand mixer place the butter, sugar and vanilla. Cream on med-high for 2 mins until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating after each addition ensuring they are fully incorporated. Next, add one-third of your flour and mix on the lowest speed until it's just incorporated. Then add half of the buttermilk and mix on low until just incorporated. Repeat these steps until all the flour and milk have been added. Spoon your batter into a greased and lined cake tin and bake for 1.5 hours or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Rest in the tin for 5 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

SIMPLE SPRINKLE BUTTERCREAM

250g softened butter 450g icing sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 4 tablespoons warm water pink food colouring multicoloured sprinkles In the bowl of your stand mixer place the butter and vanilla and whip for five minutes on speed 5 with the paddle attachment until its as white as you can get it. Then add half your icing sugar and mix on speed 1 until it's incorporated. Add the rest of the icing sugar and mix slowly to incorporate. Add your water and colouring now and then increase to speed 5 and mix for another five minutes. Then add the sprinkles and beat again until they're all mixed in. About the author: Liz Sechos is the incredibly talented master baker behind Cake Lady Cakes based in Sydney, Australia. Using only the freshest natural ingredients, she believes cakes should taste as good as they look. Baking what can be only defined as delicious works of art, Cake Lady Cakes are able to customise and design unique cakes for weddings, birthdays and any other celebration . View Liz's gallery of incredible cakes on her Facebook page or at www.cakeladycakes.com