cinnamon – Sweet Tooth Experiments

Rosé Strawberry Vanilla and White Chocolate Pudding

Posted on January 16, 2021 Posted in Pudding .

Rose Strawberry Vanilla And White Chocolate Pudding

Frozen strawberries in a glass of Rosé on a hot summer day, strawberries coated in melted white chocolate to end a dinner party, strawberry and vanilla smoothies for a morning snack….all delicious strawberry treats with complimentary flavour profiles.

This recipe expands on these flavour profiles to combine them together to make a rich, decadent, alcohol spiked dessert.

Why a pudding? This gave me the best chance to really allow the Rosé flavour to own the show!

Ingredients:

Batter:

30g butter
60g milk
20g sugar
1 tsn vanilla essence
1/2 tsn strawberry essence
Pinch cinnamon
100g self raising flour
30g white chocolate
120g strawberries

Sauce:

20g butter
60ml milk
20g sugar
60g white chocolate
1/2 tsn vanilla essence
160ml Rosé (sparking wine)

Ingredients:

Pre-heat the oven to 180c degrees and spray 4-cup shallow overproof dishes with oil spray.
First make the batter by placing the butter, milk and sugar in a microwave proof bowl and heat on high until the mix is bubbling.
Stir to ensure the mix is well combine, adding in the vanilla and strawberry essence then leaving aside to cool to room temperature.
Sieve the cinnamon and flour into the milk mix and stir.
Finely dice the strawberries and finely chop the chocolate, stir into the batter mix.
Spoon the batter into the prepared 4 dishes to even amounts.
To make the sauce combine the butter, milk, sugar, chocolate and vanilla essence into a pan and place onto the stove on a medium heat, stirring until smooth and glossy.
Take off the heat and stir through the sauce the Rosé (or your preferred sparkling wine).
Carefully pour the sauce over the back of a spoon evenly into each pudding.
Place the puddings in the oven for 30 minutes or until golden and bubbling.
Serve hot with ice-cream or custard.

Rose Strawberry Vanilla And White Chocolate Pudding

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Pistachio Honey Yoghurt Chia Cake with Rose Syrup

Posted on January 9, 2021 Posted in Cakes .

Pistachio Yoghurt Chia Slice With Rose Syrup

Taking inspiration from Middle Eastern flavours as well as my Baklava Cake and my Hazelnut Cake with Spiced Syrup this recipe takes their tastes and textures but with a ‘new age’ twist.

Gluten free and egg free this recipe uses ingredients usually found in ‘alternative’ style recipes.

The texture the chia seeds produces, the silkiness of the syrup along with the rose, pistachio, cinnamon, honey and pomegranate flour profiles makes this a delectable treat.

Ingredients:

Slice:

4 tbsn chai seeds
8 tbsn water
160g shelled pistachios
120g butter
100g sugar
80g cornflour
1 tsn salt
1 tsn cinnamon
1 tsn baking powder
200g vanilla yoghurt

Syrup:

180ml water
120g honey
100g sugar
1 tbsn pomegranate molasses
1 tsn cinnamon
1 tsn rosewater essence

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180c and line a 20cm cake tin with baking paper.
Ground the chia seeds and mix with the 8 tbsn water, leave aside until the water is absorbed.
Place the shelled pistachios into a food processor and blitz until the mix resembles a sand-like texture (think almond meal).
Beat butter and sugar with electric beaters until pale and fluffy.
Add the chia mix and beat until combine.
Sift in the corn flour, cinnamon, salt and baking powder.
Add pistachio meal and yoghurt and stir to combine.
Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
Leave the cake in the tin to cool.
To make the syrup add the water, honey, sugar and pomegranate molasses into a pot.
Put the pot on the stove on medium heat, stiring until the sugar dissolves, then bring to the boil until the syrup has thickened.
Take the pot off the heat and whisk in the cinnamon and rosewater essence.
Poke the cake with a skewer in the top multiple times and pour the syrup over the top.
Leave the cake aside to completely cool and soak up the syrup.
Invert the cake onto a plate and top with the remaining syrup from the cake tin.

Notes:

I sprinkled with extra pistachios and rose petals.
You can replace the chia mix with 3 eggs if preferred.
Serve with thickened cream if desired.

Pistachio Yoghurt Chia Slice With Rose Syrup

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Spiced Golden Syrup Orange Upside-down Cake

Posted on September 12, 2020 Posted in Cakes .

