There is nothing that rings in the holidays like a moist gingerbread cake. This layered gingerbread cake is heavily spiced and easy to make! It is filled with crumbled chocolate chip cookies with a drizzle of salted caramel. The cake is decorated with a cream cheese icing and gingerbread men. This is a serious cake guaranteed to impress your friends and family for the holidays.
How To Make Gingerbread Cake
Here are the steps to make this layered gingerbread cake.
- Step 1: Sift dry ingredients- First, all of the flour and the spices need to be sifted beforehand to make sure all flour lumps are gone. Use this sifter.
- Step 2: Beat the butter and sugar- To make sure the cake is aerated, the butter and brown sugar need to be beaten until light and fluffy.
- Step 3: Add in the rest of the wet ingredients- Next, add the molasses and the eggs to cake batter. Make sure to add the eggs one at a time, so they get mixed in properly. Then, scrape the bowl
- Step 4: Add in the dry ingredients- Next, add the buttermilk and dry ingredients in 3 intervals. This will help to make sure everything gets mixed in well.
Preventing The Cake Sticking To The Pan
First, start with three 8 inch cake pans. Make sure to spray the pans well with a baking non-stick spray. The kind with flour in it, it is the best! Then, place 8 inch parchment circle on the bottom of the pan. Spray the pans again.
Next, after the cake is done baking, let the cake sit in the pan for 10 minutes. This will allow it to shrink from the sides of the pan. Then, flip it on the cooling rack. It should come right out!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Filling
What makes this cake unique is the chocolate chip cookie crumbles as the filling! I thought, "what goes well with gingerbread?" Chocolate chip Cookies!
This is a regular chocolate chip cookie recipe. It is easy to make!
First, sift the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Next, beat the butter and both sugars together. Then, add in the vanilla and the egg. It should be a wet batter at this point.
Next, add the dry ingredients to the dough. Once it is all combined add in the chocolate chips.
To prevent the cookies from spreading in the oven, chill the dough for 30 minutes.
Then, crumble the cookies with your hands or with a food processor into small crumbs.
Salted Caramel
This cake gets transformed when you drizzle salted caramel over the crumbled chocolate chip cookies. I have tried my homemade salted caramel and store bought salted caramel.
My homemade salted caramel is so much better! It has a ton more flavor and more salt. The store bought salted caramel is bland.
Look at this salted caramel mini cheesecake recipe for the salted caramel.
Gingerbread Men Cookies
These little gingerbread cookies are purely yummy decoration for this cake. They change the whole look of the cake.
The biggest key to making this dough is that it HAS to be chilled for 2 hours before rolling the dough.
When you make the dough, it creates a very wet dough. It is way too wet to roll out.
After you roll out the dough, use a cookie cutter and cut into the dough right away. The dough should still be cold before it goes in the oven. If it has warmed up slightly, place it back in the fridge for 30 minutes.
If it is warmed up slightly, it will spread too much in the oven.
Then, use the cream cheese frosting to decorate these gingerbread men.
Smaller Batch Cream Cheese Frosting
The main recipe for this cream cheese frosting will you give you extra frosting to decorate cookies and decorate extras on the cake.
If you are looking to have a simple frosting on the cake, then, use this recipe.
- 1 ½ cups butter
- 10 oz cream cheese
- 8 ½ cups powdered sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Assembling The Cake
Here are all of the steps needs to decorate this cake like I did.
- For the 1st layer- Place it bottom side down. For easy transport, tape an 8 inch card board circle on top of a 10 inch card board circle. This will make it easier to transport to the freezer.
- Frost a very light layer over the cake. Then, pipe a double border around the edges of the cake. This will create a border, so the cookies won't escape.
- Then, crumble the cookies over the entire layer. It should be a thick layer and there should no holes.
- Next, drizzle salted caramel over the cookie crumbles
- For the second layer- Repeat the 1st step.
- For the last layer- Place the last layer bottom side up. This creates the flattest surface on top of the cake.
- Apply a crumb coat- This is a light layer of frosting. It is so light, you will be able to see parts of the cake. Then, freeze the cake for 15 minutes to set the frosting, so no crumbs will get in the final layer
- Apply last layer of frosting- Next, frost the cake and top with any frosting decoration. This rope border was made with a 1M Wilton tip.
- Place the cookies on the moist gingerbread cake- Pipe a small bit of frosting on the back of the cookie to get it to stay on the cake.
Storing The Cake
This moist gingerbread cake needs to be stored in the fridge, it will last up to 5 days in the fridge. Place whole cake in a cake carrier or sliced up in an air tight container.
Freezing The Cake
If you want to make the moist gingerbread cake ahead of time, wrap the cake in cling wrap and place it in the freezer. I will make the cake 1-3 days ahead of time before I decorate. It always turns out moist!
Before decorating the cake, pull the cake from the freezer for about 1 hour.
If you would like to freeze the decorated cake, wrap the slices individually with cling wrap and store them in an air tight container.
To thaw the cake, take it out 1 hour before eating.
Other Recipes To Try
Make sure to tag me on Instagram @stephaniesweettreats and leave me a review below if you made this cake. I hope you loved it! To get more ideas follow me on Pinterest.
