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A Two-Layer Gingerbread Cake with Ginger Buttercream Frosting.. the perfect Christmas cake for the Festive Season!

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So this is Christmas in a nutshell. Well, its not really, its just a delicious cake but it is Gingerbread themed soooo its Christmassy! But anyway. I posted my Gingerbread Cake back in March 2015 for the UK Mother’s Day, but its a loaf cake, and I wanted to post a delicious layer cake version for this Christmas season!

I will admit that I did buy the little Gingerbread Men that I decorated the cake with from Tesco as I want to show that it works, and I honestly did not have time to make any myself. HOWEVER, you can use this delicious Gingerbread Men recipe buy use a really small cookie cutter and you’ll be there!

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This cake is a delicious deep and treacley ginger cake that has allllll the festive feels. I adore the flavour that the Syrup, Sugar and Treacle create, and then when mixed with the ground Ginger it is WONDERFUL. However, something that even beats the taste of the cake, is the DELICIOUS and SO very Christmassy smell that occurs when baking this treat. OH. MY. DAYS.

I genuinely cannot describe how wonderful my house smelt when this was baking and cooling, it was amazing. Like so amazing, even the postman asked what it was and slightly insulted me for baking something Christmassy so early (I made this a month ago compared to when this post has gone live!).

I went for a simple Ginger flavoured Buttercream Frosting for this one as I adore the flavour. I used a touch of Vanilla in the frosting as well because I like my frosting to be sweet, but you don’t have to use it if you don’t want to do so! But anyway, I love it.

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I use a simple supermarket brand Ground Ginger, but I nearly aalllllwaaaayyyysss use Nielsen Massey Vanilla because it is simply glorious! I find the flavour so much stronger than any supermarket brand, and I just think its so much more worth the money. It may seem much more expensive, but the size of the bottle should should it’ll last SO much longer!

When I made this cake the first time, it was pretty damn deep, so I reduce the recipe slightly. I originally started off with 300g of everything, and it was still just as delicious, but maybe a tad too much? I reduced it slightly back to the original BBC Food recipe I based this on, but it wasn’t quite enough.

The middle heaven was 250g! Perfect amount. I did however bake this at 150C Fan in my oven, and I found it so much nicer. It baked flatter, and almost seemed more moist! It was so yummy. I will be making this treat again closer to Christmas to celebrate, and I think you should all too! Enjoy!

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Christmas Gingerbread Cake!

A Two-Layer Gingerbread Cake with Ginger Buttercream Frosting.. the perfect Christmas cake for the Festive Season!
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Category: Cakes
Type: Cake
Keyword: Gingerbread
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 16 Slices
Author: Jane's Patisserie

Ingredients

The Cake

  • 250 g Unsalted Butter/Stork
  • 250 g Light Brown Sugar
  • 250 g Golden Syrup
  • 250 g Black Treacle
  • 500 g Self Raising Flour
  • 4 tsp Ground Ginger
  • 3 medium Eggs
  • 350 ml Whole Milk

The Frosting

  • 250 g Unsalted Butter
  • 500 g Icing Sugar
  • 1 tsp Ground Ginger
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

The Decoration

  • Mini Gingerbread Men
  • Sprinkles
  • Gingerbread Crumbs

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 160C/150C Fan and grease and line two 8″ Round Baking Tins (deep ones!)
  • Add the Butter, Light Brown Sugar, Golden Syrup, and Black Treacle to a large pan and heat gently and stir frequently until the mixture has melted and is smooth. Leave to cool slightly!
  • Sift the Self-Raising Flour into a LARGE bowl, and add the Ground Ginger. Whisk briefly so the ginger is distributed! Pour in the melted Sugar/Butter/Syrup mixture and beat together till smooth.
  • Add in the Eggs, and Milk and beat again till smooth. It’ll be reasonably runny, and will nearly fill a large bowl, so be careful!
  • Split the mixture between the two tins, and bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes until baked through. 
  • A cake skewer should come out clean, and when you listen to the cake it will not be making a ‘bubbling/crackling’ sound. Sometimes, a cake skewer can come out clean, but if the cake is still make the noise, its not quite done!
  • Once the cake is baked, leave the cakes in the tin for 10 minutes, and then cool on a wire rack fully.
  • To make the frosting, beat your butter in a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment for about 5 minutes so its really supple and soft. Add in the Icing Sugar 1/2 at a time, and beat fully in-between each addition. 
  • Add the Ginger, and vanilla and a little Whole Milk or boiling water to loosen if its a little stiff. You will only need 1 or 2 tablespoons to loosen so don’t go crazy!
  • To decorate the cake, pipe half of the buttercream onto the bottom cake, and then add the second cake on top. 
  • Pipe the rest of the buttercream on, and then add some Mini Gingerbread Men! Add some crushed gingerbread men sprinkles, or some Christmas sprinkles and enjoy!

