Gingerbread Cake with Mascarpone Frosting

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Gingerbread Cake is a stunning Christmas cake recipe topped with a homemade mascarpone whipped frosting and decorated with sugared rosemary and rose hips.

This beautiful layered cake will dazzle and amaze, and it tastes SO good! This cake is the perfect centerpiece for any holiday dessert table. 

Please note that when making this recipe you have to let the cake sit overnight before frosting it, so you have to make it ahead! If you are looking for an easier cake, try my Gingerbread Bundt Cake.

Gingerbread Cake Ingredients

To make this this amazing Christmas cake recipe, you will need the following ingredients (see the recipe card below for exact amounts):

• Unsalted butter
• Maple syrup
• Light brown sugar
• Egg
• Milk
• All purpose flour
• Baking soda
• Baking powder
• Lemon juice
• Spices: ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground ginger
• Mascarpone
• Heavy whipping cream
• Powdered sugar
• Rosemary sprigs
• Rose hips (or cranberries)

How to Make Gingerbread Cake

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Make butter mixture. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Pour in the maple syrup and whisk to combine. Add the light brown sugar, mix well and set aside for about 15 minutes.
3. Mix egg and milk. In a bowl, mix the egg and the milk. Add this mixture to the melted butter. Whisk.
4. Combine the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, spices, baking soda and baking powder. Mix.
5. Make the cake batter. Add the butter mixture to the dry ingredients, then mix until everything is well incorporated. Add the lemon juice and gently stir.
6. Bake the cake. Line an 8 inch round cake pan. Pour the cake batter into the pan. Bake for about 30-35 minutes. The cake is ready when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
7. Cool the cake overnight. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then gently remove the cake onto cooling racks. Let cool completely before storing. Wrap the cake in plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight.
8. Make the frosting. Place a large mixing bowl, whisk attachment, mascarpone and the heavy whipping cream in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes to chill. Add the cold mascarpone, cold heavy cream and powdered sugar in your cold large mixing bowl. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form. It takes 2-3 minutes.
9. Assemble the Cake. Cut the cake layer in half. Use a cake leveler to cut even layers. Add half of the frosting in the center. With a spatula, spread the frosting out and a bit over the edges of the cake. Replace the 2nd layer and use remaining frosting to spread all over the top of the cake. Dot the bare sides of the cake in random places. It doesn’t have to be perfect as this gives it a rustic cake look.

How to Decorate This Cake

It is easy to make a snowy scene atop this beautiful cake. Add a little bit of powdered sugar to create snow, for instance. You could also use shaved white chocolate. 

I also used sugared rose hips and sugared fresh rosemary. (No rose hips? Use cranberries.) Make a simple syrup by adding 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water to a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until the sugar dissolves and bring to a boil. Let it cool. Dip the rose hips and rosemary into the syrup. Then, roll them in sugar. Gently shake off excess sugar. Arrange your sugared decorations as you like. Just remember to remove them before serving!

Why Does the Cake Need to Rest Overnight?

Letting a cake rest ensures the cake is completely cooled before frosting. As a result, it will be easier to cut the layers. The longer the cake sits, the more the flavors will settle.

Storage Instructions

Cover the cake tightly and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Do not freeze this cake. 

Gingerbread Cake with Mascarpone Frosting

Author: Emily Pecoraro

Gingerbread Cake is a Christmas cake recipe topped with a homemade mascarpone whipped frosting and decorated with a snowy scene.

4.50 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Chilling Time 12 hours hrs

Total Time 13 hours hrs

Course Desserts

Cuisine American

Servings 12

Calories 299 kcal

Ingredients

  

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For the Cake:

• ▢ 1/3 cup unsalted butter
• ▢ 3 Tablespoons maple syrup
• ▢ 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 1/2 cup milk
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon milk
• ▢ 1 cup all purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ▢ 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

For the Frosting:

• ▢ 1 cup mascarpone
• ▢ 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• ▢ 1/3 cup powdered sugar

For the Decorations:

• ▢ powdered sugar
• ▢ rosemary sprigs
• ▢ rose hips or cranberries

Instructions

 

Make the Cake:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
• Pour in the maple syrup and whisk to combine.
• Add the light brown sugar, mix well and set aside for about 15 minutes.
• In a bowl, mix the egg and the milk. Add this mixture to the melted butter. Whisk.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, spices, baking soda and baking powder. Mix.
• Add the butter mixture to the dry ingredients, then mix until everything is well incorporated.
• Add the lemon juice and gently stir.
• Line an 8-inch round cake pan. Pour the cake batter into the pan. Bake  for about 30-35 minutes. The cake is ready when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
• Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then gently remove the cake onto cooling racks.
• Let cool completely before storing.
• Wrap the cake in plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight.

Make the Frosting:

• Place a large mixing bowl, whisk attachment, mascarpone and the heavy whipping cream in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes to chill.
• Add the cold mascarpone, cold heavy cream and powdered sugar in your cold large mixing bowl. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form. It takes 2-3 minutes.

Assemble the Cake:

• Cut the cake layer in half.
• Add half of the frosting in the center. With a spatula, spread the frosting out and a bit over the edges of the cake.
• Replace the 2nd layer and use remaining frosting to spread all over the top of the cake.
• Dot the bare sides of the cake in random places.

Decorate the Cake:

• Add a little bit of powdered sugar to create snow.
• Sugared decorations: I use sugared rose hips and sugared fresh rosemary. (No rose hips? Use cranberries.) Make a simple syrup by add 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water to a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until the sugar dissolves and bring to a boil. Let it cool. Dip the rose hips and rosemary into the syrup. Then, roll them in the sugar. Gently shake off excess sugar.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 299kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 4gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 155mgPotassium: 77mgFiber: 1gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 751IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 92mgIron: 1mg

The nutrition information is calculated using online nutrition calculators and may not be accurate. It is provided as a general guide only.

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