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December is here and that means GINGERBREAD.
And caramel, and cookies, and chocolate, and eggnog, and well…all things Christmas! I am kind of excited about it, but I’m sure you probably knew that. 🙂 Here’s the truth, I have been baking Christmas things since the week before Thanksgiving. Actually, it was exactly one week before Thanksgiving that I made this cake and the cute little cupcakes to go along with it. I remember because it happened to be our first major snowfall of the season.
Can I just say that baking a gingerbread cake on a snowy day is probably the most picture perfect day I could ask for. I mean, what could be better than the smell of Gingerbread baking in the oven, Christmas music blasting, and snow falling? In my little world…absolutely nothing. This time right now, between today and December 25th is my most favorite time of the year! I can’t get enough of it, and I wish it would last two months longer than it does. But since it’s T minus twenty-three days till Christmas I have plans to bake up (and through) a snowstorm, watch all the Christmas movies, shoot photos for the cookbook, wrap all the gifts, watch my brother compete in Dew Tour (so excited for him!), and spend some time with my mom and little sister for a change. How I will accomplish all this is beyond me, but I will, I will, and it’s going to be amazing!
So, I’m starting strong on the baking portion of my plan, kicking it off with this fun gingerbread cake and accompanying cupcakes. They are the essence of Christmas…fair warning, I can be a little (ok a lot) cheesy during the month of December. If you hate Christmas, sorry, bear with me. 🙂
Alright, so I knew from the beginning that I wanted to make a big three layer cake. But then I was thinking it might be really fun if I made you guys some hand-held treats – easy for grabbing on the go, serving at a party or even gifting! Although, I probably would not ship these because of the frosting, but they would be great as a hostess gift. But then my tortured mind returned to the big scrumptious cake, and well… I decided I just needed to make them both. I mean how cute would it be to have a big beautiful gingerbread cake surrounded by gingerbread cupcakes?
Plus, when are cupcakes not a good idea? They are just so fun and cute! Especially these, hello, do you see the gingerbread men and snow-covered rosemary. I am still obsessing over them.
My excitement is really just too much. Can’t. Help. It. I LOVE these. 🙂
So I know that a gingerbread cake may not be the most unique holiday recipe you’ve come across, but guys, my gingerbread recipe is extra special. The cake itself is moist, almost doughy, full of fresh ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg. I also used a whole cup of molasses, which is what makes the true gingerbread flavor really, really shine.
OKok, but while this cake is great on its own, it would be nothing without that Caramel Cream Cheese Buttercream. This frosting is game over, and I might just be putting it on everything this holiday season. Anything caramel is always amazing, but add some salted butter and cream cheese to the mix? Ahh YUM. Then add the frosting atop of this delicious gingerbread?
Let’s just say I’ve got Christmas Gingerbread literally dancing in my head right now…OK last cheesy line of the day!
Bottom line: this Gingerbread Cake with Caramel Cream Cheese Buttercream may just become a new Christmas tradition, and I kind of sort of hope you guys love it as much as I do!
Gingerbread Cake with Caramel Cream Cheese Buttercream.
Servings: 12
Calories Per Serving: 805 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 (16 tablespoons) Salted Butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cups molasses
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups warm milk or water
- gingerbread men/women and rosemary, for decorating (optional)
Caramel Frosting
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 (20 tablespoons) Salted Butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, grease with butter or cooking spray. Or you can divide the batter evenly among 32-36 cupcake tins lined with paper liner, filling them 1/2 way full.2. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. 3. Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and molasses until combined. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until combined. Add the water/milk, alternating with the flour mixture until everything is combined. 4. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of each comes out with moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes and then turn the cakes out onto wire racks to cool completely before frosting. Bake cupcakes, and bake for 18-20 minutes.5. Meanwhile, make the buttercream. In a large pot, cook the sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly with a heat-proof rubber spatula until the sugar has melted and turns a golden caramel, about 8 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and add 4 tablespoons butter, whisking until combined. The caramel will bubble and begin to harden, just keep stirring. Slowly add the cream, whisking until combined. Return the pot to the heat and, cook the mixture over moderate heat, stirring until the caramel has thickened, 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.6. Using an electric mixer beat together the cream cheese and remaining 2 sticks butter until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and 1/2 cup of the cooled caramel sauce. Beat another 2-3 minutes or until the frosting is light and fluffy.7. To assemble, place one layer, flat side up, on a plate or cake stand. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with buttercream. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread with more buttercream. Add the third cake layer and cover the top and sides of the cake with the remaining buttercream. If making cupcakes, spread the buttercream evenly over top the cupcakes. Cover the cake and chill in the fridge until ready to serve. Decorate as desired with gingerbread men and rosemary. Bring to room temperature 30 minutes prior to serving. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on December 2, 2016
Everything you make looks amazing! Your presentation of everything you make is so beautiful. What do you use to make it look like snow on the gingerbread men? Is it powdered sugar?
