Dulce de Leche Spice Cake

Preparation

• Spiced Genoise

  • With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line the bottoms of two 8-inch (20 cm) springform pans with removable bottoms with parchment paper. Do not butter the sides.
  • In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, spices and salt.
  • In another bowl, whisk the eggs, brown sugar, molasses and vanilla with an electric mixer until the mixture has tripled in volume and falls from the beaters in a ribbon, about 10 minutes. With the machine running on low speed, gradually add the oil. Using a whisk, delicately fold in the flour mixture. Divide the batter between the two cake pans.
  • Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of a cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and immediately turn over onto a wire rack to cool completely, about 3 hours. Pass a thin blade between the sides of the pans and the cakes and unmould.

• Dulce de Leche Icing

  • In a bowl, whisk the mascarpone and dulce de leche with an electric mixer for 1 minute. With the machine running, gradually add the cream and whisk until stiff peaks form. Set aside ¼ cup (60 ml) of the icing to decorate the cake.

• Assembly

  • Cut each cake in half horizontally to have a total of 4 cake layers.
  • Place one cake layer on a serving dish. Top with one-quarter of the icing. Repeat with the remaining cake layers and remaining icing. Using a spatula, top the cake with the reserved icing. Decorate with gingerbread cookies.