Spiced Golden Syrup Orange Upside-down Cake

Spiced Golden Syrup Orange Upside-down Cake recipe

I’m told this Cake taste like ‘Christmas’, though I think it’s just the cardamom, cinnamon and orange combo that gives off this flavour experience.

So I made golden syrup dumplings the other day in which got me thinking that I should make something with the golden syrup otherwise I knew I would end up in the habit of adding it to my porridge just because I knew it was there….

I played around with varying spices and fruits until I landed on cinnamon and orange with the syrup. A pinch of cardamom, in which is super tasty with oranges and brown sugar to complement the golden syrup and a new upside-down cake batter was formed. To really hero the golden syrup and orange I decided on an upside down cake as the golden syrup would then provide a decedent sauce texture, almost pudding like when combined with the orange segments.

An easy, tasty cake that is a dream served warm with cream or ice-cream.

Ingredients:

Oranges:

2 oranges
250g golden Syrup
20g butter

Batter:

125g butter, softened
50g brown sugar
3 eggs
30g golden syrup
1 tsn ground cinnamon
1/6^th tsn ground cardamom
2 tbsn milk
1 cup self raising flour

Extra:

40g golden syrup
Cream or ice cream to serve

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 180c degrees and line a 30cm cake tin with baking paper.
Melt the butter in the microwave, once melted add the golden syrup and the orange peeled and cut into segments, stir and leave aside.
To make the cake batter place the butter and sugar in a bowl and beat with electric beaters for 5 minutes or until light and creamy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating in between each addition.
Add the golden syrup and spices and beat until combined.
Add the milk and flour and beat on low for 1 minute until the mix is combined.
Fan the orange pieces in the base of the cake tin to make an even covered layer.
Pour the syrup mix over the orange segments until each are covered and the mix is used up.
Spoon the cake batter over the oranges and syrup until the batter completely covers the orange and smooth the top with the back of a spoon.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Leave the tin for 5 minutes.
Turn the tin upside-down onto a plate, pouring extra syrup over the top of the cake.
Serve warm with cream or ice-cream on the side and enjoy.

Spiced Golden Syrup Orange Upside-down Cake recipe

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Spiced Caramel Apple Pie Cake

Posted on May 3, 2019 Posted in Cakes .

Spiced Caramel Apple Pie Cake


After eating an apple pie recently I got the idea of turning the filling into a cake, but instead of putting the filling into the batter of the cake I wanted to use it as the filling between cake layers. For the cake batter I wanted to ensure that the apple was evident, but not the only key feature in the cake. Additionally, I wanted to cake to feature flavors that complement the apple, thus incorporating brown sugar, caramel essence, ginger and of course apples best friend…cinnamon. Think carrot cake or banana cake texture and flavors, but without the carrot and banana.To keep the apple pie mix intact and in the middle of the cake layers I opted for a cream cheese frosting for the layers and outside of the cake, again featuring the caramel flavor. The outcome is a delectable spiced apple cake that is rich in apple pie inspired flavor layers as well as caramel cheesecake-ish frosted layers.

Ingredients:

Cake:

170g brown sugar
2 eggs
100ml vegetable oil
50ml butter, melted
420g apples, peeled and grated (240g grated apple)
220ml self-rising flour
1 tsn of bi- carbonate soda
1 tsn ground cinnamon
1 tsn ground ginger
60g almond meal
1 lemon (zest of whole lemon)

Apple Filling:

55g brown sugar
½ tsn ground cinnamon
30g butter
180ml water
260g apples, peeled and diced (175g diced apple)

Syrup:

30ml brandy
30ml lemon juice
80g brown sugar

Icing:

80g butter
100g white chocolate
250g cream cheese
120g vanilla flavored yoghurt
1 tsn salted caramel essence
30g icing sugar

