Gingerbread Layer Cake

There are a lot of classic holiday desserts out there, but one of my favorite things to make every year is gingerbread cookies. They're soft and chewy with that delicious combination of ginger and molasses.

This year I decided to take that classic holiday cookie and transform it into this Gingerbread Layer Cake. A spice filled cake is layered with delicious cream cheese frosting, and there are even a few gingerbread men to top it off!

Ginger, cinnamon, molasses, and a little bit of cloves are brought together to give this cake that classic gingerbread taste. The cream cheese frosting's sweet, yet tangy flavor compliments the cake's spices, and the gingerbread on top add a fun decoration.

A FEW NOTES BEFORE WE GET STARTED

• Room Temperature Ingredients:
  • Butter: It’s important that the butter is softened. In a pinch, you can put your butter in the microwave for about 5 seconds on each side, but watch closely to make sure it is just softening and not melting.
  • Cream Cheese: The cream cheese needs to be softened as well. I recommend pulling this out to sit at room temperature at the very beginning.
  • Eggs: You also want to make sure that the eggs are at room temperature to ensure that they are properly incorporated into your batter. If you forget to leave them out before you start baking, place them in a bowl of warm water for about 15 minutes until they become room temperature.
• Measuring Your Ingredients: I strongly encourage that you use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients and ensure that you have the most accurate measurements possible.
  • However, if you don’t have a scale on hand and will be using cup measurements, make sure to use the “spoon and sweep” method when measuring to avoid packing in too much of any dry ingredient.
• Oven Temperature: Make sure to preheat your oven for at least 15 minutes before you start baking.
  • I recommend purchasing an oven thermometer to get to know your oven so you can adjust your baking temperatures accordingly. Some ovens run slightly warmer or colder so its important to know yours to make sure your baked goods come out right.

Let's bake! Preheat your oven to 350º F. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in a medium bowl and set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, and molasses together on medium speed until well combined.

Add the eggs one at a time with the mixer on medium speed and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low, add in the flour mixture followed by the buttermilk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and mix just until it is incorporated.

Coat three 7-inch cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottom of each with parchment. Evenly divide the batter into the pans. Bake for 35-38 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool for 10-15 minutes on a cooling rack before gently running a knife along the edge of each pan, topping the cake with another cooling rack and turning each cake out. Let cakes cool completely before frosting.

If you plan on making the gingerbread cookies, now is a good time to start that process so they can bake once your cake is out of the oven.

Cream together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. With the mixer on low, slowly add in spoonfuls of powdered sugar followed by the cream. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix until light and fluffy.

Once your cake layers have cooled, carefully cut the tops off with a serrated knife so that each layer is level.

Place one layer, top side down, on a cake board and spread with frosting. Repeat this step with the next two layers. Frost the sides and top of the cake. Spoon the rest of the frosting into a pastry bag fitted with an Ateco 869 or similar piping tip. Pipe 6 swirls on top of the cake and place a gingerbread cookie in each.  Chill until you serve. Enjoy!

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