Cake:
Slice each cake in half horizontally so that you have 4 individual sponge cakes.
Coffee soak:
Stir the coffee, liqueur, brandy and brown sugar together until the sugar has dissolved.
Mascarpone icing:- In a large bowl, add the mascarpone, icing sugar and vanilla essence. Beat together with an electric or stand mixer until smooth.
- Slowly add the cream and whisk until the mixture is thick. Do not over mix or the mixture will split.
To ssemble:- Place a layer of sponge cake onto a serving platter or cake stand. Drizzle or brush some of the coffee soak onto the cake. Spread about a fifth of the mascarpone icing onto the cake. Top with a second sponge layer and repeat the coffee soak and icing layer.
- Repeat with the remaining layers. Spread a some icing to the side of the cake and spread thinly so that the layers are still visible.
- Place the remaining icing in a piping bag and snip off the tip. Pipe “kisses” around the top of the cake.
- Refrigerate the cake for at least 3 hours until the icing has set. Dust generously with cocoa just before serving.
