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Gingerbread Cake with Whiskey Salted Caramel

5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 12
Author: Swah

Ingredients

Gingerbread Cake

  • 340 g butter room temperature
  • cups caster sugar
  • 3 tbsp golden syrup
  • 4 eggs room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • cups plain flour
  • 2 tbsp ground ginger
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp ground cloves

Cream Cheese Icing

  • 250 g cream cheese room temperature
  • 120 g butter room temperature
  • 3 cups icing sugar

Whiskey Salted Caramel

  • 1/2 cup caster sugar
  • 60 ml water
  • 1/3 cup thickened cream
  • 1 tsp whiskey or to taste
  • 1 tsp sea salt

Instructions

Gingerbread Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 175°C. Line and grease 2 x 20cm round cake tins with baking paper.
  • Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy in a large bowl.
  • Beat in golden syrup, vanilla extract and eggs, 1 at a time.
  • Sift flour with spices and add to wet mixture. Mix until just combined (over mixing can result in tougher cake).
  • Divide batter evenly between cake tins and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Keep in mind this is a moist cake, so a toothpick should come out mostly clean.
  • Allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Cream Cheese icing

  • Cream the butter and icing sugar together until well mixed.
  • Add the cream cheese in cubes slowly until incorporated. Continue mixing for 5 minutes until the icing is light and fluffy.

Whiskey Salted Caramel

  • Dissolve the sugar into the water in a heavy bottomed saucepan and let it bubble away over a medium heat.
  • The mixture should turn a golden caramel colour after around 5 minutes. DON’T stir the caramel mixture – the sugar will crystallize.
  • Once the caramel has reached the desired colour, take it off the heat and add the cream. Stir furiously as the caramel will want to harden quickly.
  • Stir in the whiskey and salt.
  • Pop the caramel cream mixture in a small bowl and put it in the fridge to help cool down quickly.

Assembly

  • If your cakes have domed, trim them flat with a serrated knife.
  • Place your first layer on the cake stand and spread around 2 tablespoons worth of salted caramel over the top of the cake.
  • Dollop on a generous portion of cream cheese icing and spread out evenly with an offset spatula. Remember to take the icing right to the edges so it peaks out the sides of the cake when assembled.
  • Place the top layer of cake on top and repeat this process. I left this as a naked cake, but you can completely ice the sides too if you like.
  • Complete with a generous drizzle of room temperature whiskey salted caramel just before you serve (if your caramel has hardened, warm it up slightly in the microwave for 10 seconds on medium).
  • Enjoy!