Gingerbread Layer Cake
Say hello to the ultimate Christmas Cake! This beautifully festive Gingerbread Layer Cake features 3 thick layers of moist gingerbread cake that has been perfectly spiced with cinnamon, ginger, allspice and nutmeg. The cake is stack and frosted with a velvety cream cheese frosting, and then drizzled with a generous amount of salted caramel!
A Christmas Cake
Looking for something to serve for Christmas dessert that isn’t pie, well this Gingerbread Layer Cake is perfect! It has that perfect Christmas flavor thanks to the gingerbread flavor, and the salted caramel drip makes this cake an absolute show-stopper! If you’re feeling extra-fancy, buy or make some gingerbread men to throw on top!
How to make the Gingerbread Cake Layers
1.Beat eggs and sugar: Add the eggs, vanilla, molasses, and brown sugar to your stand mixer, then beat the three together for about 3-4 minutes. By the end, it should be fluffy, and be tripled in volume.
2. Add oil: Turn the stand mixer down to medium speed, then slowly drizzle the oil into the stand mixer while it continues to beat. After all the oil has been added, beat the mixture for another 30 seconds.
3. Whisk together the dry ingredients: In a separate mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, ground ginger, and salt, then whisk them together to combine.
4. Alternate add the dry & wet to stand mixer: First add the 1/3 of the dry ingredients, then beat until just combined. Add ½ of the sour cream, and beat until just combined. Continue adding the wet & dry in this order, until all of the ingredients have been added (you’ll finish with the dry).
5. Add to pan & bake: Pour the Gingerbread Loaf Cake batter into three prepared 6” pans, then place into the oven to bake! When done, allow the Gingerbread Cake Layers to cool completely before stacking and frosting!
The Cream Cheese Frosting
This fluffy gingerbread layer cake is frosted with the king of all frosting – cream cheese frosting! To make a perfect cream cheese frosting, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium-high until they begin to look slightly fluffy, about 2 minutes. Then, add in the confectioners sugar in batches, continuing to beat on low, until well-combined. Add in the vanilla, mix to combine, then beat the frosting on high for 2-3 minutes. The frosting should look creamy and light.
How to make Salted Caramel
Start by throwing the sugar and water into a large-ish saucepan over medium heat. Allow the sugar to dissolve in the water, then increase the heat to medium-high and let the mixture turn amber. During this caramelization period, make sure you DO NOT stir it! Stirring the mixture can cause little sugar clumps/crystals to occur, leading to an unsmooth sauce.
After the sugar mixture has turned amber in color, add the cubed butter in, whisking as you add it. The mixture will bubble up quite a bit, so using a big enough whisk is important. If the butter doesn’t seem to want to incorporate, just vigorously whisk it, off the heat, until it does! After the butter has been added and is well-incorporated, add the heavy cream, vanilla, and salt, then whisk until well-combined again. Now simply allow the caramel to cool to at least room-temperature before using!
The salted caramel can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 2 weeks, or in the freezer for about 3 months.
Notes for decorating the Gingerbread Layer Cake
Work fast: I find, for whatever reason, that cream cheese frosting tends to dry faster than traditional buttercream. Why does this matter? I have found that if I don’t work fast enough when I am trying to smooth the frosting out, that the frosting will begin to set, and then if you attempt to move it, it’ll lift the frosting and make it unsmooth. Maybe it’s just the perfectionist in me that hates it, but I though I would pass this information along anyway!
Use room temperature salted caramel: If the caramel is too warm it’ll just run off the gingerbread layer cake completely, melting some of the cream cheese frosting as it goes. If the salted caramel is too cold, it will not be fluid enough to pour into the drip style cake. If you made your salted caramel in advance and kept it in the fridge, simply just microwave it in 5 second intervals until it is slightly fluid and feels room temperature.
Get the Recipe: Gingerbread Layer Cake
Ingredients
Salted Caramel
- 1/2 cup White Sugar
- 2 tbsp Water
- 3 tbsp Unsalted Butter,, at room temperature and cubed
- 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 tsp Salt
Gingerbread Cake
- 360 g (12.7oz) All Purpose Flour,, about 3 cups measured volumetrically
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Table Salt
- 4 tsp Cinnamon
- 2 ½ tsp Ground Ginger
- 1 ½ tsp All Spice
- 4 Large Eggs
- 2 cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 3 tbsp Molasses
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Vegetable Oil,, such as canola or walnut
- 1 1/3 cup Sour Cream
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup Cream Cheese,, softened
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter,, at room temperature
- 6-7 cups Confectioners Sugar
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Pinch of Salt
- 2 tbsp Heavy Cream,, plus more if needed
Equipment
- Stand mixer
Instructions
Salted Caramel
- In a large saucepan over medium heat add the sugar and water. Stir occasionally until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture begins to boil.
- Once the mixture begins to boil turn the heat up to medium-high and allow the mixture to boil, ensuring not to stir it, until it turns amber in color (stirring the mixture will cause crystallization, so refrain from stirring).
- Once the mixture has become amber in color (360°F (182°C) on a candy thermometer), add the cubed butter and mix very vigorously to combine. (Be careful, however, because the mixture will bubble and rise up rapidly when you add the butter). If the butter seems to be separating from the caramel, remove it from the heat, then whisk vigorously until it comes together.
- Next, slowly drizzle in the heavy cream (it will bubble rapidly again), while whisking. Then add the vanilla and salt. Whisk until smooth and well-combined. Remove the caramel from the heat, then set aside to cool to room temperature – about 4 hours.
Gingerbread Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F, and prepare three 6” cake pans with cooking spray and parchment. In a medium to large sized mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, and allspice, then whisk together to combine.
- In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, add eggs, sugar, molasses, and vanilla. Beat on high for around 5 minutes, the mixture should look thick, fluffy, and be tripled in volume. Then, slowly drizzle in the oil. After all the oil has been added, beat for an additional minute.
- On low, add the dry mixture to the stand mixer in 3 additions, alternating with the sour cream in between. Beat only until the batter becomes smooth. Add the batter to the prepared pans, then bake in the oven for around 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool completely before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a stand mixer, fitted with the whip attachment, beat together the butter and cream cheese at medium-high speed for about 2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl, then add in the confectioners sugar in small additions, beating on low between each addition, scraping at the sides between. After all the sugar has been added, add in the vanilla, salt, and heavy cream, and beat on low to combine. Turn stand mixer to medium-high speed and beat for 2-3 minutes. The frosting should look creamy and light, and should be very easy to work with.
Frosting & Finishing the Cake
- Level off each of the cake layers to remove any doming from the cakes.
- Place one cake layer onto your serving plate or onto a cardboard cake circle. Spread an even layer of frosting, about ½” – 1″ thick, across the top of the layer.
- Add the second layer on top, then repeat step 2.
- Add the final layer onto the cake, then frost the outside and top with the remaining frosting. Pour the salted caramel over top. Decorate the top with gingerbread cookies and caramel corn.
