Gingerbread Cookie Cake

Dec 18

The Recipe

Gingerbread Cookie Cake – flavorful gingerbread cake layers with boiled milk frosting, gingersnap cookie layers and gingersnap buttercream.

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Gingerbread Cookie Cake

Happy almost Christmas! Before we head into the big week, I have one more new Christmas cake for you to consider for your holiday festivities. Whether you’re getting together with family or keeping your celebrations small, having cake as your dining table centerpiece is always a good idea!

This week’s new cake is my Gingerbread Cookie Cake. Gingerbread and gingersnaps are two of my favorite holiday desserts this time of year. In fact, I’ve made a couple gingerbread cakes in the past that I think you’ll also love:

I also love the Food Nanny Gingersnap Cookies. You can find the recipe HERE.

My new gingerbread cake is made up of gingerbread cake layers, boiled milk frosting, gingersnap cookie layers and a gingerbread buttercream.

How to Assemble My Gingerbread Cookie Cake

This cake makes three cake layers and two cookie layers, plus two different types of frosting. As you assemble this cake, you’ll stack with this pattern:

  • Cake
  • Boiled milk frosting
  • Cookie
  • Boiled milk frosting
  • Cake
  • Boiled milk frosting
  • Cookie
  • Boiled milk frosting
  • Cake
  • Use the boiled milk frosting between each layer.
  • For the crumb coat, use the buttercream.
  • To help achieve sharp edges and a straight side, use the acrylic disk.
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    Fill your sides with more of the gingersnap buttercream.

You’ll then use the gingerbread buttercream for the crumb coat and final coat of buttercream.

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Ingredients You’ll Need for the Gingerbread Cookie Cake

  • All-purpose flour
  • Brown sugar
  • Molasses
  • Butter
  • Eggs
  • Ginger
  • Cinnamon
  • Salt
  • Baking powder
  • Buttermilk

You’ll also want cloves, granulated sugar, powdered sugar for the cookie layer and the buttercream.

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How to Make Boiled Milk Frosting

For the boiled milk frosting, you’ll note in the instructions that you want to cook the flour with some of the milk for a minute or so. You don’t want to overcook the flour and milk because it will get too thick. If it gets too thick, it will not blend well with the rest of the milk you’ll be adding and you’ll get chunks of the flour mixture.

If this happens, simply spoon out any chunks of the flour mixture and continue cooking the frosting. It will thicken, but takes a little time. Be patient.

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Plan the Process

Because this delicious Christmas cake has four elements, you may want to spread out the baking process. Each element cake be made ahead of time.

  • For the cake and cookie layers, you can wrap each in plastic wrap and freeze. Remember to let them each thaw about 30 to 60 minutes before decorating the cake.
  • For the frostings, you can place each in an airtight container and refrigerate until you’re ready to use them. Just allow enough time to bring them back to room temperature before using. I also like to rebeat my frostings before I use them.
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More Holiday Cakes

If you’re looking for more holiday cakes, I think you’ll love these:

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How to Bake Great Cakes

And don’t forget to follow my go-to tips for getting your cakes to rise and bake well:

  • Preheat your oven for 30 minutes prior to baking.
  • Use good quality pans like Fat Daddio.
  • Spray your pans with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper.
  • Don’t overmix your cake batter once you add the dry ingredients.
  • Use room temperature wet ingredients.
  • Use fresh baking powder.
  • Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.

Enjoy!

 

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Gingerbread Cookie Cake

Gingerbread cake layers with boiled milk frosting, gingersnap cookie layers and gingerbread buttercream.

Course Dessert
Cuisine Cake
Keyword Gingerbread Cake, Gingerbread Cookie Cake,

Ingredients

FOR THE GINGERBREAD CAKE

  • 3 cups plus 3 tablespoons (382.5 g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons (5.28 g) ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons (5.28 g) cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons (8.4 g) salt
  • 1 teaspoon (4 g) baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon (4 g) baking soda
  • 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1 cup (220 g) brown sugar packed
  • 1 cup molasses
  • 2 large eggs at room temperature
  • 1 1/4 cups (300 g) buttermilk at room temperature

FOR THE BOILED MILK FROSTING

  • 1/4 cup (30 g) flour
  • 1 teaspoon (5.6 g) salt
  • 2 cups (480 g) whole milk
  • 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter softened
  • 2 cups (450 g) castor sugar*
  • 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) vanilla extract
  • *Can substitute use 1 3/4 cup granulated sugar that you grind to a finer consistency in your blender.

