A Christmas cake that will look aesthetically pleasing on your table. It will taste even better than it looks too, by giving you traditional gingerbread flavours with a nice creamy finish.

Preparation time: 40 minutes | Cooking time: 50 minutes | Makes: 10-12

Ingredients:

  • 250g butter, diced and softened
  • 1 1⁄4 cups caster sugar
  • 2⁄3 cup golden syrup
  • 4 extra large eggs
  • 2 3⁄4 cups plain flour
  • 2 tsp McKENZIE’S Baking Powder
  • 1 tsp McKENZIE’S Bi-Carb Soda
  • 2 tsp McKENZIE’S Ground Ginger
  • 1 tsp McKENZIE’S Mixed Spice
  • 1 1⁄3 cups warm milk
  • Cinnamon Cream:
  • 300ml thickened cream
  • 200g mascarpone
  • 1⁄4 cup icing sugar mixture, sifted
  • 1 tsp McKENZIE’S Ground Cinnamon
  • Coconut Balls:
  • 250g plain sweet biscuits
  • 3⁄4 cup McKENZIE’S Desiccated Coconut
  • 395g can condensed milk
  • 1 tsp McKENZIE’S Ground Cinnamon
  • Extra McKENZIE’S Desiccated Coconut, for rolling
  • Rosemary sprigs, for decoration

Method

  1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease and line the base and sides of 2 x 20cm cake pans.
  2. Place butter, sugar and golden syrup in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat until pale and creamy. Add eggs one at a time until well incorporated.
  3. Fold in the flour, baking powder, bi-carb and spices, alternately with the milk, until the batter is smooth and well combined. Pour between the prepared pans and bake for 45-50 minutes until golden and an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool, before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, cut each cake in half, to form four layers.
  4. For the cream, beat cream with electric beaters until soft peaks form, add mascarpone, icing sugar and cinnamon, mixing until well combined and mixture has thickened. Refrigerate until required.
  5. For the balls, place biscuits in a food processor, pulsing until fine crumbs. Remove to a mixing bowl and stir in the coconut, condensed milk and cinnamon. Mix until well combined. Roll tablespoons of mixture into balls and toss in extra coconut.
  6. For assembly, place one layer of cake onto a serving plate, spread with 1⁄4 of the cinnamon cream, top with another layer of cake, continuing until all layers are stacked. Finishing the top with a more decorative swirl of cinnamon cream. Arrange rosemary sprigs upside down into cake and decorate with cinnamon balls. Sprinkle rosemary with extra icing sugar. Serve.

    Notes:
    ● Add some finely chopped glace ginger to the ball mixture before rolling or to the cinnamon cream for that extra ginger kick.
    ● Save remaining balls for morning or afternoon tea. These will keep for 1 week in an airtight container in the fridge.
    ● Refrigerate cake for up to 5 days.