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Gingerbread Man Cake

This moist, delicious cake is full of gingerbread spices and layered with gingerbread buttercream, Grand Marnier-soaked cranberries and ginger jam! CHECK OUT MY MERCH! Use code LASTCHANCE for 10% off! teespring.com/stores/pankobunny
Course: dessert
Cuisine: american
Keyword: Cake

Ingredients

Gingerbread Spice Mix:

  • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp allspice
  • 1 tbsp ground ginger
  • 1 ½ tsp nutmeg
  • 1 ½ tsp ground cloves

Boozy berries:

  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 cup grand marnier can be substituted with orange juice, for a non-alcoholic version

Cake batter:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • ¾ cup cocoa powder + extra for dusting the pan
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1-2 tbsp Gingerbread Spice Mix
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup milk
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup boiling water

Buttercream:

  • 2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
  • 5 cups confectioner’s sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp Gingerbread Spice Mix
  • 2 tbsp cup cocoa powder
  • brown food coloring
  • ¼ cup ginger jam
  • peppermint candies

Instructions

Make the Gingerbread Spice Mix:

  • Combine all spices in a bowl.

Make the boozy berries:

  • Pour the dried cranberries and grand marnier into a bowl.
  • Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use (I soaked mine for 1 full day – the longer you soak, the stronger they will taste).

Bake the cake:

  • Place the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, gingerbread spice mix and salt in a large bowl and mix together.
  • Add the milk, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla extract and mix with an electric mixer until combined.
  • Slowly add the boiling water and mix until well combined.
  • Grease a gingerbread man cake pan and dust with cocoa powder instead of flour. This will create an even richer flavor! Pour the batter into a pan and bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes in the pan, then turn onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Make the buttercream:

  • Beat the butter with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and gingerbread spice and mix well. Add the confectioner’s sugar 1 cup at a time, beating with each addition.
  • Place about 1 1/2 cups of buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a medium-sized round piping tip.
  • 3.To the remaining buttercream, add the cocoa powder and brown food coloring and mix well.

Assembly:

  • Slice the cake into 2 layers. Carefully remove the top layer and set aside.
  • Pipe ¾ of the white buttercream onto the bottom layer of cake. Use a cake spatula to smooth the frosting.
  • Drain the cranberries. You can keep the grand marnier for cocktails – it’ll have a cranberry flavor! Scatter the cranberries onto the white buttercream, along with dollops of ginger jam.
  • Place the remaining cake layer on top. Cover the entire cake in a thick, generous layer of brown buttercream.
  • Pipe a border, a face squiggly lines and buttons onto the gingerbread man with the remaining white buttercream. Stick peppermint candies onto the buttons and enjoy!

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