Spiced cake layers with a sweet molasses, brown sugar sweetener, and filled with a whole bunch of Christmas spice. It is paired with caramel and a gingerbread buttercream.
Course Dessert
Cuisine Cake
Keyword caramel, gingerbread, layered cake
Author Molly Murphy
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cake
1cupunsalted butter at room temperature
2tablespoonsvegetable oil
1cupdark brown sugar packed
1cupmolasses
3large eggs at room temperature
1 ¼cupsbuttermilk at room temperature
3cupsplus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2teaspoonsground ginger
1Tablespoonground cinnamon
¼teaspoonnutmeg
1 ¾teaspoonssalt
1 ½teaspoonbaking powder
1teaspoonbaking soda
For the gingerbread buttercream
2cupsunsalted butterslightly cold and cut into cubes
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Prep 3 8 inch cake pans by spraying the bottom of the pans with cooking spray, lining with parchment paper, then spray again. Set aside.
In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, and nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter, oil and sugar on high for 3 minutes. Until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and beat for 1 more minute.
Pour in the molasses and beat on the lowest speed for 30 seconds.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, 30 seconds after each addition. Make sure to scrape the bowl after each addition.
With the mixer on the lowest speed, alternate by adding ⅓ of the flour mixture and half of the buttermilk, repeat this step. You should end with the rest of the flour mixture. Stir just until combined! Don’t over mix.
Once mixed, evenly divide all of the batter into the prepared pans (about 18 ounces in each 8-inch pan) Bake for 30-33 minutes. I checked mine at 31 minutes and it needed about one more minute. Insert a toothpick and if it comes out clean or with only a few crumbs, your cake is done.
Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 15 minutes and then remove them from the pans and transfer them to a wire rack and let them come to room temperature. Wrap them in plastic wrap and either freeze or refrigerate them.
For the caramel sauce
In a medium sized sauce pan, stir together the water, sugar, and corn syrup.
On medium heat, bring the sugar to a boil. The bubbles will start off fast and small, but once it starts caramelizing, the bubbles will slow down and become a little bigger. Do not touch or stir the mixture. That will cause crystallization.
Let the mixture boil until it becomes caramelized and looks golden brown. This does take a few minutes, but once it starts turning brown, it’s easy to burn it, so keep an eye on it.
Put the cream in the microwave for 1 minute.
Once the caramel is golden brown and ready for the cream, turn off the heat on the sugar mixture and add the warm cream. Mix the caramel mixture until evenly combined.
Pour the mixture into a bowl. Add the vanilla, salt, and butter and let it sit until the butter melts. Stir, once the butter is melted.
For the gingerbread buttercream
In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter on medium-high for 3-5 minutes. Until light and fluffy.
On a low speed, slowly add one cup of powdered sugar at a time. Mix each cup until mostly incorporated. Once fully incorporated, add the rest of the ingredients, molasses vanilla, heavy whipping cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Mix on low and slowly increase the speed to medium-high and beat for another 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
Mix on low for 1-2 minutes and then beat by hand to remove the air pockets.
Assembly
Place the first gingerbread cake layer bottom side down onto a cake board. Spread about 1 cup of the gingerbread buttercream onto the top of the cake layer. Spread a generous amount of the caramel drizzle on top of the buttercream. Repeat this with the second cake layer.
With the last cake layer, place the bottom side up and with the gingerbread buttercream, frost a thin coat around the cake layer. This is called the crumb coat. Lock in the crumbs by placing the cake into the freezer for 15 minutes.
After the crumb coat is set, apply the final coat of the gingerbread buttercream.
Serve at room temperature along with the extra caramel sauce.