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Gingerbread cake

23 59 min
Gingerbread cake

Homemade gingerbread cake is a very special Christmas treat. The heart-shaped cakes have a wonderfully spicy taste – and the smell of home-baked gingerbread cake is the epitome of Christmas and the Christmas spirit. There are many ways to make gingerbread hearts – this recipe is easy and straightforward as the dough only needs to rest for a few hours, although they get even better if you let them rest for a few days. Cut out heart shapes to make your batch of gingerbread cake even more decorative – but you can use whatever shape you like. The gingerbread cake can be decorated nicely with children's scraps, icing, or tiny sugar pearls.

Ingredients

Gingerbread dough:

Honey
150 g
Brown sugar
150 g
Butter
125 g
Eggs
2
Flour
350 g
Ground cinnamon
1 tsp
Ground cloves
1 tsp
Ground ginger
1 tsp
Ammonium bicarbonate
1 tsp

Chocolate coating:

Dark chocolate (approx. 55% cocoa)
400 g

Garnish:

Hildren scraps, sugar pearls, or icing

Instructions

Gingerbread dough:

  • Melt honey, brown sugar, and butter and leave the mixture to cool slightly. Pour into a bowl if necessary to speed up the process.
  • Beat eggs into the honey mixture.
  • Mix flour, spices, and ammonium bicarbonate in a bowl and add to the dough (sifted through a sieve).
  • Stir the dough well with a spatula – it will firm up when it rests. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
  • Knead the dough well on a lightly floured surface and roll out to about ¾ cm thick (about 35 x 35 cm).
  • Preheat oven to 200°C regular oven.
  • Cut out with large heart-shaped cutters (approx. 14 x 14 cm) and place the cakes on baking trays with baking paper on them – leave 2-3 cm between the cakes. Gather the dough and roll it out again until you have 10 large hearts.
  • Bake one sheet of gingerbread cakes at a time in the middle of the oven for approx. 7 min.
  • Let the cakes cool and put them in a plastic bag. Cover with a piece of greaseproof baking paper and a damp tea towel for at least 24 hours – this will soften the gingerbread. You can leave them for up to 3 days to make them even better.

Chocolate coating:

  • Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a water bath. Brush the hearts with a thick layer of chocolate all over – you can dab the chocolate on.
  • Place the chocolate-covered cakes on a piece of baking paper, decorate with children's scraps, sugar pearls, and icing and leave the chocolate to set.
  • If you are impatient for the chocolate to set, put the cakes in the freezer for 1-2 minutes to give them a cold shock.
Enjoy!

Tips

If the kitchen is hot, the dough will be too soft and difficult to work with. Hence, it is a good idea to only take half the dough out of the fridge for the first rolling. If the dough has become too soft, gather it, and put it in the freezer for about ½ hour. Do not add extra flour as the cakes will be too dry – only the temperature determines whether the dough is workable or not.

Tips

Have your gingerbread cake become dry during storage when you are about to coat them with dark chocolate? Do not worry; you can still save them with steam. Put the cakes on a backing rack in the middle of a cold oven. Pour 200 ml boiling water into an ovenproof dish and place it below the backing rack at the bottom of the oven. Leave the gingerbread cake hearts in the oven for a few minutes until they have the right softness for the chocolate coating.

Questions about gingerbread cake

If you are looking for an extraordinary Christmas treat, our classic gingerbread cake recipe is just what you need. With our straightforward recipe and tips, you are only a few steps away from enjoying these treats with your friends and family. Below, you can read more about the heart-shaped cakes and, amongst others, how to make and store them.

How to make a gingerbread cake?

To make these delicious heart-shaped cakes, you need to make gingerbread dough and a chocolate coating. Let the dough rest in the fridge for 2-3 hours, then take it out, knead it, and roll it out on a flour-covered surface. Cut out hearts with heart-shaped cutters and place the cakes on baking trays lined with baking paper. Bake in the oven at 200°C for about 7 minutes, then the cakes cool and put them in a plastic container. Cover it with a piece of greaseproof baking paper and a damp tea towel for at least 24 hours and up to 3 days – they only get better with time. For the final touch, cover the hearts with a chocolate coating and decorate with children scraps, sugar pearls, and icing and leave the chocolate to set. Enjoy the heart-shaped gingerbread cakes with a cup of hot coffee or tea.

