Gingerbread letter cookie cake with ginger and white chocolate frosting
User Reviews
5
Gingerbread letter cookie cake with ginger and white chocolate frosting
Description
The Gingerbread letter cookie cake with ginger and white chocolate frosting combines a spiced gingerbread cookie base with a creamy, tangy frosting. The gingerbread dough uses a mix of treacle or molasses, spices like ginger, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and a touch of stem ginger syrup for extra depth. The dough is rolled out to about a quarter inch thick and cut into a large circle before baking, forming a cake-like large cookie layer. The white chocolate frosting incorporates mascarpone cheese for creaminess, sweetened with powdered sugar and flavored with white chocolate chips and stem ginger syrup. Once baked and cooled, the cake layer is frosted and decorated with diced stem ginger, meringue kisses, macarons, and candy canes, offering a variety of textures and flavors that complement the spiced cake. This dessert is visually impressive and delivers a complex mix of spice and sweetness.
The combination of spices and unctuous frosting makes it suitable as a centerpiece dessert for holiday celebrations or winter gatherings. The large cookie cake format allows for slicing and sharing among guests. The gingerbread’s slight firmness contrasts with the soft, creamy frosting, while the decorations add crunch and freshness.
According to the notes, the cake will keep for a couple of days if refrigerated, and it’s best to use a serrated knife with a gentle sawing motion to cut slices cleanly. Decorations should be added just before serving to avoid softening from moisture in the frosting.
Ingredients
For the gingerbread
- 85 g light brown sugar 3 oz soft
- 200 g treacle half golden syrup, or blackstrap molasses or half treacle, 7 oz
- 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp cloves ground
- 1/4 tsp salt
- pinch ground white pepper
- 1 tbsp stem ginger syrup optional, Opies brand
- 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 115 g butter unsalted, 1 stick, at room temperature
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 440 g plain flour 15.5 oz (3 1/2 cups), plus more for dusting and rolling
For the Royal Icing
- 3 egg white, 90g (3.1oz
- 500 g powdered sugar shifted (more, or less as needed, icing, 5 cups
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract optional
White chocolate frosting
- 450 g mascarpone cheese full-fat, 1 lb
- 200 g powdered sugar icing, 2 cups
- 175 g white chocolate chips
- 2-3 tbsp stem ginger syrup Opies brand
To assemble
- 4 tbsp stem ginger very finely diced, Opies brand
- gingerbread cookie mini
- meringue kisses
- Sprinkles
- Macarons
- candy canes mini
Instructions
Make the gingerbread cookie layers
- Preheat the oven to 170C (340F) and line 3 heavy trays with baking paper (you will need to bake the cookies in batches).
- Put the sugar, treacle and all the spices in a medium saucepan and heat gently, stirring constantly, until it reaches boiling point. Stir in a tablespoon of stem ginger syrup and take off the heat.
- Stir in the bicarbonate of soda – the mix will start to foam up (my kids love this bit).
- Add the butter and stir until completely melted.
- Mix in the beaten egg and transfer to a large bowl.
- Gradually add all the flour, stirring it in, until the dough is fairly firm.
- Tip the dough onto a lightly floured worktop and gently knead into a ball. If the dough is too soft, sprinkle with a little flour. It should be pliable but not sticky. Slice in half keeping the dough you aren’t using covered with plastic wrap.
- Roll the dough out to about 6mm ( about 1/4 inch) and cut out a 18cm (7in) circle using a cake board or plate. Cut out a smaller circle in the centre using a pastry cutter or smaller plate.
- Transfer the cookie to a tray lined with baking paper and bake for 12-15 minutes, until the edges just start to colour
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely until firm.
- Create two more layers and cut some smaller cookies using festive cutters. They will need 7-10 minutes baking, depending on their size. Decorate these with royal icing, if you like.
Make the frosting
- Put the chocolate in a bowl and microwave for 40 second bursts, stirring in between until melted and completely smooth.
- Put the mascarpone and icing sugar in a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of stem ginger syrup and whisk using a hand mixer on the lowest setting to combine.
- Add the melted white chocolate and mix on low speed to combine then increase speed to maximum until the frosting holds peaks. Transfer to a piping bagged fitted with a plain round tip or an open star tip.
Assemble the gingerbread cookie wreath
- Pipe a layer of the frosting over the bottom cookie layer and scatter with chopped stem ginger.
- Repeat with the second layer and top with the third. Add frosting over the top layer as well.
- Add the decorations just before serving: mini gingerbread cookies, meringue kisses, sprinkles and whatever else takes your fancy!
Notes
- Keep the gingerbread letter cookie cake refrigerated for up to two days to maintain freshness.
- Cut the cake with a serrated knife using a gentle sawing motion for clean slices.
- Wait to decorate the cake until just before serving to prevent decorations from softening due to frosting moisture.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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