Gingerbred Cranberry Cake
This is such a fun and festive cake for the holidays. The sweetness of the cake with the tartness of the cranberries is the perfect combination. I also love how simple the decorations are. Sometimes less is more, and in this case, it’s perfect.
Ingredients for Cake:
4 1/2 cups Flour
1 1/2 cup Sugar
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 1/2 cup Molasses
3 teaspoons ground Ginger
2 1/2 teaspoons ground Cloves
2 teaspoons ground Nutmeg
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon Salt
4 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 1/2 cup Butter Softened
6 Eggs
2 cups Buttermilk
3 teaspoons Vanilla
Preheat the oven to 350
Makes three 9in cake rounds.
In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add all the butter and mix until creamy (about a minute).
Add the sugars, vanilla, and molasses and mix well until incorporated.
Slowly add the eggs.
In a separate bowl, add the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, and spices, and whisk together.
Mix the dry ingredients slowly, alternating with the
Grease three 9inch cake pans and line with parchment. I love these pre-cut cake pan liners; they are a huge time saver. Once my pans are prepped, I equally split the batter between the three pans and place them in the oven.
Bake the cakes for 40-50 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean. Let cakes cool before removing them from the pan. Run an off-set spatula around the edge of the pan to release the cake. I like to place my cake on a cardboard round to assemble it. I will place my cake upside down on the round, so the parchment circle is on the top of the cake. I do this to help the cake from drying out while I frost it. As I add the layers of cake I'm frosting; I will remove the parchment paper one by one.
Filling:
Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 oz Cream Cheese softened
1 cup Butter softened
1 teaspoon Vanilla
4-5 cups Powder sugar (Start with 4 cups and build up to 5 if you need to.)
In a standing mixer, beat cream cheese on high for 3-5 minutes until it's smooth and creamy. Adding the butter and vanilla, continue to mix on medium speed until combined, another 2-3 minutes. Slowly add the powder sugar a little at a time until it's all incorporated.
I use a cake wheel to help me assemble and frost my cake. I will place my first layer of cake on the cardboard round on the cake wheel and turn the wheel to frost it. Remove the parchment circle from your first layer. I like to fill a piping bag fitted with a plastic coupler with a large scoop of frosting and line the edges of the cake to create an even layer to fill in the rest of the surface with my cranberry filling. Add about 3/4 cup of filling to the first layer in the middle of the circle. Spread the filling out evenly to the edges of the frosting and repeat on to the next layer.
Top the cake with the third layer. I use the piping bag to fill in between each layer, starting at the bottom where the cake sits on the cardboard and then each layer above that. Take the offset spatula and a large scoop of frosting and spread it evenly around the outside and top of the cake to coat it completely. This first layer of frosting is called the crumb coat. The goal is to make a level surface and trap the crumbs in the frosting. Then take the cake and place it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes. Freezing the cake will give you a smooth surface to add the next layer of frosting and trap the crumbs so they will not show through the final layer. Once the cake is cold, pull it out of the freezer and add the second layer of frosting to the cake.
Decoration:
Rosemary
Once the cake is frosted, I like to top it with a few gingerbread cookies and a few sprigs of rosemary that I poke upright into the cake to look like trees. You can decorate the cake with sugar cranberries and sprigs of rosemary to make the top look like a wreath. I love how simple and elegant both of these look.
Cheers Babes
XOXO
