Football Pitch Party Cake

Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan/gas 4). Lightly oil a 33 x 23cm cake tin (at least 2.5cm deep) and line the base and sides with baking parchment. In a large mixing bowl, combine the plain flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, light brown soft sugar, and a pinch of salt. Use your fingers to rub any lumps of sugar into the mixture, then shake the bowl to ensure everything is evenly distributed.

In a separate jug, whisk together the vegetable oil, natural yogurt, vanilla extract, and eggs. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and stir well with a spatula or whisk until the batter is smooth and no pockets of flour remain. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 30 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a skewer into the center; if it comes out clean, it's ready. If not, bake for another 5 minutes. Let the cake cool in the tin for 20 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.

To prepare the icing, beat the butter, icing sugar, 1 tbsp of milk, and vanilla until the mixture is soft and fluffy, adding the remaining milk only if the consistency is too stiff. Transfer 4–5 tbsp of the white icing to a piping bag with a small round nozzle. Pipe a border around the cake (leaving a 1cm gap from the edge), then add the halfway line, center circle, and penalty areas. Return any leftover white icing to the bowl and tint it green with a few drops of food coloring gel. Using a star or grass nozzle, pipe small blobs of green icing across the rest of the cake to resemble grass, avoiding the white lines. Finish by decorating with mini football figures and a chocolate football.