Notes

  • This does make a large cake - if you want less, you can easily halve it, or bake into three tins instead of two. 
  • This delicious recipe is based on the BBC Food Ginger Bread Cake recipe with a few alterations to suit my post!
  • It’s completely normal for the top of the cake to look slightly darker, and if anything almost burnt. It’s not actually burnt at all, its the treacle and the sugars in the sponge coming through, so don’t fear!
  • This is a slightly denser cake compared to a victoria sponge, so be prepared. It is delicious though, and I think it needs the buttercream to lighten it! You can make it into a traybake instead if you prefer, but I would suggest a 10″ square tin thats deep as there is a lot of mixture.
  • This cake will last 3 days once made!

ENJOY!

Find my other Cake & Christmas Recipes on my Recipes Page!

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J x

© Jane’s Patisserie. All images & content are copyright protected. Do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words and credit me, or link back to this post for the recipe.

43 Comments

  1. V on October 31, 2023 at 5:01 am

    Hi do you have a vegan version?

  2. Catherine Osborne-Smith on January 17, 2023 at 2:00 pm

    5 stars
    Could I add walnuts to this to make it ginger and walnut cake? If so, how much and would I need to adjust any of the other ingredients to compensate for this addition?

    • Jane's Patisserie on January 18, 2023 at 10:22 am

      Hiya! Unfortunately I think the mixture is too thin for this, so the walnuts would just sink! It may be best to just decorate with them instead, hope this helps! x



  3. Gemma on October 10, 2021 at 6:40 pm

    5 stars
    This looks delicious! I was just wondering if this cake would be sturdy enough to do a three or four tier semi-naked cake for a Christmas party? It’s the only gingerbread cake recipe I’ve found that I love the look of, but not sure whether it will stack easily and hold decorations? Please help!

  4. Amanda on July 24, 2021 at 11:55 pm

    5 stars
    Made this cake few months ago was so yummy, moist and melts in the mouth. I know it’s summer and this is more an autumn/ winter bake but would love a cupcake version. Xx

  5. Danielle Green on February 15, 2021 at 2:27 pm

    Hi Jayne lovely recipe as always thank you, my cakes always crack on the top and I don’t know why, is there something I’m doing wrong xx

    • Jane's Patisserie on February 16, 2021 at 8:25 pm

      It can be a few things! Sometimes mixing, sometimes too hot an oven or not good heat distribution! It’s worth trying to lower the temps in the oven and bake for longer and see if that helps!



  6. Tia Johnson on December 20, 2020 at 8:07 am

    Hi Jane,
    I’m wanting to bake this into 12 cupcakes for Christmas Day, would I halve the recipe? Can’t wait to try!
    Thanks!

    • Jane's Patisserie on December 20, 2020 at 5:22 pm

      Halving the recipe may still make more than 12, but its a good start! x



  7. Grace Baker on November 20, 2020 at 9:18 am

    Hi Jane.

    If you split into three tins, how long would you cook them for?

    Thanks

    • Jane's Patisserie on November 20, 2020 at 9:24 am

      I’m unsure, sorry! I’m guessing about 35 minutes, but I have only ever baked it as listed. x



    • Paula Cooper on December 6, 2020 at 3:57 pm

      5 stars
      Oh my days, my kitchen smells amazing after making this! Another easy to follow recipe with brilliant results, thank you! Xx



    • Tanya on December 16, 2020 at 7:08 pm

      5 stars
      Lovely recipe, easy to follow, I only made the cake and made it chocolate gingerbread by reducing some flour and adding cocoa, but I’m going to make the whole thing with gingerbread frosting 😊



  8. Samantha on November 17, 2020 at 3:12 pm

    5 stars
    Can you make the Sponges ahead and freeze them until ready to decorate? I’m thinking max time of a week?
    Thank you 😊

  9. Dan on November 13, 2020 at 6:55 pm

    Hi Jane. You mentioned the tins must be deep…. I currently have 20cm sandwich tins about 4cm high. Would these be too shallow?

    • Jane's Patisserie on November 14, 2020 at 10:23 am

      Definitely too shallow – I would recommend tins about 3″ deep x



  10. Ella on October 29, 2020 at 8:11 pm

    Hi Jane, if making the sponge a day ahead, shall I just wrap them up and leave at room temp?

  11. Carol on August 25, 2020 at 9:47 pm

    5 stars
    This is absolutely wonderful! I made it for the first time today. It tastes delicious and the aftertaste is incredible! Thank you for another wonderful recipe!

  12. Siennasienna on February 27, 2020 at 8:30 am

    Yes that was a silly question! Haha omgoshhh I made the cake and the smelll in my whole house is just AMAZING! Thank you so much!!!💕🍰xxxx

  13. Sienna on February 27, 2020 at 8:30 am

    Yes that was a silly question! Haha omgoshhh I made the cake and the smelll in my whole house is just AMAZING! Thank you so much!!!💕🍰xxxx

  14. Sienna on February 23, 2020 at 10:11 pm

    Hi Jane, is it a MUST to use treacle or can you just leave it out?Xx

    • Jane's Patisserie on February 23, 2020 at 10:40 pm

      Yes, as you can’t leave out 250g worth of ingredients, and it really does make the flavour what it is – it’s hard to have a good gingerbread loaf without it!



