Method (sponge)

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C fan and line three, 8 inch loose base / push up cake tins with greaseproof paper. If you don’t have 3 cake tins you will have to bake the cakes separately. Just cover the unused batter with a damp tea towel until you’re ready to use it.
2. In a bowl, combine the dairy-free milk with the apple cider vinegar and whisk until fully combined. Set aside for 10 minutes to curdle. This creates a vegan ‘buttermilk’.
3. In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, sugar, spices, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Mix well to combine.
4. Add the oil into the ‘buttermilk’ along with the molasses and whisk to combine.
5. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix.
6. Pour equal amounts of batter into the lined cake tins. Make sure to tap the tins on the worktop to remove any air bubbles.
7. Pop the cakes into the centre of the preheated oven and bake for around 25-30 minutes. You will know they are done when you put a knife or skewer in to the centre of the cake and it comes out clean and they are springy to the touch.
8. Place the cakes on a cooling rack and allow to cool slightly before removing them from the tins. Leave the cakes to cool fully on the cooling rack.  Once cool, pop them into a sealed container to keep them fresh before frosting.

Method (buttercream)

1. In a large mixing bowl, add in the dairy-free butter, whip until creamy. I use a stand mixer with a balloon whisk attachment, a hand mixer will work great too.
2. Sift in the icing sugar and spices. Whip on high speed for around 5 minutes to incorporate it. Add a splash of dairy-free milk if needed. If the frosting is too thick, add some more chunks of butter. If it’s too soft, add more icing sugar. You want it smooth, creamy and airy.
3. Transfer 2 tablespoons into a piping bag and snip off a tiny bit of the tip (this is for the gingerbread icing details).
4. Transfer 1/4 of the buttercream into a separate bowl and add in a tablespoon of cocoa powder at a time until it’s a light brown / gingerbread colour. Transfer into a piping bag fitted with medium round tip nozzle. Set aside. 
5. Place one of the cakes on a serving plate or cake stand. Dollop or pipe some of the white frosting on top and spread out until even using an off-set spatula or pallet knife.
6. Optional filling: Make a well in the middle of the buttercream and fill with 2 tablespoons of Biscoff spread, along with some crushed up gingerbread biscuits. 
7. Place the second cake layer on top. Press it down gently so it sticks, repeat for the third cake. Coat the whole cake with a thin layer of frosting. This creates a crumb coat.
8. Place the cake into the fridge to set for 15-20 minutes. You want the frosting to be firm, this will make the final coat and applying the decorations easier.
9. Remove the cake from the fridge and apply a second/final coat, this time making it thicker, then using a cake scraper to make the edges of cake smooth.
10. Add some of the white frosting into a piping bag fitted with a star tip nozzle ( I use a Wilton 2D Tip) and pipe a swirl around the top edge of the cake.
11. Use the brown icing to pipe gingerbread man shapes all around the sides of the cake and use the little bag of white icing to pipe on the details.
12. Crumble up some gingerbread biscuits to the top of the cake.
13. Slice and enjoy!