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Gingerbread cake with caramelised white chocolate buttercream

Gingerbread Cake with Caramelised White Chocolate Buttercream

Looking for a showstopper cake recipe for Christmas? This Gingerbread Cake ticks all the boxes! Four layers of gingerbread spiced sponge, filled and coated in caramelised white chocolate buttercream, and finished with festive sprinkles and gingerbread people.

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Prep: 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total: 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 10

Ingredients

For the gingerbread cake

  • 300 g Unsalted butter or margarine I like to use Stork margarine
  • 300 g Light brown sugar
  • 3 large Eggs at room temperature
  • 2 tsp Vanilla extract
  • 40 g Black treacle
  • 300 g Self-raising flour
  • 1 tbsp Ground ginger
  • 1 tbsp Ground cinnamon
  • 100 ml Milk

For the caramelised white chocolate buttercream

  • 200 g Caramelised white chocolate I used Cadbury Caramilk
  • 350 g Salted butter
  • 750 g Icing sugar
  • 3 tbsp Milk

For the decoration

  • Gingerbread people either homemade of shop-bought
  • Festive sprinkles

Instructions

Start by making the gingerbread cake

  • Preheat the oven to 160°C fan / 140°C conventional. Line the base and sides of two 7-inch round cake tins.
  • Cream the butter and sugar together in a separate large bowl until smooth and creamy.
  • Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each, until well combined. To stop the mixture from curdling, add 1 tbsp of the 300g flour with each egg.
  • Mix in the vanilla extract and black treacle.
  • Add the rest of the flour, ginger, cinnamon, and milk. Fold everything together to make a smooth mixture.
  • Divide the mixture evenly between the baking tins. Bake in the centre of the oven for 40-45 minutes until risen, golden and springy to the touch. Remove and leave to cool on a wire rack.

Make the caramelised white chocolate buttercream

  • Break the chocolate into a bowl and melt in the microwave for 30-60 seconds until smooth. Set aside to cool.
  • Beat the butter until soft and pale in colour. Sift in the icing sugar in two stages and mix until smooth. If the buttercream feels a little stiff, add the milk a tablespoon at a time.
  • Pour in the cooled melted chocolate and fold together until the buttercream is smooth and creamy.

Assemble and decorate the cake

  • If the cakes have domed, level them off with a knife so they're flat on top. Then slice each sponge horizontally to make four layers.
  • Place one of the layers on a cake board or pretty plate and spread a 1cm thick layer of buttercream on top, then sandwich with another layer. Repeat this will the next two layers.
  • Now apply a thin buttercream crumb-coat on the top and sides of the cake, it doesn't have to be super neat. A crumb-coat will seal in the crumbs so the final coat of buttercream goes on smooth and crumb-free.
  • Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill and firm up the buttercream.
  • Now apply the final buttercream coat to the top and sides. It helps to use a cake scraper to get a smooth finish.
  • For the decoration, use up any leftover buttercream by piping swirls on top of the cake, then finish with sprinkles and gingerbread people.
  • Slice and enjoy!

Notes

Store the cake in a baking tin at room temperature for up to 4 days.