This gingerbread cake is the first cake with layers I have ever prepared. I don’t feel cakes simply as a dessert. It is something very special, very loved and festive. I didn’t have the courage to make a real cake maybe because I was afraid of failure in the baking of layers or in the preparation of the cream, or in the final look of the cake.
However, I gained confidence in the kitchen lately and here’s the result. To be honest some things here didn’t happen as I wanted but this didn’t discourage me.
For example I should have had 3 cake layers with 16-17 cm diameter but the cake tin refused to stay fixed on this size. That is why I ended up with two layers 22 cm each. Who said three layers are a must after all?! The only rule to follow is eating a big piece of the cake, right?
Although I’m an amateur at preparing cakes, I am a true virtuoso in eating them so trust me on this one’s taste.
It’s December and that’s why I’ve chosen the gingerbread taste of the layers. It suits the season and the aroma spread in the whole house was a magic.
Here are some gingerbread recipes you may like if you are a fan of gingerbread taste. I am crazy about it.
The cream that perfectly matches the gingerbread layer consists of cream cheese, whipping cream and white chocolate. The whole idyll is completed by caramelized walnuts, caramel syrup and a little cream.
Do you feel the taste in your mouth already? It is really incredible! So I suggest we get to the ingredients.
INGREDIENTS FOR GINGERBREAD CAKE
For the layers:
- 330 g flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 ¼ tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp ginger
- 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp cloves ( if you like it you may add the quantity equal to the other flavorings)
- 200 g butter (at room temperature)
- 250 g Demerara sugar
- 3 big eggs
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ tea cups honey
For the cream:
- 200 ml whipping cream
- 200 g white chocolate
- 10 g gelatine
- 600 g cream cheese
- 1 tbsp honey
For the caramelized walnuts:
- 100 g sugar
- A handful of walnuts
For the caramel sauce:
- 50 g sugar
- 10 g butter
- 60 ml liquid cream
For the decoration:
- 200 ml liquid cream
INSTRUCTIONS
For the layers:
- Sift the flour together with the flavorings and the baking powder and mix them in a bowl
- Beat up the soft butter with the sugar until you get a cream
- Add the eggs one by one in the mixture. Beat up until the mixture absorbs each egg
- Add the honey and the vanilla extract
- Add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk bit by bit in turns, starting and ending with flour.
- Separate the mixture in three parts, in cake rings (16-17 cm each), and bake them for about 15 minutes in preheated oven at 170°C (or until you get a clean non-sticky toothpick from the middle of the layer). You may separate the mixture in two rings with diameter 22 cm each.
- Let the layers cool after the baking
For the cream:
- Soak the gelatine in a little (30-40 ml) water until spongy
- Heat up the whipping cream without boiling it
- Add the chopped chocolate to the hot whipping cream and stir until it melts
- Put back the mixture on the hotplate and add the gelatine. Stir until it is absorbed
- Use the mixer to beat up the cream cheese with the honey. Then add the chocolate mixture while beating continuously
- Leave the cream in the fridge to tighten and stir it from time to time. Mine took 2 hours
For the caramelized walnuts:
- Melt 100 g sugar at low temperature until you get caramel. Put the sugar one half after the other.
- Put a handful of walnuts in the melted caramel and stir
- Pour the mixture on baking paper and wait until it cools completely
- Break it in big pieces and put them in the blender
- Pulse several times until you get crumbs
For the caramel sauce:
- The caramel syrup is prepared by melting the sugar in thick-bottomed saucepan. Add the sugar spoon by spoon. When one spoon is melted add the other
- When the sugar melts completely add the butter and stir
- Heat up a little the whipping cream
- Move the caramel away from the hotplate and pour the preheated whipping cream
- Put it back on the hotplate and stir 3 more minutes to cook it
- You may add a pinch of salt in the sauce if you want. It will highlight the sweet taste
- Leave the caramel sauce to cool for a while
Putting the cake together
When the cream cools separate it evenly between the layers and leave some for the top of the cake. Over every cream layer spread some of the walnut crumbs. Cover the cake with the whipping cream. I left my cake uncovered because I like it more that way.
Pour the caramel sauce on top and spread more walnut crumbs
This cake is going to be a wonderful dessert for your festive Charismas Eve menu.
Happy holidays!