  15. Kate Thornber on January 26, 2020 at 9:45 pm

    This cake is outstanding!!! I made this over Christmas and cannot tell you how many compliments I got for it! X

  16. Jenna Trudgeon on December 5, 2019 at 10:26 pm

    Hi Jane! I’m really looking forward to making this cake this Christmas. I was wondering what your thoughts were on adding cinammon and cloves? Or do you find better with just ginger? Best wishes x

  17. Fiona on November 21, 2019 at 3:44 pm

    5 stars
    Hi i love this recipe! It came out so moist and tasty! My question is, can it be halved? And is the same recipe suitable for cupcakes, or does it need to be altered somehow? Many thanks!

  18. Michelle cantor on December 23, 2018 at 1:22 pm

    5 stars
    Hi made this for the first time and wow it has turned out amazing I actually used some of the mix to make 6 cupcakes as well and cooked them for 30 minutes and reduced the cooking time of the cake by 5 minutes

  19. Sue Sedgley on December 1, 2018 at 8:44 am

    5 stars
    Hi Jane. I really want to make this cake for Christmas as I have my daughter, husband and my two grandchildren coming! Is it possible to freeze the cake prior to decorating for a couple of weeks?
    Your recipes are brilliant!

    • Jane's Patisserie on December 1, 2018 at 8:49 am

      Yes it is! Make sure to wrap the cake up tightly and properly before freezing! x



  20. Becky on November 30, 2018 at 5:48 pm

    Could these be adapted to make cupcakes?

    • Becky on December 1, 2018 at 3:24 pm

      5 stars
      I did it as a tray bake instead, my house smells soo Christmassy now and my hubby is loving the cake so I’m forgiven for making such a big mess doing it 👌



  21. Paula on November 13, 2018 at 10:14 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Jane!
    This cake is absolutely heavenly!!! It is very moreish! I can see their has been questions about making this recipe into cupcakes and I was wondering the same thing? That would be fantastic as at least I wouldn’t feel as guilty if I just had one every now and again! When I made the cake originally I made it into a four tier and it was just lovely. Thank you so much for all your lovely recipes!

  22. Helen Medhurst on November 8, 2018 at 11:10 pm

    5 stars
    Hi! I love your recipes – they always turn out fab! Just wondering if I should do anything different if I make cupcakes with this recipe? Change the temp or timing? Thank you!

  23. Lisa on September 5, 2018 at 9:08 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Jane, your gingerbread cake looks great! I don’t have 2 8 inch tins so could I use 2 9 inch? Would this affect the cooking time and is the cake dense enough to stack or carve?

    • Jane's Patisserie on September 5, 2018 at 9:38 pm

      Hiya! Yeah this would reduce the cooking time, maybe check it at 30 minutes onwards as I’m not 100% sure on the timings, and the cake is pretty solid so I imagine it can be used for stacking and carving. x



  24. Sophie Leachman on December 7, 2017 at 1:33 pm

    Hi Jane
    Could this recipe be used to make cupcakes instead of one large cake?

    Thanks
    Sophie x

  25. Rachel on August 13, 2017 at 7:58 pm

    Oh my days this looks delicious! Moving in with my other half in a couple of months so I may have to make this for my first Christmas in my own house =D I’ll probably add a smidgen of cinnamon too – ginger and cinnamon is one of my favourite flavour pairings for baked goods. Yummy!

    I’ve just been flicking through the recipe list and I think you’re going to be a very bad influence on me =P I’ll be adding lots of them to my collection so thank you in advance!

  26. Jess on August 4, 2017 at 10:08 pm

    Hello! This looks amazing and it’s my grandads favourite flavour, I’m making his birthday cake next week. Would this recipe be okay to make a single 6″ tin to then cut into 3 layers. I usually make Madeira cakes so I don’t have multiple tins of the same size! If so what oven temperature is best and how long? Thankyou! x

    • Jane's Patisserie on August 5, 2017 at 9:09 am

      I’ve only ever baked it in the tins specified so I can’t help you with timings etc but the same temp would be fine ?



  27. […] Christmas Gingerbread Cake.  Super cute. […]

  28. Kelly on December 20, 2016 at 2:32 am

    Hello Jane !! Your gingerbread cake looks amazing ! ^^
    I love your blog, it is so beautiful ! Your recipes are so pretties and breathtaking !!! 😉
    I’m a French girl but I can speak english a little so……voilà !! ^^
    I have a pastry blog and I would like your opinion because you’re so talented ! 🙂
    This is the address : http://mypastryaddiction.over-blog.com/
    Don’t hesitate to leave me a comment if you enjoy one of my recipes ( in english of course ! ^^ ) !
    It’s really really kind !!!!!!
    Thank you very much Jane and have a nice day ! =)

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