Salted Caramel and Baileys Frosting Christmas Cake

For the cake:
Preheat oven to 180ºC (355ºF). Grease and line 3 cake tins of the same perimeter.

Beat butter for 2–3 minutes until nice and light in colour. Add sugar in 3 to 4 batches, beating through well each time. Continue to beat butter and sugar for a few more minutes. While beating, add beaten egg a little bit at a time, mixing through well on each addition.

Sift in self-raising flour and fold through with a wooden spoon or a spatula.

Add mixture evenly to lined cake tins and bake for 25–30 minutes until golden on top with a spongy texture. Set the cakes aside and allow them to cool.

For the Baileys buttercream:
Beat butter in a large bowl until light and pale in colour. Add Baileys, vanilla, and cornflour and beat through until well incorporated. Add icing sugar about 3 to 4 tablespoons at a time, beating well on each occasion, making sure there are no lumps.

If cakes are a bit rounded at the top, you can trim them with a serrated knife. Have a clean surface or chopping board, then put the first layer of cake on whatever plate, platter or surface you wish to serve the cake on.

Put a couple of dollops of buttercream on the first layer, then use a spatula or a butter knife to evenly spread it out (it helps to have a cup of water to dip the spatula in as you spread the buttercream). Carefully put the second layer on top, then add a couple more good dollops of buttercream and spread it out.

Place third layer of cake on top, then add the rest of the buttercream. Smooth buttercream out until the whole cake is covered. Then put the cake in the fridge.

Fir the salted caramel:
Put sugar in a pot, then place over high heat on the stove. As sugar melts and colour starts to darken, you can turn the heat down a bit just to make sure the sugar doesn’t burn.

Once sugar has dissolved and the colour of the sugar has a nice darkish brown colour, turn heat off. Add salt and butter, then stir through. Finally, add double cream and whisk through (be careful because the caramel bubbles a fair bit here).

Take cake out of the fridge, then pour hot salted caramel over the top. Put the cake back in the fridge as soon as possible without burning yourself. Once the caramel has set on the cake, you’re ready to serve.