This gingerbread cake with cream cheese frosting is a delicious holiday treat. Frosted with homemade cream cheese icing , it is the perfect combination of flavours. Decorate with gingerbread house cookies for a special added touch at Christmas time.
This gingerbread cake was made as a base for a gingerbread cookie village, although it is a perfect treat all on it's own.
The cake is a moist cake, and bursting with flavour, and is a wonderful stand alone cake.
For this project though, it was made as a base for a cookie village, let's take a look at how this was accomplished.
Making The Cake As A Base For A Gingerbread Cookie Village
Since I was using this lovely cake as a base for a gingerbread village, it was important to build it up high.
To do this it needed to be layered to give it some height, so I made a gingerbread layer cake.
To accomplish this I made three layers in eight inch round pans. This was the perfect size to build dimension and gave a good backdrop for the little gingerbread village.
I cut some off the top of each individual cake to make it flat for layering.
I doubled the recipe below, which is enough for one 9 x 9 inch pan.
For this post I was inspired by Olive at Liv For Cake and her Gingerbread Cake, which she decorated with little 3D gingerbread houses. The houses were part of a store bought kit and are really cute.
I also loved how she decorated her cake with rosemary sprigs, which look like little Christmas trees.
The recipe for the gingerbread cake that I made is a different one, and is part of a collection of old Nova Scotian recipes.
The little gingerbread house cookies that I made to decorate this cake were made from a very old Newfoundland recipe. You can find the recipe for these cookies in this post here.
Gingerbread Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
This delicious gingerbread cake is from an old Nova Scotian recipe.
It is enough for a 9 x 9 inch pan.
Gingerbread Cake Recipe
Here are the ingredients and directions for this sweet gingerbread recipe:
Double the ingredients below for a three layer 8 inch wide cake.
Ingredients
- ½ cup of unsalted butter
- ½ cup of sugar
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup of molasses
- 2 ½ cups of sifted all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- 1 cup hot water
Directions
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer, mix the sugar and butter, creaming them together until they are smooth and fluffy.
- Next add the egg and molasses, and mix well together.
- Sift the dry ingredients, including the flour, baking soda, salt and spices together and add them to the molasses mixture.
- Add the hot water, and mix the batter until smooth.
- Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Pour batter into a prepared pan.
- Bake at 350°F in a preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until done.
- Allow to cool before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Here are the ingredients and directions for the cream cheese frosting:
I also doubled this icing recipe for my layer cake, as I needed extra icing to adhere my gingerbread house cookies to the cake.
Double the ingredients below for enough frosting for a three layer 8 inch wide cake.
Ingredients
- ½ cup of salted butter
- 8 oz block of full fat cream cheese
- 3 cups of powdered sugar, or a little more if required for stiffness.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
- Bring butter and cream cheese to room temperature. Having these ingredients at room temperature will allow you to make a smooth frosting with no lumps.
- Using a mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese together on high speed until the frosting is smooth with a lump free texture.
- Next add the vanilla, mixing well.
- Gradually add in the powdered or confectioners' sugar, and beat the cream cheese frosting until well blended and smooth.
- To make a stiffer icing you can add a little extra powdered sugar if needed, or a small amount of cornstarch ( up to a few tablespoon ).
- To make a more spreadable lighter frosting you can add a bit more butter, which will also enhance the buttery flavour of the frosting.
- This recipe makes a rich and very sweet cream cheese frosting that spreads easily. It is absolutely delicious.
Frost And Decorate The Gingerbread Cake
Now it's time to frost and decorate the gingerbread cake.
Assembly Directions:
- Place the first layer of gingerbread cake down on a cake stand, or onto a large enough plate to accommodate your cake decorations ( for mine it was the gingerbread village).
- Spread the frosting between the layers of the cooled gingerbread cakes.
- First frost the top of the first layer, then place your next cake layer.
- Next frost the top of the second layer, then place the top cake layer.
- Frost the sides and the top of the cake with the remaining frosting.
- This gingerbread cake can be further decorated once it has been frosted, or you can also leave it plain and simple, and just as it is.
- I decorated my frosted cake with little gingerbread house cookies, and built a little village with the cake as a base.
- If you have a bit of frosting left over, this can be used to adhere the gingerbread cookies, if you choose to decorate with them as I did.
- You could also decorate with sprinkles, or little gingerbread men. The options are endless.
Conclusion
I had so much fun making this cake and decorating it with the gingerbread cookies. It's such a creative project for bakers of all ages, and a fun thing to do with the family.
I especially loved the gingerbread cake itself, with the homemade tangy cream cheese frosting. It was absolutely delicious.
The icing makes the cake very rich and sweet. If you want to reduce the sweetness, just cut back on the icing sugar a bit.
The gingerbread itself is divine. It literally bursts with flavour.
This gingerbread cake recipe could also be used to make gingerbread cupcakes with a smooth cream cheese frosting, or a holiday gingerbread loaf.
This is the kind of cake that will put you in the holiday spirit.
It's a versatile ginger cake recipe that I can see myself making more than once at this time of year. I definitely see more holiday gingerbread in my future.
It is a perfect dessert to make for the holiday season, and to share with your family and friends.
Have you ever made a gingerbread cake with cream cheese frosting? Be sure to leave a comment below to share your experience.
Gingerbread Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
This gingerbread cake with cream cheese frosting is a delicious holiday treat. Decorate with gingerbread house cookies for a special added touch at Christmas time.
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cake
- ½ cup of unsalted butter
- ½ cup of sugar
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup of molasses
- 2 ½ cups of sifted all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- 1 cup hot water
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup of salted butter
- 8 oz block of full fat cream cheese
- 3 cups of powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Gingerbread Cake
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer, mix the sugar and butter, creaming them together until they are smooth and fluffy.
- Next add the egg and molasses, and mix well together.
- Sift the dry ingredients, including the flour, baking soda, salt and spices together and add them to the molasses mixture.
- Add the hot water, and mix the batter until smooth.
- Pour batter into a prepared pan.
- Bake at 350°F in a preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until done.
- This recipe makes enough for a 9 x 9 inch pan.
- Double recipe for a three level 8" layer cake.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Bring butter and cream cheese to room temperature. Having these ingredients at room temperature will allow you to make a smooth frosting with no lumps.
- Using a mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese together on high speed until the frosting is smooth with a lump free texture.
- Next add the vanilla, mixing well.
- Gradually add in the powdered or confectioners' sugar, and beat the cream cheese frosting until well blended and smooth.
- To make a stiffer icing you can add a little extra powdered sugar if needed, or a small amount of cornstarch ( up to a few tablespoon ).
- To make a more spreadable lighter frosting you can add a bit more butter, which will also enhance the buttery flavour of the frosting.
- This recipe makes a rich and very sweet cream cheese frosting that spreads easily. It is absolutely delicious.
Notes
This gingerbread cake can be further decorated once it has been frosted, or you can also leave it plain and simple, and just as it is.
The gingerbread is absolutely delicious all by itself. It literally bursts with flavour.
This gingerbread cake recipe could also be used to make gingerbread cupcakes with a smooth cream cheese frosting, or a holiday gingerbread loaf.
Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 394Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 56mgSodium: 295mgCarbohydrates: 59gFiber: 1gSugar: 43gProtein: 3g
data calculated by nutitionix, please use at your own discretion
Ada
This gingerbread cake looks so delicious and beautiful! I will bake this cake with my daughter during the holidays. Thank you for sharing!
cheyanne
Thank you Ada! It's a lot of fun to make, and a great family project.
Rachel
This looks like something that would impress the family!
cheyanne
Thanks Rachel! Yes it certainly can!