Method (cakes)

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, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Mix well to combine.
4. Add the oil into the ‘buttermilk’ 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. Optional, sprinkle some more chocolate chips to the tops of the cake batter.
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 stacking.

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 add in the vanilla. Whip on high speed for around 5-8 minutes to incorporate it. Add a splash of dairy-free milk if needed. If the buttercream is too thick, add some more chunks of cold butter. if it’s too soft, add more icing sugar. You want it smooth, creamy and airy.
3. Place one of the cakes on a serving plate or cake stand. Dollop or pipe some of the buttercream on top and spread out until even using an off-set spatula or pallet knife.
4. Spread over a heaped tablespoon of cherry jam, then top with some freshly chopped cherries / glaće cherries then 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 vanilla buttercream, using a cake scraper to get the edges neat. This would usually create a crumb coat, but as this is a semi-naked cake, we are going to leave the cake like this. 
5. Place the cake into the fridge to set for 15-20 minutes.
6. Transfer any left over buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip nozzle. Pipe some bulbs / swirls around the top edge of the cake, and press on some fresh cherries.
7. Pour some cherry jam into the middle of the center of the cake, spread out to fill in any gaps.

Method (chocolate trees)

1. Melt the chocolate either in the microwave in 15 second intervals, stirring until it’s smooth or using a bain-marie method (on the hob).
2. Line a baking tray with grease proof paper. Spoon the melted chocolate into a small piping bag, and snip off the tip. 
3. Pipe a tree shape onto the paper. Place in the fridge to set.
4. Once the chocolate has hardened, carefully remove chocolate trees from paper and use to decorate the sides of the cake. TIP: Allow the cake to come to room temperature slightly so the buttercream can soften allowing the trees to stick. 
5. Cut the cake, tuck in and enjoy!