Magnificent wedding cake

Preheat the oven to 180 ºC (350 ºF). Spray the tins well with non-stick spray and line the base with baking paper.

HOW TO BAKE THE CAKES: The cakes can be baked about a month in advance and frozen until two days before the wedding reception.
Cream the butter until light, add small quantities of the castor sugar at a time and cream until pale and fluffy.
Add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition.
Add the lemon rind.
Sift the self-raising flour and salt together and add to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk and brandy.
Fold in until well mixed.
Divide the batter between the 20 and 24 cm tins.
Bake the cakes for 40-60 minutes or until a testing skewer comes out clean. (The smaller cake will have a shorter baking period than the larger one.)
Turn out onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely. Prepare another lot of batter and turn into the 26 cm cake tin.
Bake for about 60 minutes or until a testing skewer comes out clean.
Turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
Slice the tops off the cakes, ensuring they are more or less the same height.
Wrap the cakes well in plastic wrap and freeze until two days before the wedding.

HOW TO MAKE THE ICING: Prepare three to four days before the wedding and store in the fridge until needed.
Melt the white chocolate over boiling water or in the microwave oven.
Stir occasionally until all the squares have melted.
Add the eggs one by one, mixing well.
Cream the buter and beat in the chocolate mixture.
Sift in small quantities of the icing sugar at a time, beating well after each addition.
Cover and store in the fridge.

HOW TO DECORATE THE CAKES: Two days before the wedding, remove the cakes from the freezer and cover each with the icing.
Place in the fridge overnight so the icing can harden before covering the cakes with the chocolate covering. (Cover the cake in the chocolate covering a day before the wedding).
Ideally, do this at the place where the reception is to be held as it is difficult to transport the cake once it has been decorated.)
Cut three strips of baking paper, each long enough to be wrapped around each cake layer and 2,5 cm wider than each layer.
Draw a scalloped pattern along the one edge of the strips of paper.
We used a measuring cup to make even half moons and cut out the pattern.
Stack the three layers on top of each other on a serving platter or cake stand, placing the largest layer at the bottom.
Melt the chocolate for the covering in the microwave oven or over boiling water until the squares have melted completely.
Stir occasionally. Place the shortest strip of baking paper on a clean surface with the side that usually faces the baking sheet, facing down.
Using the wide brush, paint some of the melted chocolate over the paper until well covered – it does not matter if you paint over the scalloped edge.
When you lift the paper, the excess chocolate will remain behind on the surface.
Lift the paper carefully and wrap it around the top cake layer with the chocolate side facing the cake. Press onto the cake lightly.
Wait until the chocolate has set (about 5-10 minutes) before painting more chocolate over the scalloped edge if it is not completely covered.
Wait until this has set completely before carefully removing the baking paper.
Repeat the process with the other two strips of paper. Chill the cake until just before the reception.
Place the cake in the reception room in the spot where it will be cut and tie a ribbon (5 mm wide) around the top layer.
Decorate with fresh roses.