Can you freeze gingerbread cake?

If stored properly, gingerbread cakes can sit in the fridge for a couple of weeks, but you can also place them in a sealable plastic bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. It is essential to let the gingerbread cakes thaw at room temperature when you remove them from the freezer so they can retain their softness and moisture.

How long does homemade gingerbread cake last?

Homemade gingerbread cake can last 3-4 weeks if you store the cakes in the fridge while retaining their taste and texture before they become dry. You can also leave them out for a couple of days after decorating them. Cover the cakes with a clean cloth, and they will still taste amazing.

How to serve gingerbread cake?

These heart-shaped gingerbread cakes are great on their own, enjoyed with a cup of hot tea or cocoa. But you can also serve them with a delicious cream cheese frosting with orange flavour. The combination of warm spices in the cakes and the notes of orange in the frosting make for an undeniably divine sweet and aromatic taste. They are also a delicious addition to a dessert table either filled with holiday treats or with different desserts and cakes all year round.

How long does it take to make gingerbread cake?

There are many ways to make sweet and Christmassy gingerbread cake, and the process can be lengthy, but with our recipe, it is easy, and the dough only needs to rest for a few hours. Once the gingerbread cake hearts have been baked, they need to cool and rest so they can soften before getting a chocolate coating. It is best to let them sit and rest for 2-3 days before adding the chocolate layer. This will make them more delicious and ensure an even better taste and texture. So, if you want to make gingerbread cake, you have to set aside a bit of time and account for the resting period of the cakes. This is what makes these gingerbread cakes so special. But it is definitely worth the time and effort.

Other recipes

See more

Gingerbread cake – heart-shaped Christmas treats

With our easy gingerbread cake recipe, you can make a sweet and delectable Christmas treat that will be the star of your holiday platter. Our heart-shaped Christmas gingerbread cake treats are not only lovely to look at, but they also taste incredible. The dark chocolate coating adds a rich, slightly bitter texture that complements the soft but perfectly spiced gingerbread. For a final touch, they can be decorated nicely with children scraps, icing, sugar pearls, or whatever your heart desires.

If you enjoy the taste of gingerbread and spices, you should try our recipe for crispy and spiced decorative gingerbread cookies or a lovely gingerbread house that you can decorate with the whole family.

A traditional ginger and honey cake

A ginger and honey cake is a beloved classic this time of year as the flavours go hand in hand with Christmas. It is soft, sweet, and full of fiery flavour. The combination of cinnamon, cloves, and ginger gives the cake a spicy, warm aroma that is perfectly balanced with the sweetness of sugar and honey, giving the gingerbread its special taste. This soft and flavoursome ginger and honey cake tastes fantastic, and the smell alone from the sweet honey and fiery spices will get you into the right Christmas spirit.

Decorate the gingerbread heart with chocolate

These gingerbread hearts are traditional in Denmark for Christmas, and the Danish way to decorate them is with dark chocolate and Christmassy children scraps. But it is entirely up to you how you wish to decorate them. Write on them with white or coloured icing, sprinkle with finely cut candied fruit, freeze-dried fruits, or chopped nuts while the chocolate is still wet. It is the perfect way to add your personal touch to these lovely Christmas gingerbread cake hearts.

Make a layered honey cake with frosting

What tastes better than a heart-shaped gingerbread cake? A layered gingerbread cake with frosting. It is twice the taste with a creamy middle and is irresistible for anyone with a sweet tooth. Try our delightful cream cheese frosting and add freshly squeezed orange juice (or orange flavouring) and orange zest to give the frosting a citrusy note that plays well with the spices in the cake. You can also add cinnamon, ginger, and cloves to the frosting for a well-rounded spicy flavour that hits every mark. Spread a thick layer of frosting on top of half of the gingerbread cake hearts, then gently press the other half of the cakes onto the frosting. Have a bite – it tastes divine!

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