Grease 3 x 7" round sandwich tins (or 2 x 8").
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Cream your room temperature butter with your sugar until it’s pale, light and fluffy.
Mix in the eggs, one at a time, beating really well after each egg. Don’t worry if it starts to look a bit curdled, it’ll all come good.
Mix in your flour and ginger. If you’ve been using a mixer, do this bit by hand. It helps to keep the sponge light.
Stir in the coffee mixture. Stop stirring before it's quite combined. I like the slightly swirly effect of the coffee.
Spoon into a your tins, smooth out with the back of a spoon. Make a bit of a dip in the middle to account for rising.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. You might need to adjust the time by 5 minutes either way depending on your oven.
Meanwhile make your icing. Beat your butter until it's pale, light and fluffy.
Beat in your icing sugar and syrup. Beat in a teaspoon or two of boiling water to soften and lighten the texture of the icing.
When your cakes are completely cold, use a carving knife to level them. Just trim the top crust off. This is important, it's not a waste of cake (taste testing compulsory). If you don't do this, with a cake this size it will be wonky.
Sandwich each layer together with your buttercream, and a layer on top. I piped on top before sprinkling with gingerbread man sprinkles.