Moist Gingerbread Cake
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cake
- 3 ¼ cup All-purpose flour
- 3 tsp Ground ginger
- 1 tsp Pumpkin pie spice
- 3 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 1 cup Unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup Brown sugar packed light or dark
- ½ cup Molasses unsulfured not blackstrap.
- 3 Large eggs room temperature
- 1 Egg yolk room temperature
- 1 ¼ cup Buttermilk room temperature
Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 1 ¼ cup All-purpose flour
- ½ tsp Baking soda
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ cup Unsalted butter room temperature
- ¼ cup White granulated sugar
- ½ cup Brown sugar packed light or dark
- ½ tsp Pure vanilla extract
- 1 Large egg room temperature
- 1 cup Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Salted Caramel see other recipe for instructions to make it
Gingerbread Cookies
- 2 ½ cups All-purpose flour
- ½ tsp Baking soda
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 3 tsp Ground ginger
- 3 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp Pumpkin pie spice
- ⅛ tsp Ground nutmeg
- ½ cup Unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup Brown sugar packed light or dark
- ¼ cup White granulated sugar
- ½ cup Molasses unsulfured not blackstrap.
- ½ TBSP Milk
- 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
- 1 Large egg room temperature
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 ¼ cup Unsalted butter slightly cold
- 15 oz Cream cheese room temperature
- 12 ½ cups Powdered sugar sifted
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tsp Pure vanilla extract
- 6 TBSP Heavy cream *this amount of frosting is enough to frost cake, extra decoration, and decorate cookies. See notes for a smaller frosting recipe.
Instructions
Gingerbread Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray three 8 inch cake pans with baking non-stick spray. Line the bottoms with 8 inch parchment circles. Then, spray again. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, sift the flour, ginger, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- Using a mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar. Mix for 1 minute until light and fluffy. Add in molasses. Scrape the bowl. Add in eggs and egg yolk one at a time. Mix on low until combined. Scrape the bowl and make sure it is all mixed together.
- Add in ⅓ of dry ingredients and half of the buttermilk. Mix until starting to combine. Add the next ⅓ of the dry ingredients and the rest of the buttermilk. Mix until just combined. Then, add in the rest of the dry ingredients and mix. Scrape the bowl and beat again on low for 30 seconds.
- Pour batter evenly throughout the three cake pans. Use a kitchen scale to make sure it is even. Bake for 18-22 minutes. The cake is done baking when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let the cakes sit in the pans for 10 minutes. Then, transfer to a cooling rack. Allow cakes to cool completely. At this point you can wrap and freeze the cakes if making ahead of time.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
- In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Using a mixer, beat the butter and both sugars on medium for 1 minute. The butter will be light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla and mix until combined. Add in egg. Scrape the bowl and mix until just combined.
- Add in the flour a little bit at time. Mix until fully combined. Add in chocolate chips. Chill for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with baking silicone mats or parchment paper. Use a large ice cream scoop (to make large cookies) and scoop cookie dough. Place 6 cookie dough balls per cookie sheet.
- Bake for 11-14 minutes. The cookies are done baking when the edges are slightly golden brown. Let the cookies sit for 4 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Allow cookies cool completely. Store in an air tight container until using.
- Use the other recipe for salted caramel and store at room temperature.
Gingerbread Cookies
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- Use a mixer and beat the butter and both sugars on medium for 1 minute. The butter should be light and fluffy. Add in vanilla, milk, and molasses. Mix until smooth. Scrape the bowl and the egg.
- Add in the dry ingredients a little bit at a time. Mix until fully combined. Cover and place in fridge for 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Roll the dough on a floured surface. Roll until about ⅓ inch thick. Use cookie cutters to make the gingerbread men. The dough should still be cold. If too warm let it chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before baking.
- Bake for 8-12 minutes until slightly crispy. Cool the cookies on a cooling rack. Store in an air tight container.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Let the butter sit on the counter for 30 minutes. The butter will be slightly cold. Sift the powdered sugar in a big bowl. Set aside.
- Using a mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium-high for 1 minute. Add in the butter and beat for 1-2 minutes until no butter chunks remain.
- Add in the powdered sugar very slowly. Once combined, add in salt, vanilla, and heavy cream. Mix on low until combined, then mix on high for 4 minutes.
- Chill the frosting for 15 minutes before using. Use a wooden spoon to beat the air bubbles out of the frosting.
Assemble
- Place 1st layer bottom side down. Spread a small amount of frosting on the cake. Pipe 2 layers of frosting around the edges to create a border.
- Crumble chocolate chip cookies with your hands or in a blender into very small crumbles. Place the cookie crumbles over the frosting. It should a thick and even layer. You shouldn't see any of the frosting underneath. Drizzle salted caramel over the crumble cookies.
- Repeat step 1 and 2 for the second layer. Place last layer bottom side up. Frost the cake in a light layer for a crumb coat. Freeze the cake for 15 minutes.
- Frost the rest of the cake in an even layer. Then, pipe border on top of the cake and drizzle salted caramel on top of the cake.
- Decorate the cookies and freeze for 5 minutes to set the frosting. Dab a small amount of frosting on the back of the cookies and then place on the cake.
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