The+12+Bakes+of+Christmas

GINGERBREADLATTE CAKEServes 12Whilst my Christmas revolves, primarily, around my family and food, I can’t help but let out a little squeal ofexcitement when I see the coffee shops doing their festive ranges.One of my favourite Christmas coffees is the Gingerbread Latte, and so I just had to put those flavours into acelebratory cake. The cake is gently warming, and the frosting is perfectly sweet and spiked with a subtle coffee hit.Ingredients for the Cake250g unsalted butter,softened at room temperature225g dark muscovado sugar120g golden syrup50g black treacle6 large eggs340g plain flour1tsp baking powder1tsp bicarb2tsp ground ginger1tsp ground cinnamon1/2tsp ground nutmegIngredients forthe Frosting60g unsalted butter,softened at room temperature200g sweetenedcondensed milk2tsp instant espresso powder500g mascarponecream cheeseIcing sugar to dustEssential Equipment3 x 20cm sandwich tins,greased with the bases linedA long, sharp serrated knifeMethodPreheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4. Beat the butter andmuscovado sugar until smooth and fluffy – ensure you beat all the lumpsout of the sugar. Beat in the golden syrup, treacle and eggs until reasonablysmooth, then sift over the flour, baking powder, bicarb and spices, and foldin to a smooth batter.Divide the batter between the cake tins as evenly as possible and bake for20-25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.Allow the cakes to cool for 5 minutes in their tins, then invert onto a wirerack to finish cooling.For the frosting, whisk together the butter and condensed milk until fairlyfluffy – about 2 minutes. Add the espresso powder and whisk in, beforewhisking in the mascarpone until you have a very smooth, fairly thick frosting.Once the cakes have cooled, very carefully slice each cake in half so that youhave 6 thin slices of cake. The best way is to place a cake onto the counter,one hand flat on top of it. With a long and sharp serrated knife, slice a markall the way around the edge of the cake as evenly as possible. Use that scoremark to guide your knife all the way through the cake, sawing very gentlybut confidently.Set one layer of cake to one side for the crumb finish. Take the other five layersand start to assemble. Place one cake onto a plate or cake stand, spread it withfrosting and repeat until you have five slices of cake sandwiched together. Chillfor 10 minutes and then spread the remaining icing around the entire cake asneatly as possible. I find a small offset/crank palette knife works wonders.For the crumb finish, crumble the reserved layer of cake into small crumbsand gently press these, with a slightly cupped hand, around the cake. If anyfrosting peaks through, just cover it with crumbs. Finish with a generoussnowfall of icing sugar.