Method (Cake)

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, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Mix well to combine.
4. Add the oil and drop of red food gel 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.
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 add in the vanilla. 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 3 heaped tablespoons into a piping bag fitted with a medium star tip nozzle.
4. Place one of the cakes on a serving plate or cake stand. Dollop or pipe some of the white buttercream on top and spread out until even using an off-set spatula or pallet knife.
5. Make a little well in the middle of the buttercream with a spoon and spoon in some strawberry jam. Not too much or it may ooze out the sides of the cake (refer to video for example).
6. 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 buttercream. This creates a crumb coat.
7. Place the cake into the fridge to set for 15-20 minutes. You want the buttercream to be firm, this will make the final coat and applying the decorations easier.
8. 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.
9. Pipe a swirl / shell around the top edge of the cake using the buttercream in the piping bag. In the middle / top of the cake, add on some strawberry jam and spread out.
10. Cut the green off the fresh strawberries and slice the strawberries in half. Any moisture from the strawberries will prevent them sticking to the cake so use some kitchen paper to dry them off as much as possible. 
11. Press the strawberry halves all around the sides of the cake (as seen in the photos), piping some buttercream to replicate the Santa hat.
12. Cut the green off 8 strawberries, dry them off the place the strawberries around the top edge of the cake, adding on a little bulb of buttercream to the top of each strawberry for the Santa hat. 
13. Sprinkle some desiccated coconut over the top of the cake, and press onto the buttercream hats to give them texture.
14. Dust the entire cake with icing sugar.
15. Slice, serve and enjoy.