Christmas Gingerbread Spice Cake with Eggnog Frosting & Sugared Cranberries
If you are looking for a simple (but still show-stopping) dessert centerpiece for your holiday table, then look no further! My Christmas Gingerbread Spice Cake with Eggnog Frosting & Sugared Cranberries has all the cozy flavors and pizazz of a layer cake without a lot of fuss.
Servings: 8 Slices
Calories: 518kcal
Equipment
- Electric or stand mixed with paddle attachment
Ingredients
Gingerbread Spice Cake
- 1 ⅓ Cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 175g
- ½ tablespoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of sea salt
- ⅓ Cup + 1 tablespoon canola or grapeseed oil 87g
- ⅓ cup brown sugar 75g
- ½ cup molasses 165g
- ½ cup buttermilk 100ml
- 1 egg large
Eggnog Frosting
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature 60g
- 3 tablespoons eggnog
- 1 tablespoon rum
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1.5 cups powdered sugar 240g
Sugared Cranberries
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup granulated sugar for sugar syrup
- 1 cup cranberries
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar for sugar coating
Garnish/Assembly
- sugared cranberries
- pomegranate
- red eucalyptus
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Instructions
Gingerbread Spice Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Sift together all your dry ingredients in a medium bowl - the spices, flour, baking soda and salt then set aside.1 ⅓ Cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, ½ tablespoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon allspice, ¼ teaspoon cloves, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground cardamom, ½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon baking soda, Pinch of sea salt
- Add all of the rest of the ingredients into a large bowl and whisk to completely combine. Then, add the dry ingredients and mix until smooth.⅓ Cup + 1 tablespoon canola or grapeseed oil, ⅓ cup brown sugar, ½ cup molasses, ½ cup buttermilk, 1 egg
- Add batter into a greased and lined 8inch cake pan and bake for 30 minutes - testing for doneness with a toothpick before removing from the oven.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan and let it cool completely before frosting.
Eggnog Frosting
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip butter until very pale and fluffy. Add in 3 Tablespoons of eggnog, rum, vanilla and mix in powdered sugar. Add additional eggnog to reach desired consistency.¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature, 3 tablespoons eggnog, 1 tablespoon rum, ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste, 1.5 cups powdered sugar
Sugared Cranberries
- Bring water and granulated sugar to a simmer making sure that the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and allow the simple to cool for about 15 minutes.½ cup water, ½ cup granulated sugar
- Add cranberries into the simple syrup and let the cranberries sit in the sugar syrup for 5 minutes.1 cup cranberries
- Remove the cranberries from the syrup with a slotted spoon and allow them to dry on a paper towel. Separate the berries so they're not touching each other and let them dry for one to two hours. Note that you can certainly use the cranberry syrup for other purposes – there’s no need to get rid of it! ( Happy Hour Anyone?!)
- Toss cranberries in granulated sugar before enjoying and garnishing!3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Garnish/Assembly
- Add as much of your eggnog frosting on top of the cake and spread evenly. Utilizing a spoon or an offset spatula, create swirls and swoops to your liking into the buttercream!
- Add the decoration of your liking on top! I added a couple of different layers of toppings, starting with pomegranate, sugared cranberries, and dried flowers for a pleasing aesthetic.sugared cranberries, pomegranate, red eucalyptus, ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Notes
FAQs
- I don’t have buttermilk - what can I use instead? So long as you have regular (or non-dairy) milk and either lemon juice or white vinegar on hand, you can make your own buttermilk. Simply stir a teaspoon of your acidulant into the milk and let it sit for 5-10 minutes to curdle.
- Can I make this dairy free? Absolutely! Simply swap in vegan butter and use your favorite non-dairy milk alternative to make your own buttermilk as indicated above.
- How long will this cake last? Once frosted, the Christmas cake will last for a week in the fridge. Please note that you should avoid adding the sugared cranberries until the night before, or they may weep some juices on that snowy white frosting of yours.
Nutrition
Calories: 518kcal | Carbohydrates: 81g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 108mg | Potassium: 411mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 48g | Vitamin A: 244IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 3mg