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 175c degrees and line 3 x 25cm cake tins with baking paper.
Using your kitchen aid (electric beaters) beat the sugar and eggs for 5 minutes or until fluffy and pale.
Add the melted butter and oil to the bowl, pouring while the beaters run.
Stop the mixer and remove the bowl.
Add the apple and sift in the flour, spices, salt, soda and almond meal.
Carefully fold the ingredients together until just combine.
Pour the mix evenly into the 3 tins and place in the oven for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
Leave the cakes on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, to make the filling place the butter, sugar, cinnamon and water into a saucepan and heat on high until boiling.
Add the apples and cook on high for 10 minutes until the syrup thickens and the apple is soft but still holds it’s shape.
Place the mix into a bowl and leave aside to cool.
Place the syrup ingredients into a new bowl and heat in the microwave until boiling, stir until silky smooth in texture.
Using a pastry brush, brush the syrup onto the top of the 3 cakes.
Next make the icing by melting the butter in a medium sized bowl in the microwave until bubbling. Add the white chocolate piece and stir until smooth.
Add the cream cheese, yoghurt and essence into the butter mix and using electric beaters whisk until smooth and silky. Place in the fridge to set.
To put the cake together place one cake layer on a plate syrup side up, top with ¼ icing, then ½ of the apple filling over the top of the icing.
Top with the second cake layer syrup side up, top with ¼ icing, then the remaining apple filling over the top of the icing.
Top with 3^rd cake layer syrup side down and ice the top and the sides of the cake with the remaining icing.
To decorate I have topped with dried apple slices and caramel sauce.


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Thiples

Posted on June 30, 2018 Posted in Greece, Traditional .

Thiples

Thiples are a Greek traditional thin-sheet pastry (also known as Diples), usually made for special festive occasions. Similar to Cannoli’s shell texture and crunch Thiples are fried pastry that is soaked in a honey lemon syrup and sprinkled with a sesame and nut cinnamon mix for the extra crunch and flavour.

Think Baklava syrup and Frappe (aka Cioffe…aka Italian deep fried bow-tie cookies).

This is not the easiest of desserts to make, the pastry needs to be super super thin, but the outcome is addictively moreish – I can see why these are a Greek dessert treasure!

Dough:

4 eggs
30g ouzo
1 tbsn sugar
20ml lemon juice
1 tsn vanilla essence
470g ‘oo’ flour

Syrup:

170g honey
110g sugar
30ml lemon juice
1 tsn ground cinnamon

Extra:

50g walnuts
35g sesame seeds
¼ tsn ground cinnamon
Oil to fry

Method:

Place the eggs, ouzo, sugar, vanilla and lemon juice into a bowl and stir until combine.
Add the flour ¼ cup at a time until the dough is stiff (disregard any unused flour).
Knead the dough for 5 minutes.
Place the dough in an oiled bowl with plastic wrap over the top and leave for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
For the syrup place all the syrup ingredients as well as 60ml of water into a saucepan on high heat and stir until well combine and sugar is melted.
Once the mix boils reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, take off heat.
Toast the sesame seeds until golden on a medium heat in a saucepan.
Finely chop up the walnuts and place them in a bowl with the cinnamon and seeds, stir until well combined.
Roll the dough through a pasta machine until you reach 2mm in thickness.
Cut the dough into 10cm x 10xm squares.
Roll the dough up into tube shapes.
Place the frying oil into a saucepan and add a little dough, place heat on high.
Once the dough starts to sizzle remove and turn the heat to medium/low.
Add in the tubes (triples) and fry until golden brown.
Remove the thiples and place onto paper towel.
Pour the syrup into a bowl and add in the thiples, turning them for a robust syrup coating.
Place the thiples onto a serving plate and top with any remaining syrup as well as the nut mix sprinkled on the top.
Enjoy!

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NOTE:

Rolling the pastry prior to adding to the oil is not the traditional method. Technically you are to add the pastry as a sheet and roll with tongs, this however clearly takes a lot of practice. As this recipe rolls prior to the oil make sure your oil is not too hot or the outside will brown before the pastry in the middle has had time to cook.

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Sago and Dried Fruit Boiled Pudding

Posted on April 21, 2018 Posted in Australian, Pudding .

Sago and Dried Fruit Boiled Pudding

Sago and Dried Fruit Boiled Pudding recipe

If you visit my blog frequently you will recall I went on a baking journey of 15 recipes from the Australian Green & Gold cookery book published by New Holland, in which features 100’s and 100’s of traditional Australian recipes from ‘experienced housewife’s and cookery experts’.

From the 15 recipes I made 3 were key standouts that I couldn’t ignore and had to add to my Aussie traditional category on this blog.

Following the Bread Fritters, the Sago Plum Boiled Pudding was my next favorite.

The recipe I have posted follows exactly as per the traditional, apart from a few slight tweaks in the volumes of some ingredients to make it just that extra bit flavorsome and moist (it was originally fairly dry but delicious).

As 4 recipes I made were boiled puddings I was able to understand the optimal consistency of the Sago Plum Boiled Pudding.

