Prep time: 50 mins 
Cook time: 1-2 hrs + resting time
Serves: 15 

Gingerbread Cake:

• 375g flour
• 250g sugar
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• ¾ tsp nutmeg
• 3 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp bicarb soda
• 115g molasses
• 335g dairy-free milk, room temperature
• 165g oil
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  

Buttercream:

• 250g dairy-free block butter, room temperature
• 500g icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, or to taste
• Dairy-free milk, as needed
  

To Decorate:

• 3 punnets of strawberries, stems removed and halved
• Fresh mint
  

The Day Before Serving: 

1. For this recipe, you’ll need 3 x 15cm cake tins and a jumbo muffin tin. This will get you 6 cake layers of the following sizes: 15cm, 13cm, 10cm, 7.5cm, 5cm and 2.5cm (or 5”, 4”, 3”, 2” and 1”).
2. Grease your 3 cake tins and line the bottom with baking paper. Generously grease one of the cavities in the jumbo muffin tin.
3. Preheat your oven to 180C (no fan) or 160C (fan oven).
4. To make the cake, add all the dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix until well combined. Add all the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
5. Divide your cake batter between the 3 cake tins and muffin tin. The batter should be around the same height in all tins. Cover the muffin tin and place in the fridge.
6. Bake the 3 cakes for 30-35 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean.
7. Remove the cakes from the oven, and place them on a wire rack. After 20 minutes, remove the cakes from the tins.
8. Bake the muffin for 15-20 minutes. The muffin will take longer to bake if your tin is very cold.
9. Let the muffin cool in the tin for about 15 minutes then transfer to a wire rack.
10. When the cakes have cooled, chill them in the fridge or freezer overnight.
    

On The Day of Serving:

1. To make the buttercream, add the butter to a large bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Add the icing sugar and vanilla then beat until well combined. For a softer buttercream, add a dash of milk and mix again.
2. If your cakes have domes, use a sharp serrated knife to trim them off.
3. Leave one of the larger cakes as is. Carve a 13cm circle out another of the larger cakes. Carve a 10cm and 5cm cake from the final large cake. Trim the muffin into a 7.5cm circle. Use the remaining cake bits to trim a 2.5cm cake (you can use a cookie cutter for this).
4. Place the largest cake on a serving plate and top with buttercream. The buttercream doesn’t need to go to the edges. Top with the 13cm cake and top with buttercream. Repeat until you have 6 layers of cake.
5. Optional: Chill the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes. Then, trim the sides of the cake to make a straight Christmas tree shape.
6. Crumb coat the cake. To do this, spread a thin layer of buttercream around the cake – this ‘traps’ in any excess crumbs. Chill the cake for 10-20 minutes.
7. Spread a thicker layer of buttercream around the cake and smooth out. This doesn’t need to be perfect as we’re covering it.
8. Just before serving, arrange the strawberries on the sides of the cake. If desired, decorate with fresh mint and additional buttercream. The strawberries will leak over time, so I suggest placing the strawberries on the cake just before serving.
9. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
   

*TIP: If you’re travelling with this cake, please make sure the cake is very chilled, and place a tall skewer or straw in the middle of the cake. This will minimise any wobbling! If the cake isn’t covered in strawberries, you can also place baking paper directly on the buttercream so you can keep your hand on the cake in the car.