Gingerbread is possibly my favorite holiday flavor. For Christmas, I wanted to make a rustic and whimsical cake to present after dinner. This cake is laced with gingerbread spices and filled with light and airy whipped cream. It’s the perfect Christmas dessert!

I N G R E D I E N T S

Gingerbread Cake

• 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 3/4 cup of softened butter
• 1/4 cup of granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup of brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of molasses
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup of warm milk or water

Sugared Cranberries

• 2 cups of fresh cranberries
• 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup of water

Stabilized Whipped Cream

• 2 cups of heavy whipping cream
• 2 teaspoons of unflavored gelatin
• 1 tablespoon of water
• 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

D I R E C T I O N S

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Grease two 6-inch cake pans, and line the bottoms with parchment.
3. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter until fluffy. Beat in both the granulated and brown sugars and continue mixing until the mixture is smooth.
5. Mix in the eggs and molasses.
6. Slowly mix in half of the dry ingredients, then half of the warm milk or water. Repeat with the rest of the dry and wet ingredients until just combined.
7. Divide the batter into the two cake pans. Bake for 15 minutes, then rotate. Finish baking for another 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the cake center with only a few crumbs.
8. Let the cakes cool in their pans for five minutes, then transfer the cakes from the pans onto a cooling rack.
9. To make the sugared cranberries, simmer together 1/2 cup of water with 1/2 cup of sugar until dissolved. Toss the cranberries in the hot syrup, and let the berries drain on a rack for 30 minutes. Once the berries are tacky, roll them in granulated sugar.
10. To make the stabilized whipped cream, mix the gelatin with 1 tablespoon of water and let it bloom for 5 minutes. Then microwave the mixture for 8-10 seconds, until it’s liquefied but not hot. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the cold whipping cream on high speed until soft peaks form. Slowly drizzle in the liquefied gelatin. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla and stop whipping once the cream holds medium peaks.
11. Divide each cake layer in half so you have four even slices. Pipe layers of cream in between each layer, reserving some for the sides and top of the cake. Garnish with the sugared cranberries.