Also, I did tweak the name to be a little more appropriate, technically the recipe doesn’t have any plum in it at all…..

It may take aaaggggeeesss to cook but this pudding is well well worth the wait.

Sago and Dried Fruit Boiled Pudding recipe

Ingredients:

40g sago
120ml milk
50g butter, melted
50g breadcrumbs
140g dried fruit (dates/sultanas/currents/cranberries/cherries/raisins)
60g sugar
1 tsn ground cinnamon
½ tsn ground ginger
½ tsn ground mixed spice
1 tsn bicarb of soda

Method:

Place the sago into a bowl and cover completely with the milk. Allow the sago to soak, absorbing the milk for at least 2 hours.
Add the butter, breadcrumbs, dried fruit, sugar, spices and bi-carb of soda into the bowl of soaked sago and combine all the ingredients well with your hands.
Wet a muslin pudding cloth and ring out to remove access water.
Dust the cloth with flour (this will stop the pudding from sticking to the cloth when boiled).
In the bowl shape the pudding mix into a circle shape and place in the center of the cloth on the flour.
Pull the cloth around the pudding and tie into shape with an elastic band or cooking string.
Steam the pudding in a large pot filled with water on a simmering heat for 2-2.5 hours, ensuring the pudding is completely immersed in the water the whole time (topping up the water level if need be as it steams).
Once cooked let the pudding sit in a sieve for 20 minutes over a bowl (to catch any excess water) then remove the elastic band and cloth.
Place the pudding onto a plate and serve with custard or double cream.

Sago and Dried Fruit Boiled Pudding recipe

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Australian Bread Fritters

Posted on March 11, 2018 Posted in Australian, Bread .

Australian Bread Fritters

Australian Bread Fritters recipe

A few Christmas’ ago my mother gave me a copy of the Australian Green & Gold cookbook in which was re-released to celebrate 75^th years since originally being published (publisher being New Holland). Why this is so interesting is that this particular cookbook features 100’s and 100’s of traditional Australian recipes from ‘experienced housewife’s and cookery experts’.

It’s a recipe book that was a staple book for my late grandmother (and most likely yours too).

I cannot remember what made me decided only now to actually read through the book finally but I’m glade I did (I think I had it in my head it was just savoury, in which is completely incorrect).

After finally, from so many recipes to choose from I decided on my top 15 most interesting based on the ingredients utilized to try out first hand.

It did take me a few weeks to work my way through the list with lots of surprises along the way. Some recipes were let’s just say…well….a massive 100% fail on taste and texture (the vermicelli noodle custard bake….yes it was not great at all).

Unexpectedly the best dessert (I was only replicating desserts) by a long shot was the Bread Fritters. A simple simple recipe that was melt in your mouth addictive, seriously!

I’ve made a fair amount of fritters/dumplings/doughnuts etc, basically every countries traditional main fried sweet treat and this one is right up the top.

Traditionally the flavour in the book was nutmeg…which I changed, but apart from tweaking this to cinnamon I followed word for word (and added in lots of extra steps too as the recipe is only 3 sentences long).

The end result – think Cinnamon doughnut with the ultimate fluffiness you can imagine.

Ingredients:

70g bread, crust removed then diced into cubes
200ml milk (approx. 200ml)
1 egg
30g flour
½ tsn salt
1 tsn ground cinnamon

Extra:

Oil, for frying
80g caster sugar

Method:

Place the bread cubes into a large bowl and cover completely with the milk (hence my approx. mention, you may need a tiny bit more or less pending how soft your bread is). Allow the milk to soak into the bread for at least 1 hour.
Once milk is absorbed mash the bread with a fork to a puree consistency.
Using a hand whisk beat the egg, flour, salt and cinnamon into the bread puree. Leave aside for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, place paper towel on a plate to absorb excess oil on the fritters for later.
Place 80g of caster sugar in a bowl for coating the fritters once cooking them.
Place oil into a saucepan and heat to 150c on a candy thermometer.
Fry spoonful’s (a tbsn size is perfect) of mix into the oil (I used 2 tablespoons to do this), turning the fritters with tongs once they are golden brown on top.
Place cooked fritters on the paper towel plate as you go.
Once finished placed the fritters in the sugar, given them a good solid toss ensuing they have an even coat of the sugar, enjoy!

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Coconut Peanut and Chocolate Tofu Cheesecake

Posted on December 22, 2017 Posted in Cakes .

