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Gingerbread Cake

Equipment

  • (3) 8" cake pans
  • pan spray

Ingredients

For cake:

  • 3 boxes Duncan Hines Vanilla cake mix
  • 1 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 1/2 cup molasses
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 12 eggs
  • 4 1/2 tsp ginger
  • 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 3/4 tsp ground nutmeg

For sugared cranberry topping:

  • 1-2 cups cranberries
  • 1/2 cup Karo™ corn syrup
  • 1 cup sugar

Instructions

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat three 8 inch round cake pans with cooking spray, or grease and flour the pans tapping out the excess flour. Set the prepared pans aside.
  • In a large bowl and using an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cake mix, buttermilk, molasses, oil and eggs on medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until well blended. Scrape the sides of the well and mix again until all the ingredients are incorporated.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans, filling each one approximately 3/4 full. You may have a little remaining batter (you could make a few cupcakes).
  • Place the pans in the preheated oven on middle rack. Bake the cakes for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  • Remove the pans from the oven and place on wire cooling racks for 25-30 minutes.
  • Run a knife around the edges of the cakes, flip the pans over and gently extract the cakes.
  • Return the cakes to the wire racks and finish cooling completely before frosting and decorating.
  • Meanwhile, make one batch of cream cheese icing. Recipe below.

To assemble and decorate the cake:

  • Before decorating, trim the crowns from the cake tops with a cake cutter or long serrated knife so they are flat and even.
  • Place one of the 8 inch cakes on a cake board. Using an angle cake spatula spread about 1/2 cup frosting evenly across the top of the cake layer. Place the second 8 inch cake on top of the first, with the cut side on the bottom.
  • Repeat step 2 with remaining 8" cake.
  • Using the angled cake spatula, lightly cover the sides of the cake completely with a very thin layer of icing. After the cake is coated in icing, scrape sides again with angled spatula to pull any excess icing off.
  • In a small bowl, mix cranberries and Karo™ syrup until berries are coated.
  • Pull berries out using a fork or spoon. Pour 1 cup sugar in separate bowl. Place corn syrup coated berries in bowl of sugar. Using fork or hands, coat berries in sugar.
  • Pull berries out of bowl and place onto cake as a decorative topping!