Uploaded December 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Recipe below! I love a good gingerbread cake, but on its own it doesn’t always get the attention it deserves. This grand dessert is composed of two gingerbread cake layers completely surrounded by a white chocolate mousse and decorated with a few speculoos cookies. The result is a gingerbread cake with a definite “wow” factor.
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• Recipe •
Makes one 9-inch (23 cm) cake
Serves 12 to 16
Prep Time: 45 minutes, plus chilling
Cook time: 30 minutes
Make Ahead Tip: You can store the baked gingerbread cake layers, each well wrapped, at room temperature for 2 days, or freeze them to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature before you prepare the mousse. If you prefer to get a bit further ahead, store the baked and assembled cake in its springform pan for up to 2 days in the fridge, or even freeze it in the pan, well wrapped, for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the fridge before unmolding and decorating.
Helpful Hint: If you’re looking for a nice, simple gingerbread cake to serve with just a dollop of whipped cream, bake in a greased 9 × 13-inch (22.5 × 32.5 cm) pan for about 40 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Once cooled, cut the cake into squares and serve.
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• Ingredients •
Cake
1/3 cup (80 mL) vegetable oil
1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (50 g) packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1 1/4 cups (185 g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, plus more for dusting the cake
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup (125 mL) ginger beer, ginger ale or sparkling apple cider
1/4 cup (65 g) fancy molasses
1/4 cup (60 mL) pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp baking soda
Mousse
10 oz (300 g) chopped white couverture/baking chocolate
1/4 cup (60 mL) cold water
1 Tbsp (7 g) unflavoured gelatin powder
2 cups (500 mL) whipping cream, divided
16 to 24 Speculoos Cut-Out Cookies, cut into small diamonds and baked without the royal icing filling, for garnish (optional)
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• Directions •
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease two 8-inch (20 cm) round cake pans and line with parchment paper.
2. For the cake, whisk together the oil, both sugars, egg and egg yolk by hand.
3. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg. Add to the oil mixture and whisk until blended.
4. In a third bowl, whisk the ginger beer (or ginger ale or club soda), molasses, maple syrup and baking soda. The mixture will be frothy. Add to the batter and beat vigorously until a smooth liquid.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for about 30 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool in the pans on a wire rack for 30 minutes, and then turn out onto the wire rack to cool completely, keeping the parchment on them.
6. For the mousse, have the white chocolate ready in the bowl of a food processor or a blender.
7. Place the cold water in a small dish and sprinkle the gelatin on top, stirring and then letting sit for 1 minute. Heat 3/4 cup (175 mL) of the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to simmer. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the gelatin until it dissolves.
8. Pour the hot cream over the white chocolate and blend until smooth, about 30 seconds. Transfer the white chocolate cream to a bowl to cool almost to room temperature, about 30 minutes. (If it sets up, reheat to soften it again for a smooth mousse.)
9. Whip the remaining 1 1/4 cups (310 mL) of cream using electric beaters or a stand mixer with whip attachment on high speed until it holds a soft peak when the beaters are lifted.
10. Fold half of the whipped cream into the white chocolate mixture using a whisk (it might deflate a little) and then fold in the remaining cream, using a spatula toward the end. The mousse will be pourable.
11. To assemble, first remove the parchment and set the cakes aside. Lightly grease a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper. Pour two-thirds of the mousse into the pan (you are assembling this upside down, so the mousse goes in first.) Gently set 1 cake layer on top, pressing gently so that the mousse just comes up the sides of the cake (but the cake should not touch the bottom of the pan).
12. Pour the remaining mousse over the bottom cake layer and set the second cake layer on top, again pressing gently so the mousse just comes up the sides (the cake layers should not touch). Loosely cover and chill the cake for at least 4 hours.
13. To decorate and serve, remove the springform ring and parchment from the sides. Place a platter over the top of the cake (really the bottom) and carefully invert both the cake and the platter together. Remove the springform pan base and peel away and discard the parchment.
14. Sprinkle the top of the cake with a little cinnamon or arrange the speculoos cookies in a pattern. Chill until ready to slice and serve.
