Nothing smells better than a gingerbread cake in the oven, especially during the colder months of the year. This dense, moist gingerbead cake is baked into two layers. A rich cinnamon ginger cream filling fills the space between the two layers, and the cake is covered in a tart lemon frosting.
This cake makes a great birthday cake for someone who has a birthday near Christmas. Decorate the cake with gingerbread cookie cutouts for a festive touch.Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Yield: 1 two layer cake
Ingredients:
- For the Cake:
- 3/4 cup butter
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 3/4 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon instant expresso powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup molasses
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ____
- For the Filling:
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ___
- For the Frosting:
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3-4 cups confectioners sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons milk or cream
- Pinch of salt
Preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degress. Line the bottom of two 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans with a circle of wax paper.
- Place the butter in the bowl of a standing mixer, along with the brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time and beat mixture until well blended. Add the molasses and mix well.
- Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk the expresso powder into the sifted dry ingredients.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture, alternating with the milk. Stir in the vanilla.
- Divide the batter between the two cake pans and place them in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Prepare the filling: Place the cream, molasses, flour, egg, ginger, cinnamon and salt in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is well thickened (about 5-8 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool.
- Prepare frosting: Place the softened butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a standing mixer. Beat until soft and creamy. Add the lemon juice, pinch of salt, and half of the confectioners sugar and mix well.
- Add the remaining confectioners sugar and beat. If icing is too thick, add a tablespoon or two of cream. If the icing is too thin, add more confectioners sugar.
- Assemble the cake: Place one cake layer on a plate or cake stand. Spread the cooled filling over the cake. Top with the other cake layer. Cover sides and top of cake with the frosting.
