Gingerbread Cake with Caramel Apple Filling

Directions

Cake:

1. Step 1
   Butter, flour and line 3, 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Step 2
   In a large mixing bowl with a wire whisk, whisk together your oil, sour cream, eggs, vanilla bean paste, buttermilk, and brown sugar until combined. mix in the molasses. Add in the ginger, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Slowly add in the flour and mix until just combined. divide equally into your three prepared pans

3. Step 3
   Bake for 15 minutes and set aside to cool for 30 minutes, then move to a wire rack and refrigerate until you are ready to frost and fill the cake.

Caramel Buttercream

1. Step 1
   In the bowl of your stand mixer with a wire whisk, whisk together the butter and caramel sauce until combined. Add in the salt and vanilla bean paste. Slowly add in the powdered sugar and drizzle in the heavy cream as you go. Whip the buttercream until it is light and fluffy. You may add more cream if you like it a big lighter.

2. Step 2
   Place the first layer on the cake round and pipe a dam of buttercream around the rim of the cake. (you can achieve this by using a large piping tip, or by just cutting a good bit of the bottom of the piping bag where you have placed your buttercream. Cut the caramel apple filling into smaller pieces by using a knife inside the can to chop them a bit. Place 1 cup of filling inside each buttercream dam on the two layers crumb coat your cake and chill for 15 minutes.

3. Step 3
   Frost and decorate your cake with the piping tips, small gingerbread men and festive sprinkles if you like. Keep your cake in a cool spot, and if you don’t finish the cake the first day, you may slice pieces and wrap in wax paper and foil and freeze for up to a month.