For the cakes
450g plain flour
2 ½ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt
225g unsalted butter, at room temperature
300g caster sugar
6 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
335g buttermilk, at room temperature
For the icing
4 large egg whites
200g caster sugar
¼ tsp lemon juice
¼ tsp salt
3 tbsp water
1 tbsp golden syrup
300g peppermint candy canes, crushed. Leave two whole for decoration.
Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Lightly grease three 20cm round cake tins, and line them with baking paper.
Combine the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a bowl and whisk gently until fully combined.
In a separate large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a hand mixer on medium-high speed (3-4 minutes) or by hand until pale and fluffy. Add the egg whites one at a time, continuing to beat until just incorporated (be careful not to overmix). Add in the vanilla extract and combine.
Gently beat in the flour mixture and buttermilk (on a low setting if using a hand mixer), portioning a bit at a time and alternating them, beginning and ending with flour mixture until incorporated and there are no dry spots.
Divide the batter between the prepared cake tins and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Cool the cakes in the tins on the cooling racks for 5 minutes, then remove from tins and leave the cakes to cool completely.
Bring a small amount of water to a gentle simmer in a large saucepan. Place the egg whites, sugar, lemon juice, salt, water and golden syrup in a clean bowl. Place the bowl over the pan of water and heat whisking the mixture by hand or with a hand mixer on low speed, until mixture registers 70°C on a cooking thermometer, which should take around 8-9 minutes. Ensure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.
Remove the bowl from the saucepan and continue to whisk on medium speed until thick, glossy peaks form. This may take 2-3 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Once both the cakes and icing have cooled completely, place one cake layer on a cake stand or plate. Top with about 125g of your icing and sprinkle with some of the crushed candy canes. Repeat for the next layer.
Cover the top and sides of the cake with the remaining icing. Press the remaining crushed candy canes into the icing on the sides of the cake. Place 2 candy canes on the top and serve with a mug of Tick Tock Vanilla rooibos tea.
