GINGERBREAD CHRISTMAS CAKE

makes /

15 biscuits 580g plain flour 170g caster sugar 20g gingerbread spice 270ml honey 50g unsalted butter, softened 10g bicarbonate of soda 90ml hot water Plain flour, for dusting 300g Pure icing sugar 100g egg whites 150ml full cream milk 60g black treacle or dark golden syrup 375g plain flour 3 tsp baking powder 1 ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda 375 g brown sugar 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground ginger ½ tsp ground nutmeg 225g vegetable oil 300ml buttermilk 3 whole eggs 40ml rum 1 tsp vanilla bean paste Vegetable oil, for greasing the gingerbread into rectangles with one pitched end, measuring 18cm x 6cm and 18cm x 4cm. a baking tray with a sheet of baking paper. Place the gingerbread shapes on top of the lined tray and bake at 170C for 7-8 minutes. to cool before decorating. Sieve the icing sugar. the egg whites into a bowl and mix the sieved icing sugar through. If necessary, you can adjust the icing by adding more egg whites or icing sugar until you achieve a firm piping consistency. Please note, royal icing sets very hard very quickly, so it is important to keep it covered with plastic wrap touching the surface of the icing. a paper piping cone or a zip lock bag and cut a very small tip off the end. the icing into the cone or the bag and pipe it on to the biscuits in an assortment of window and door shapes. Allow to set. Prepare two 20 cm cake tins by lightly greasing them with oil. Line the bottom and sides of the tins with baking paper. If the tins are any lower than 4cm, when you line the sides with slightly baking paper higher ensure than tJ the that side it sits of the tin. saucepan the l“milk on a and low treacle heat and in stir a until combined. the oven to 170C for a fan forced oven or 180C for a standard oven. all the dry ingredients together in a bowl, including the sugar. the oil, buttermilk, eggs, rum and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. in the milk and treacle and continue to mix well. the dry ingredients and whisk until you achieve a smooth consistency. the mixture evenly between the cake tins and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes. The sponge will be ready when you insert a skewer into the centre and it comes out clean. the sponges to cool in their tins for 10 minutes. Unmould them on to a wire rack to cool further. Once cooled, you can wrap the sponges in plastic wrap and store them for up to 3 days in the fridge or for up to 6 weeks in the freezer. Using a spatula, mix the mascarpone and honey together in a bowl until fully combined. Set aside in the fridge.

Place one layer of sponge on to a display plate. Spread a thin layer of the mascarpone honey filling on top of the sponge. Place a second layer of sponge on top and gently press it down.

a flat palette knife or a spoon to spread the remaining mascarpone honey filling on the top and sides of the sponge.

the filling is too soft, place the cakes in the fridge for approximately 30 minutes before you assemble the gingerbread windows and doors. Randomly place the different sized gingerbread biscuits around the cake. The filling will enable them to stick to the cake. Place the sugar on to a lined baking tray and heat in the oven to 60C for about 10 minutes. the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and pour the sugar on top. Whisk together until it reaches a medium to firm peak with a shiny surface. a spatula to place the meringue on top of the finished cake to create a snowlike effect.