Coconut Peanut and Chocolate Tofu Cheesecake



Thought cheesecake is always a devilish high bad fat treat? Think again, this recipe I have created only has healthy fats from nuts and coconut. Yes, a healthy high protein cheesecake can exist and most importantly, it tastes delicious (what’s the point otherwise)!The tofu provides a high protein low carb and low fat stable base, while low fat ricotta cheese significantly cuts the fat that a normal cream cheese cheesecake has. And as apparently raw is healthy and hot right now I wanted to make sure this cake was on theme and trend with people’s desires. Using the nuts and dried fruit makes this cake completely gluten free, while the peanut puree icing is fulfilling and satisfying. To be honest if I added veggies this cake would be a meal in itself with plenty of healthy fats, protein, calcium, even fruit!

Ingredients:

Icing:

125g peanuts
100ml coconut cream
60ml honey

Base:

2 tsn coconut oil
¼ tsn salt
90g desiccated coconut
20g dried dates
15g cocoa powder
30ml honey

Filling:

250g firm tofu
220g ricotta cheese
220g brown sugar
70g cocoa powder
2 egg whites
1 tsn vanilla essence
5 tsn coconut oil
100g peanut butter
1 tsn coffee graduals
½ tsn ground cinnamon

Method:

Place the peanuts into a bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak nuts for 5 hours.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 175c degrees and line a 25cm spring form cake tin with baking paper.
Toast the coconut by placing in a fry pan on the cooktop on high heat.
Using a spoon move the coconut around to ensure even toasting of the coconut until golden brown in colour. Place aside to cool.
Place the cooled coconut and remaining base ingredients onto a food processor and blitz until well combine and the mix resembles fine breadcrumb texture.
Pour the base mix into the prepared cake tin and using the bottom and sides of a cup flatten the base and sides of the mix in the tin. Place the tin in the fridge to harden.
To make the filling place all the filling ingredients into a food processor and blitz until smooth and silky in texture.
Pour the filling mix into the cake tin over the base.
Place the cake in the oven to bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out almost clean (if inserted in the sides it should come out clean).
Move the cake to a cooling rack until cold to touch.
Meanwhile make the icing by draining the peanuts and placing into a food processor along with the coconut cream and honey.
Blitz the icing mix for 5 minutes, scraping down the sides every minute.
To assemble the cake, remove the cooled cake from the tin and place on a serving plate.
Spread the icing over the top of the cake and place the cake in the fridge for 2 hours to full set.

Note: I have decorated with extra chopped peanuts, extra toasted desiccated coconut and grated chocolate.

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Chocolate Honeycomb Spiced Christmas Pudding

Posted on December 9, 2017 Posted in Pudding .

Chocolate Honeycomb Spiced Christmas Pudding

Christmas cake is not for everyone, in fact it tends to be an acquired taste for most, much like mince pies.

So to cater to all that are not in favor of the traditional taste I decided to come up with a pudding that would appease all. Think chocolate cake mixed with a traditional Christmas cake mixed with some extra crunch surprise. The dates takes the edge off the mixed fruit intense depth in flavor while the spices, nuts and honeycomb work well with the chocolate profile.

Ingredients:

125g dried mixed fruit
225g dried dates, diced
60ml brandy
160ml orange juice
225g butter
140g brown sugar
3 eggs
40g cocoa powder
140g plain flour
1 tsn ground cinnamon
¼ tsn ground nutmeg
½ tsn ground ginger
110g pecans, chopped
30g breadcrumbs
200g honeycomb, diced

Ganache:

30ml cream
50g dark chocolate

Method:

Preheat the oven to 160c and line a pudding tin with baking paper.
Place the mixed fruit and diced dates in a bowl with the brandy and orange and leave for 1 hour to absorb.
Place the butter and sugar in a bowl and using electric beaters whisk for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time to the sugar mix, beating in between each addition.
Sieve the flour, cocoa powder and spices into the sugar mix.
Add the fruit mix, breadcrumbs and nuts and beat until mix is combine.
Lastly, add 150g of the honeycomb and stir until combine.
Pour the mix into the prepared tin, flatten with a spoon and place the lid on the tin.
Bake the pudding in the oven for 90 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center just comes out clean.
Place the pudding on a cooling tray until cooled completely.
Meanwhile, add the chocolate and cream into a bowl and heat in the microwave on a low power of 1 minute or until just starting to melt.
Stir the ganache until silky smooth.
Turn the cooled pudding upside down onto a plate and pour the ganache over the top, scatter with remaining diced honeycomb.
To serve cut the pudding into slices and accompany with ice-cream or double cream.

