Preheat your oven to 170°C. Lightly grease and line two 20cm springform cake tins.

Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and Vanilla Cake Kit Castor Sugar on high speed for 2 minutes or until very pale and fluffy. Add the melted butter, milk and molasses and blend until just combined.

Add the Vanilla Cake Kit Dry Mix and spices and beat on the lowest speed until just combined and smooth.

Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake tins and bake for 50-55 minutes or until baked through when tested with a skewer. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before icing.

For the icing, beat the butter on high speed until very pale and creamy. Add the Vanilla Cake Kit Icing Mix and beat until well combined. Add the milk and optional Vanilla Paste and beat until smooth.

Once the cake is completely cool, you can start assembling your layers. Slice each cake in half to get 4 layers. Place a spoonful of icing onto the middle of your plate or cake stand and place your bottom layer on top of that – this helps it not to move around while you’re working.

Top your bottom layer with a generous amount of icing and spread it evenly to the edges. Gently place the second layer on top of that, and repeat for the other layers. Cover the entire cake with a very thin layer of icing. This is called the crumb coat, which glues down stray crumbs so that you have a neater and cleaner finish. Place the cake in the fridge for the icing to set for 30 minutes.

Once the icing has set, you can remove the cake from the fridge and finish icing it with the leftover buttercream icing. To get smooth and sharp edges, we suggest using an offset spatula or palette knife dipped in warm water. Place the cake in the fridge to cool.

Tip: Decorate with iced gingerbread cookies for a festive finish