3 Ginger Gingerbread Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour three 8-inch pans. Bring beer and molasses to boil in a heavy medium-size non-reactive saucepan over high heat. Remove from heat and add baking soda. Let it stand about 1 hour until cool.
• Whisk flour and next 6 ingredients in a large bowl until blended. Whisk eggs and both sugars in another bowl until blended. Whisk in oil, then stout mixture. Gradually whisk liquid mixture into dry mixture. Stir in fresh ginger.
• Divide mixture evenly between the 3 cake pans and level tops. Bake until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool cakes in pans for 14 minutes, then invert onto cooling racks and allow to cool completely. (Cakes can be made 1 day ahead of serving, wrapped securely. Or wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then put into plastic zip-top bags and cool until ready to use.).
• For frosting:.
• Use electric mixer to beat cream cheese, butter, and orange peel in a large bowl until fluffy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Chill 30 minutes before frosting cake. Decorate with candied ginger arranged in a circle at top edge of cake.

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour two 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each with a parchment round.
• Stir together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
• 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).
• 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.
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake until a tester inserted into the center 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 ziptop bag with the corner snipped off). Pipe eyes and smiles on the gingerbread cookie faces.
• 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.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9-inch square pan.
• In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the egg, and mix in the molasses.
• In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Blend into the creamed mixture. Stir in the hot water. Pour into the prepared pan.
• Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with 2-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Line bottoms with parchment. Mix flour, crystallized ginger, ground ginger, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition. Mix in dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk in 3 additions each, scraping down sides of bowl. Beat just until batter is smooth. Divide batter between prepared pans.
• Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks 10 minutes. Run small knife around pan sides to loosen cakes. Turn cakes out onto racks and cool completely. Peel off parchment.
• Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add brown sugar, powdered sugar, cinnamon, ground ginger and vanilla; beat until well blended. Mix in 1/4 cup crystallized ginger.
• Place 1 cake layer on platter. Spread 1 cup frosting over. Top with second cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup crystallized ginger decoratively atop cake. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and refrigerate. Let stand 2 hours at room temperature before serving.)

Steps:

• Butter and line a 23cm square baking tin (or use a shallow roasting tin, approx 30 x 20cm). Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Put the butter, sugar and treacle into a saucepan and heat gently for about 5 mins until the butter and sugar have melted. Stir in the milk. The mix should be just warm to the touch; if not, leave to cool a little longer, then beat in the eggs.
• Mix the chopped ginger and dry ingredients together in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour the melted mix into the well, then gradually draw the dry ingredients into the wet with a wooden spoon, until you have a thick, smooth batter.
• Pour the batter into the prepared tin, then bake for 1 hr until risen and firm to the touch. Resist taking a peek beforehand; the cake will sink if the oven temperature drops too quickly before it's cooked through. Poke a skewer into the centre to check that it's cooked - it should come out clean. If not, give it 10 mins more and check again. Leave the cake to cool in the tin. Once completely cool, turn out of the tin ready for icing, or wrap well in cling film and keep in a cool, dry place for up to a week.
• To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add the gingery syrup. Beat well until you have a smooth, runny icing. Once the cake has cooled, drizzle with icing and cut into squares. If you're planning to let the cake mature for a while, make the icing on the day you want to cut it.