Spicy Gingerbread with Cream Cheese Frosting
Fragrant spices give this gingerbread a big, bold character. The rich cream cheese frosting lends a welcome tanginess and balances the spiciness of the cake. Molasses adds a complex richness to both the cake and the frosting.
Ingredients:
For the cake:
- 8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing dish
- 1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz./110 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (2 oz./60 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (5 1/2 oz./175 g) unsulfured molasses
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (6 1/2 oz./180 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbs. ground ginger
- 2 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp. finely ground black pepper
- 3/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2/3 cup (5 fl. oz./160 ml) buttermilk
For the frosting:
- 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) (2 oz./60 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 4 oz. (125 g) cold cream cheese
- 1/2 tsp. molasses
- 2 cups (8 oz./225 g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted, plus more for dusting
- 1/4 tsp. salt
Directions:
Preheat an oven to 325°F (165°C). Grease and line an 8-inch (20-cm) square baking pan with baking spray and parchment paper, letting it overhang on two opposite sides by about 1 inch (2.5 cm).
To make the cake, in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, sugars, molasses and vanilla until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until fully incorporated between each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, black pepper, baking soda and salt.
With the mixer running on low speed, add the dry ingredients and buttermilk alternately to the sugar mixture in 2 additions, mixing just until combined and scraping down the bowl as needed. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Using the overhanging parchment, carefully remove the cake from the pan and transfer directly to the rack to finish cooling.
While the cake cools, make the frosting: In the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, cream cheese and molasses on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. With the mixer running on low speed, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar and salt and beat until fully incorporated. Continue to beat until fluffy, about 1 minute more.
Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe stars onto the cake, switching between larger and smaller star tips to create varied designs as desired. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, if desired. Cut the frosted cake into squares and serve. Makes one 8-inch (20-cm) cake.
Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen
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