Sticky Jamaican ginger cake with butterscotch sauce

Method

1. Heat the oven to 150°C fan/gas 3. Grease the cake tins and line with baking paper. Put the softened butter, sugar, golden syrup and treacle into the bowl of a stand mixer and beat using the paddle attachment until light and fluffy – this should take a few minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Put the flour, cinnamon and ground ginger in a separate bowl and combine with a fork before adding a third to the butter mixture. Mix well, then remove the bowl from the mixer and use a spatula or large metal spoon to fold in another third of the flour mixture with the vanilla bean paste. Finally, add the remaining flour with the soured cream and diced stem ginger. Fold lightly to keep as much air in the batter as possible.
2. Divide the batter among the 3 lined tins, then bake in the oven for 35-45 minutes. Remove the tins from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes before turning the sponge cakes out onto a wire rack. Trim off any domed tops to create a flat surface, then use a pastry brush to cover the top of each sponge with some of the syrup from the stem ginger jar. Wrap the sponges in cling film and leave to cool completely.
3. While the sponge cakes are baking and cooling, make the butterscotch filling. Put the cream, light brown sugar and butter into a saucepan and cook gently over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved, the butter has melted, and the liquid begins to bubble. Take off the heat, stir in a pinch of sea salt, then transfer to a bowl to cool. Once cool, put the filling in the fridge until ready to use so it can firm up slightly.
4. For the mascarpone cream, put the cheeses, vanilla, sugar and orange zest into the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk until smooth. Pour in the double cream and whisk on a slow to medium speed until soft peaks form. Transfer the cream to a piping bag.
5. To assemble the cake, put one sponge on a serving plate and pipe an even layer of cream over it. Use the back of a spoon to create a dip in the middle of the cream and add a generous dollop of the chilled butterscotch sauce. Repeat with the remaining sponges before covering the entire cake with the remaining cream.
6. Serve in slices with a drizzle of any remaining butterscotch sauce and a cup of tea.