Mix together the boiling water and baking soda. Sift together the flour, spices and salt.

Beat the butter with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add the brown sugar and keep beating until fluffy. Add the molasses, baking soda mixture, flour mixture and candied ginger. Add the eggs and beat until combined.

Butter and flour a 9” round cake pan and a mini house cakelet pan. Fill the cakelet pan ¾ of the way full, then pour the remaining batter into the round cake pan. Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes until a skewer inserted into the cakes comes out clean. Transfer the cakes to a wire rack and cool completely.

Beat the butter and cream cheese in an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add the confectioner’s sugar, vanilla extract, orange zest and cinnamon and mix until combined. Add the mascarpone cheese and mix until just combined.

Slice the round cake into 2 layers. Carve little holes into the bottom of the houses.

Spread the frosting between the 2 layers, adding enough frosting to make the filling look like fluffy snow. Sprinkle the candied ginger on top. Spread a very thin layer of frosting on top, leaving the sides bare. Coat the surface in confectioner’s sugar.

Fill the holes in the houses with ginger jam and arrange them on the surface of the cake. Stick rosemary around the houses to look like pine trees and remove some frosting in front of the houses to look like footpaths.

Coat the entire cake in a thin layer of confectioner’s sugar to look like fresh snow and enjoy!