A cake with a traditional twist. Ours was made for the Christmas get together with the extended family and it was a popular sweet. Would have looked nicer with gingerbread teddy bears around the bottom edge.

Ingredients

Cake:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (see Cook’s Note)
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the baking pans
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup unsulphured molasses
• 1 cup boiling water

Frosting:

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick or 113grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
• 4 cups (1 pound) confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Milk, as needed for thinning

Decorations:

• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 20 to 24 mini gingerbread men cookies, depending on size
• Red, green and white nonpareils, for sprinkling

Directions

Special equipment:

 A piping bag fitted with a small plain tip or a plastic ziptop bag

1. For the cake: Preheat the oven to 180° C (350° F). Butter and flour two 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each with a parchment round.
2. Stir together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt in a large bowl and set aside. 
3. Combine the brown sugar and butter in another large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high speed, scraping down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula as needed, until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until combined (it’s fine if the mixture looks a little curdled). 
4. Stir the molasses into the boiling water in a large spouted measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the molasses mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, increase the speed to medium and beat just until smooth.  
5. Divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake until a tester inserted into the centre comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 22 to 27 minutes. Let the cakes cool completely in the pans on a wire rack. Once cool, invert the cakes onto the rack, then peel off and discard the parchment.  
6. For the frosting: Combine the butter and cream cheese in a clean mixer bowl. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the confectioner’s’ sugar, beating until combined. Add the vanilla and gradually increase the speed to high. Beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, adding up to 1 tablespoon of milk if needed so the frosting is spreadable.  
7. Place one cake layer flat-side down on a cake stand or platter. Top with about 3/4 cup of the frosting, spreading almost to the edges using an offset spatula. Place the remaining cake layer on top, flat-side up. Spread the remaining frosting on the entire cake and smooth the top and sides with the offset spatula. Refrigerate the cake while you decorate the gingerbread cookies. 
8. For the decorations: Meanwhile, microwave the white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl until just melted. (Alternatively, melt the chips in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; do not let bowl touch the water.) Let cool slightly and put into a piping bag fitted with a small plain tip (or use a plastic zip top bag with the corner snipped off). Pipe eyes and smiles on the gingerbread cookie faces.
9. Arrange the merry gingerbread men side by side around the bottom edge of the cake, pressing in slightly to adhere. Sprinkle the top of the cake with the nonpareils. 

Cook’s Note

When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.)

From Gingerbread Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe | Food Network Kitchen | Food Network, viewed 23-Dec-2020.