Gingerbread layer cake, for a holiday season like no other
This gingerbread layer cake was my birthday cake, but it turned out so festive and beautiful (and delicious!) that I think it will make for a wonderful end of your Christmas Eve dinner or Christmas day brunch or lunch.
The molasses in the gingerbread layer cake give it a very characteristic flavor, and you could substitute the molasses with dark corn syrup for a smoother flavor. The addition of the Guinness beer is surprising, and perfect. And then, the nutmeg in the cream cheese frosting. Who knew! A subtle change from the traditional flavor, which already is one of my favorite ones for frosting.
Christmas is in a couple of days, and the end of the year 2020 is fast approaching. What a year it has been! We will be happy to see it go, and we’ll wait patiently in turn to be vaccinated and end this nightmarish period.
David’s piano recital at Sweetwater
Rainy Michigan Avenue
The Art Deco architecture in Chicago
But has it, really, been so awful? In most aspects, yes. I can think of the loss of loved ones in many families (I would venture to say every family has lost someone), the sinking of the economy, the closing of small businesses and even large ones, the lack of social gatherings, the use of masks that impede us from seeing people’s gestures and smiles. The closing of borders and restrictions in travel have affected all the industries related to it, from airlines to hotels to restaurants to travel agencies to travel tours to souvenir shops. But it has also affected us emotionally, and not only because of man’s natural inclination towards adventure and knowledge of other cultures (at least I speak for myself here!), but also because it has kept families apart, children from seeing their parents, or their grandparents, or cousins and aunts and uncles (I also speak for myself here).
However, can anyone say that they haven’t gotten something positive out of this period of imposed isolation? I, for one, can list a whole number of blessings this year. My grown-up children, usually far away from home in Florida and in California, have been home more than usual, and for longer periods, working or attending university remotely. Every day for months we’ve been gathering on the street to meet up social distancing with our neighbors, whom we’ve gotten to know better, including all the grown-up children usually away at college that were home attending classes remotely.
We’ve been witnesses of life milestones, including a number of graduations in our neighborhood, a Confirmation, birthday parades, teachers parades, and even a birth (Noah is our newest neighborhood cutie). Our annual Summer trip to Spain, still greatly missed, was replaced with a wonderful couple of weeks in California, doing all the outdoor adventures and activities we probably wouldn’t have done otherwise.
77 Steps, by Kelty Tappy Design
And then there’s our vegetable garden, A project that had been in my mind for a number of years, and that we never found the time to plan and execute properly, and which is now a reality — it took many months and hard work, but we’ve been eating tomatoes from the garden up until last week! You can check on its beginnings here and here and here.
We’ve been more isolated from close contact and gatherings with friends and relatives, but our family of five has been closer than we would have ever dreamed of under normal circumstances. The photos on this post reflect some of our happy moments just in the last few weeks: getting ready for Thanksgiving, day trip to Chicago, my birthday celebrations, David’s piano recital, the opening of the new “77 steps” downtown installation by Kelty Tappy Design, in which Ethan took part as a member of the architecture firm that designed it and developed it, lunch and walk in downtown on a sunny day.
Do we want 2020 to be just a memory? Absolutely. But let’s not forget all the good the year brought, in unexpected ways and in unexpected places.
I wish you a wonderful Christmas and holiday season. I hope you’re not alone, and don’t feel alone, and can look forward to a 2021 full of travel and adventure — that’s my wish!
Be safe, and continue baking like you did during the pandemic. Why not get started with this beautiful gingerbread layer cake?
Other Christmasy sweets in Mama Ía blog you can explore:
- Pastelitos de cabello de ángel
- Chocolate medallions
- Mousse de turrón
- Lemon layer cake with lemon curd buttercream and ginger cookies
- Cranberry and lime tartelets
- Almond cookies
- Pastelitos de boniato
GINGERBREAD LAYER CAKE WITH NUTMEG CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 cup Guinness beer
- 2/3 cup molasses or darc corn syrup
- 2 cups flour sifted
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- A pinch ground cardamon
- 3 large eggs t room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1 Tbs butter for greasing the cake pans
For the icing:
- 2 bars cream cheese 250 gr each
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 Tbs rum or 2 tsp rum extract
- 1 cup icing sugar sifted
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
For the sugared cranberries:
- 1/2 + 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 4 oz fresh cranberries
- 1 tsp finely grated lime zest
Instructions
Make the cake:
- Place Guinness and molasses in a saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking to combine. Remove from the heat and add the baking soda. Set aside to cool down.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease the cake pans with butter. Line the bottoms with parchemnt paper and grease again.
- In a mixing bowl whisk the flour, the spices, baking powder and salt.
- In a different bowl mix the eggs, the granulated and dark brown sugars and the oil until smooth. Slowly stir in the beer mixture.
- Whisk in the wet mixture into the dry mixture. To form a smooth batter. Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans. Bake for about 30 minutes, but check at the 25 minute mark to not to overcook (I like to remove the cakes from the oven when a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out “almost’ dry but not completely, since the cake will continue baking outside of the oven).
Make the icing:
- Place the cream cheese, butter, rum or rum extract and nutmeg in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle. Beat at medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Reduce the speed and slowly add in the icing sugar (do it in 3 or 4 additions and mix well after each addition).
- Using a serrated knife, split each cake in half horizontally. You’ll end up with 4 layers. Place one layer on a cake stand or plate. Spread about 1/4 of the icing and top with a second layer. Add 1/4 cup cream cheese frosting and top with the third cake layer. Spread another 1/4 of the icing. Top with the last cake layer, placed inverted so the flattest side is up. Spread the remaining cream cheese frosting on top and some on the sides. Smooth the sides with a flat wide spatula. Place the iced cake in the fridge for 1 hour to set the icing.
- If making ahead off time, cover with plastic and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Make the sugared cranberries:
- Place 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and simmer until the sugar dissolves. Add the cranberries and cook until the berries start to soften, 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cranberries to a rack set over a plate. Let cool until no longer sticky, about 30 minutes.
- Place 1/3 cup sugar and 1 tsp finely grated lime zest in a small bowl and stir to mix. Toss the sugared cranberries in the lime sugar until covered. Pile the sugared cranberries on top of the cake before serving
Notes
