It's my birthday next month, and my lovely 15yo dd has said that she wants to bake a special cake for me. She is a very competent baker (unlike me 
) and likes a challenge. She will also be just post mocks and will enjoy doing something creative. 
She has asked me to find a recipe that I like the look of, but despite googling, I'm struggling to choose - there is just too much on the internet! So I'm so asking for your suggestions of tried and tested recipes.
I guess I'm looking for a fairly traditional birthday cake - ideally something that looks really pretty that dd will really enjoy decorating. My preference is for vanilla sponge or similar, definitely not chocolate cake. I do like the kind of cake that I had for my birthdays as a child - possibly Madeira cake with some kind of fondant icing? - but I'm open to other suggestions.
TIA