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Mocha Ginger and Caramel Layer Cake

Posted on November 4, 2017 Posted in Cakes .

Mocha Ginger and Caramel Layer Cake

My attempt number 3 of making a treat featuring chocolate, coffee, ginger and caramel and I finally have a luscious and delectable treat on my hands!

Attempt 1 was the mousse cake that featured a dark chocolate mocha layer, a white chocolate ginger layer and a caramel layer. Though this attempt was a structural disaster (the layers didn’t play well as mousse – the caramel layer melted fairly quickly), I did as least identify the flavour combo was divine.

Attempt 2 was the slice, similar to a caramel slice but with a ginger biscuit base, caramel center and mocha layer on the top. This was ok but reminded me too much of the traditional caramel slice and not unusual enough.

Attempt 3 takes my crowd-pleasing Devils Food Cake recipe as the mocha layer, my Churros Chocolate Caramel Cake’s caramel as the caramel layer and my never fail Vanilla Cake recipe as the ginger cake layers base.

Outcome – Aaaaamamzing!

A bit of work as 2 cakes need to me made but sooooo worth it!

Ingredients:

Mocha layer:

120g butter
90g caster sugar
1 tsn vanilla essence
2 eggs
115g self-raising flour
40g cake flour
55g cocoa powder
1/2 tsn salt
1/4 tsn bicarbonate of soda
6 tsn instant espresso coffee granules
120ml buttermilk

Ginger layer:

125g butter
150g sugar
1 tsn vanilla essence
2 eggs
160g self-raising flour
1 tsn ground ginger
2 tsn grated ginger
1 + ½ tsn ground cinnamon
¼ tsn all spice
½ tsn salt
1/4 tsn bicarbonate of soda
125ml buttermilk

Buttercream:

60g butter
20g icing sugar

Caramel frosting:

130g white sugar
20ml water
50g brown sugar
180ml thickened cream

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180c and line 2 x 25cm round cake tins with baking paper.
Firstly, make the Mocha cake layer by using electric beaters to beat the butter, sugar and essence for 5 mins or until light and fluffy.
Add in the eggs one at a time and ensure you beat thoroughly between each addition.
Sift in the flours, cocoa powder, salt and bicarbonate of soda into the butter mix.
In a separate small bowl add the coffee granules to the buttermilk, stir until well combined and pour into the butter mix.
Beat the mix with electric beaters until just combined.
Pour mixture into 1 of the prepared pans and bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
Meanwhile, make the Ginger cake layer by whisking with electric beaters the butter, sugar and essence for 5 mins or until light and fluffy.
Add in the eggs one at a time and ensure you beat thoroughly between each addition.
Sift in the flour, spices, salt and bicarbonate of soda into the butter mix.
Pour the buttermilk into the butter mix.
Beat the mix with electric beaters until just combined.
Once the mocha cake that is baking in the background is cooked leave the cake in the tin for 5 mins, then place onto a cooling rack to cool.
Pour the ginger cake layer mixture into the 2nd prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
Once the ginger cake is cooked leave the cake in the tin for 5 mins, then place onto a cooling rack to cool.
To make the buttercream beat the butter and icing sugar for 5 minutes, place in the fridge for later use.
Now make the caramel by place the white sugar and water into a saucepan, on a high heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
Leave the mix without stirring until the sugar syrup is golden is colour, take off heat.
Add the brown sugar and 80ml thickened cream to the caramel (be careful of the caramel spitting when adding the cream) and mix with a metal spoon until the caramel is smooth and glossy, leave aside to cool completely.
In a separate bowl beat the remaining 100ml thickened cream with electric beaters until soft peaks form.
Add the completely cooled caramel to the cream and beat slowly until the caramel is combine and firm peaks form, set aside.
To assemble the cake, cut the tops of both cakes to ensure both are even and flat on top.
Place the mocha cake layer onto a plate, then using a piping bag with a circular nozzle pipe an icing border around the mocha cake layers top.
Spoon 1/3^rd of the caramel frosting into the center of the buttercream icing and smooth with the back of the spoon.
Add the ginger layer on top of the icing and spread the top of the cake and sides with the remaining caramel frosting.
Top with grated dark chocolate, extra grated white chocolate and a pinch of ground ginger if desired.