Happy Holidays. ??
HI!! Yes, that is powdered sugar. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you soo much and I hope you had Merry Christmas! Sorry my response is a bit late! xTieghan
I made these for a group of friends and they thoroughly enjoyed the cupcakes and the gingerbread men that i put on top. The frosting didn’t turn out well enough to pipe, but the flavors were still there. I don’t think that I let the caramel cool down enough, before putting it into the frosting mix, so make sure that you allow the caramel top completely cool to room temperature. It’s important. Haha
That is so great! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Jennifer! xTieghan
Made these for Christmas, but the centers of the cupcakes came out with an indentation in them. I followed the directions to a T and even retraced my steps, but they still came out this way. Not sure why, They did, however, taste amazing! I made do with them since they tasted good and didn’t want to toss them out. I guess you really can’t tell once they were frosted. Do you know why this may have happened or what I can do differently next time I make them?
HI! Where do you live? I Live at an elevation, so my cakes and cupcakes always come out with a little dent in them…which I don’t mind because I get to fill with additional frosting. Next time, you can reduce the baking soda to 1/2 teaspoon. This should fix the issue for you. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and Merry Christmas! xTieghan
I loved these cupcakes! They came out moist and flavorful. The icing was amazing because it was not too sweet due to the cream cheese in it. The one thing I changed after reading the comments was reducing the molasses to 3/4 cup. I do not love strong molasses flavoring and had read that was a common complaint. It was perfect with 3/4 cup molasses instead of the suggest amount. Other than that I followed the recipe to a T and it was perfect. This was a test run to make sure these would work as a dessert for Christmas and I will be making them for the holiday since they were super delicious.
Thank you so much Brittany! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you!! xTieghan
Can I use regular butter? The European is super expensive
Hey Jamie, regular butter works great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and happy holidays! xTieghan
I just made the cake and it turned out great! The only thing I can’t seem to figure out is how to get the caramel topping to spread smooth on top of the cake. Any tips?
Hi Abigail! I just drizzle the caramel over the cake. If it is stiff, warm the caramel in the microwave for a few seconds until you can drizzle it. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! xTieghan
How many people will the cake serve?
Hi Jennifer! This will serve 10-12 people. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! xTieghan
Could you make this in a bundt pan?
Hi Samantha, this is too much batter to bake into a bundt pan, so I would not recommend this for a bundt pan. If you can wait, I have a gingerbread bundt cake coming up next week on the blog. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! xTieghan
Will this cake freeze well, with/without the frosting?
Hey Stacey! This cake freeze great, but I would leave the frosting off and add that after thawing the cake. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
These look so beautiful and delicious! I am going to give them a try but I’m wondering if I need to adjust for high elevation? I live at about 5600 feet. Thanks!
Hi Sam! You should be fine! I hope these turn out amazing for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I can’t wait to make this for my baby hirl’s first birthday cake in December. I wanted to make something festive for the time of year but also different from the typical chocolate and vanilla cakes. Thanks for the recipe, I’m sure it’ll be delicious!
Thank you so much Rachel! I am so glad you loved this! xTieghan
I was wondering if the frosting is stiff enough to pipe differently than pictured on the cupcakes?
Hi Brianna, yes the frosting is stiff enough to pipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Thanks for sharing! How far ahead of time can I make this?
Hey Vanessa! You can make 2 days ahead and keep in the fridge. Bring to room temp before serving. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
This looks so good! Do you use frosting in any other recipes?
Hi Suzanne! Are you talking about this frosting? Or frosting in general? xTieghan
Absolutely perfect!! The cake has such a moist, fine crumb, and the caramel buttercream frosting is impossible to put down! 5 Stars!
Thank you Chris! I am glad this turned out so perfectly for you! xTieghan