Recipe below! I love a good gingerbread cake, but on its own it doesn’t always get the attention it deserves. This grand dessert is composed of two gingerbread cake layers completely surrounded by a white chocolate mousse and decorated with a few speculoos cookies. The result is a gingerbread cake with a definite “wow” factor.
--------
• Recipe •
Makes one 9-inch (23 cm) cake
Serves 12 to 16
Prep Time: 45 minutes, plus chilling
Cook time: 30 minutes
Make Ahead Tip: You can store the baked gingerbread cake layers, each well wrapped, at room temperature for 2 days, or freeze them to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature before you prepare the mousse. If you prefer to get a bit further ahead, store the baked and assembled cake in its springform pan for up to 2 days in the fridge, or even freeze it in the pan, well wrapped, for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the fridge before unmolding and decorating.
Helpful Hint: If you’re looking for a nice, simple gingerbread cake to serve with just a dollop of whipped cream, bake in a greased 9 × 13-inch (22.5 × 32.5 cm) pan for about 40 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Once cooled, cut the cake into squares and serve.
--------
• Ingredients •
Cake
1/3 cup (80 mL) vegetable oil
1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (50 g) packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1 1/4 cups (185 g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, plus more for dusting the cake
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup (125 mL) ginger beer, ginger ale or sparkling apple cider
1/4 cup (65 g) fancy molasses
1/4 cup (60 mL) pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp baking soda
Mousse
10 oz (300 g) chopped white couverture/baking chocolate
1/4 cup (60 mL) cold water
1 Tbsp (7 g) unflavoured gelatin powder
2 cups (500 mL) whipping cream, divided
16 to 24 Speculoos Cut-Out Cookies, cut into small diamonds and baked without the royal icing filling, for garnish (optional)
--------
• Directions •
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease two 8-inch (20 cm) round cake pans and line with parchment paper.
2. For the cake, whisk together the oil, both sugars, egg and egg yolk by hand.
3. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg. Add to the oil mixture and whisk until blended.
4. In a third bowl, whisk the ginger beer (or ginger ale or club soda), molasses, maple syrup and baking soda. The mixture will be frothy. Add to the batter and beat vigorously until a smooth liquid.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for about 30 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool in the pans on a wire rack for 30 minutes, and then turn out onto the wire rack to cool completely, keeping the parchment on them.
6. For the mousse, have the white chocolate ready in the bowl of a food processor or a blender.
7. Place the cold water in a small dish and sprinkle the gelatin on top, stirring and then letting sit for 1 minute. Heat 3/4 cup (175 mL) of the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to simmer. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the gelatin until it dissolves.
8. Pour the hot cream over the white chocolate and blend until smooth, about 30 seconds. Transfer the white chocolate cream to a bowl to cool almost to room temperature, about 30 minutes. (If it sets up, reheat to soften it again for a smooth mousse.)
9. Whip the remaining 1 1/4 cups (310 mL) of cream using electric beaters or a stand mixer with whip attachment on high speed until it holds a soft peak when the beaters are lifted.
10. Fold half of the whipped cream into the white chocolate mixture using a whisk (it might deflate a little) and then fold in the remaining cream, using a spatula toward the end. The mousse will be pourable.
11. To assemble, first remove the parchment and set the cakes aside. Lightly grease a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper. Pour two-thirds of the mousse into the pan (you are assembling this upside down, so the mousse goes in first.) Gently set 1 cake layer on top, pressing gently so that the mousse just comes up the sides of the cake (but the cake should not touch the bottom of the pan).
12. Pour the remaining mousse over the bottom cake layer and set the second cake layer on top, again pressing gently so the mousse just comes up the sides (the cake layers should not touch). Loosely cover and chill the cake for at least 4 hours.
13. To decorate and serve, remove the springform ring and parchment from the sides. Place a platter over the top of the cake (really the bottom) and carefully invert both the cake and the platter together. Remove the springform pan base and peel away and discard the parchment.
14. Sprinkle the top of the cake with a little cinnamon or arrange the speculoos cookies in a pattern. Chill until ready to slice and serve.