FOR THE GINGERSNAP COOKIE

  • 4 cups (480 g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon (5.6 g) salt
  • 2 teaspoons (5.3 g) ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon (2.64 g) ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon (2.64 g) ground ginger
  • 1 1/2 cups (339 g) unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup (165 g) brown sugar, packed
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup (150 g) molasses

FOR THE GINGERBREAD BUTTERCREAM

  • 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold and cut into cubes
  • 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) vanilla
  • 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
  • 3 tablespoons (43.3 g) heavy whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon (2.6 g) cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon (1.3 g) nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon (1.3 g) ginger
  • Generous pinch of salt
  • *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.

Instructions

FOR THE GINGERBREAD CAKE

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch or four 6-inch pans with nonstick spray, line the bottoms with parchment and spray again. Set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and set aside.
  3. Place butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes.

  4. Add in the brown sugar and cream together on medium speed for another couple of minutes, until light and fluffy.

  5. On medium-low, gradually add in the eggs and molasses until incorporated. Do not worry if the mixture looks curdled at first. Keep beating until it becomes smooth.

  6. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.
  7. Once mixed, evenly divide all of the batter into the prepared pans (about 15 to 16 ounces in each 8-inch pan or 12 ounces in each 6-inch pan).
  8. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, checking around 20 minutes. When you insert a toothpick into the center of the cake, a few moist crumbs should come out on it. Remember, the cake continues to bake for 5 minutes as it cools in the pans.
  9. Cool on a wire rack before de-panning.

FOR THE GINGERBREAD BUTTERCREAM

  1. 
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium-high for 3-5 minutes.

  2. On low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar, spices, heavy cream, vanilla and salt. Once everything is incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and beat for another 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.

  3. Remember to mix the frosting by hand with a wooden spoon or large spatula to push out the air to create a silky-smooth frosting.

FOR THE BOILED MILK FROSTING

  1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the flour and 1/2 cup of the milk until smooth.
  2. Set over medium-high heat and let cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until slightly hot, stirring frequently.
  3. Whisk in remaining milk and salt. Whisk constantly until the mixture has thickened to the consistency of unset pudding (this can take up to 10 minutes).
  4. Remove from heat and pour the mixture into a shallow dish. Cover the surface of the mixture with plastic wrap
  5. Place in the refrigerator until cool for at least an hour.
  6. When cool, the mixture will be thick like custard. If a film formed on top of the mixture, remove it from the bowl.
  7. In a large bowl (or a bowl of a stand mixer) beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add vanilla and mix well. Beat in cooled flour mixture one tablespoon at a time on medium-high speed. When all the flour mixture is added, beat on high speed until light and fluffy, about 6 minutes.
  8. Rub a little frosting between your fingers. If the sugar granules remain, beat for 4 more minutes, or until granules cannot be detected with fingers.

FOR THE GINGERSNAP COOKIE

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

  2. Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray, line the bottom of the pans with parchment and spray again. Set aside.

  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and ginger. Set aside.
  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
  5. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl in between each addition.
  6. Add the molasses and stir until well combined.
  7. Stir in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until incorporated. Batter will be a little sticky.

  8. Divide the dough in each of the two 8-inch pans (about 15 ounces of batter in each) and flatten with your hand to create a mostly flat surface.

  9. Bake the cookie layers for 15-17 minutes. Keep an eye on the cookie layers. You don't want to over bake the cookie or it will be too hard to cut with the cake.

ASSEMBLY

  1. Place the first vanilla cake layer, top side up, on a cake board. Spread about 1 cup of the boiled milk frosting over the cake layer. Top with one layer of the cookie rounds, followed by about 1 cup of the boiled milk frosting, a cake layer, more boiled milk frosting, another cookie layer, then frosting and finishing with a cake layer.

  2. Apply a thin coat of the gingersnap buttercream around the entire cake to lock in the crumbs. Freeze the cake for 10 mins.

  3. After the crumb coat is set, apply the final coat of the buttercream.

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