Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Step 2

Grease and flour three 8 inch pans, add a circle of waxed or parchment paper to the bottom of each pan.

Step 3

In a separate bowl, combine flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk at least 30 seconds. Set aside.

Step 4

In another bowl, add the hot water, instant coffee, oil and molasses. Stir and set aside.

Step 5

Do not mix the ingredients above medium speed.

Step 6

In the bowl of your mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and mix 4 to 5 minutes until lightened in color and fluffy.

Step 7

Add the eggs one at a time mixing just until the yolk is blended in.

Step 8

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately with the wet ingredients. Begin and end with the flour mixture (3 additions of dry ingredients and 2 of wet ingredients). Mix until just blended in, scraping the bowl a couple of times. Do not over mix. Divide evenly between your three 8 inch pans.

Step 9

Bake at 350 degrees for 22 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached.

Step 10

In a small saucepan add the sugar and water. Bring to a boil and remove from the heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Add the espresso powder and stir.

Step 11

Let this cool before brushing onto the cake. You can store leftover syrup in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. Do not put too much on the cake layers or they will become soggy.

Step 12

If you'd like to you can use a fork or toothpick to make holes in the top of the cake layers before brushing (preferably with a pastry brush) the simple syrup onto each layer.

Step 13

Cut the butter into slices and add to the bowl of your mixer. Beat on low to medium speed until the butter is softened.

Step 14

Cut the cream cheese into pieces and add to the butter, beating at low to medium speed until blended. If using a hand mixer, you may need to soften the cream cheese a bit more.

Step 15

Add the espresso that has been mixed with the vanilla

Step 16

Gradually add the powdered sugar beating on low to medium speed until blended. Do not over mix or it will become too soft. If it does become too soft, just refrigerate for a few minutes, then continue.

Step 17

This frosting will pipe best if used while somewhat chilled. You can make this in advance, refrigerate and when ready to use, let soften to spreading consistency (do not microwave) and stir or remix with mixer.

Step 18

Will fill and frost a 3 layer 8 or 9 inch cake

Step 19

Put your first cake layer on your cake base or pedestal. Lightly brush with your coffee syrup. You don't want to make your cake soggy, so just a light coating is what we are going for.

Step 20

Spread on the espresso cream cheese filling

Step 21

Repeat for the other layers.

Step 22

Frost the cake with espresso cream cheese frosting however you like. (After frosting, we used a bench scraper to smooth the frosting as we rotated it on the turntable, and then used a tapered rounded spatula to gently press into the frosting as we rotated it, working from bottom to top for a ridged effect .) We decorated with a triple shell border around the base, and a reverse shell border on top.