This Chocolate Gingerbread Cake is a delicious twist on a holiday classic. A rich chocolate spice cake paired with a silky dark chocolate ganache.
There are these cookies that my parents always get from the Polish store around the holidays. They’re these puffy and soft (though often dry) gingerbread cookies coated in chocolate. Very similar to these ones, but with Polish packaging (lol). You can get them plain or filled with a jam of sorts, but I always preferred the plain ones.
I didn’t actually set out to make this cake with those in mind, but once I tried the first bite I was all like — what does this remind me of?? This Chocolate Gingerbread Cake is my cake version of those cookies.
This cake was yet another adventure in the making. And this time I HAD bought everything I need in advance. I was ready for this one.
I thought I would get a head start on the baking too, and store the cake layers in the freezer until I was ready to decorate. Too bad I didn’t remember that I wanted to use this cake with my new cake stand. The two 8″ layers I baked were too big, and definitely not going to work with this stand. SIGH. Luckily, the layers tasted delicious on their own, so they didn’t go to waste.
Take two on the layers (6″ this time) was a success, and I made the ganache frosting in advance since it needs to sit and thicken up.
The ganache frosting on this Chocolate Gingerbread Cake is on the thinner side (read: not the easiest to work with at room temperature). It’s fairly soft, and when you’re trying to stack 6 layers they can start to slide around a bit. Once I had stacked the cake layers, I nudged them all into place so they were even, and then stuck 4 (trimmed to the right height) bamboo skewers through the top of the cake to act as support.
Another alternative is placing the ganache into the fridge to thicken up, but you need to watch it and stir often to make sure it thickens evenly. If left in the fridge for a long time, it will firm up to the point of not being spreadable.
The texture of the ganache is SO good with this cake. It’s soft and creamy at room temperature, and rich and truffle-like when chilled. It’s really the best. It is my preference to have it this way, but you may want something a bit thicker and easier to work with. As such, I’ve included two Dark Chocolate Ganache recipes below — you can choose which one you’d prefer!
Alright, so it’s decorating day! I have my ganache ready, my second set of cake layers baked, and all of my props and garnishes on hand. Woohoo! My original plan was to put rosemary trees on the top or the sides of the cake, similar to my Gingerbread Cake. I had also bought some thyme sprigs to act as a different set of trees.
I didn’t take a good look at the rosemary when I bought it (ugh). When I finally did, I discovered it was HUGE. Seriously, these were some mutant giant rosemary sprigs. They would have looked ridiculous on top for sure, or even on the sides of this cake. DAMMIT. Off to the store I go.
Not just one store though, noooo, that would be too easy. The farmers market I checked first also had the giant rosemary, Safeway had none at all (wtf), and I finally found some normal sized rosemary at an organics store. Ironically, it was the closest store to my house, and I should have gone there first (sigh). I also found pomegranate seeds and gingerbread cookies there that I intended to use as more props.
You’ll notice that there are no rosemary trees on this cake (LOL).
I didn’t like the way they looked, at all. The cake is already tall, so having them on top looked ridiculous, and pressing them into the sides just looked weird. I didn’t end up using the damn gingerbread cookies either (they were delicious to snack on during picture taking though).
So my 30min outing resulted in using the one thing I didn’t intend to buy in the first place — pomegranate seeds. Did I mention that I also left the house with no makeup, wearing whatever I was wearing (it was not pretty), and soaking wet hair in near freezing temps? It was fun times all around. In hindsight though, I think the pomegranate seeds look really pretty, so I’m glad I bought them!
Oh, AND, my ganache was lumpy because I didn’t make sure all the chocolate bits were totally melted. UGH. I thought they were, it looked like they were, but I should have listened to my gut and put the bowl over a double-boiler on the stove just to make extra sure. So I had to strain my ganache (true story), because I wanted to get the chunks out.
Never a dull moment in the Liv for Cake kitchen!
So, this cake stand that I was so determined to use that I rebaked the cake layers… it’s borderline tacky, I know, but it just screams holidays and winter and Christmas, and I had to have it. The deer antlers go so well with the woodsy-like exterior of this cake.
Apparently it’s actually not a cake stand at all. I literally found this out just now as I was looking it over for info to see if I could find it online to link to you (I couldn’t), but the one thing I did find was some safety precautions for a pillar candle. Lol, oops.
Anyway, this candle holder moonlighting as a cake stand works pretty well, no? I think so. Except when it came to putting the cake in there and then cutting a piece out. The antlers did not make my life easy there, but it worked out in the end.
I’m happy about the texture on the frosting. It reminds me of tree bark, and I just love this rustic woodsy look for the holidays. It was actually really simple to do.
Once I frosted the cake and smoothed the sides, I used this icing comb (the grooves on the bottom) to make the texture. I pressed it into the side of the cake and spun the cake on my turntable. I went over it a few times to create a more rustic and messy look. Since the cake was chilled before the final frosting, the ganache would start to firm up on the cake which made it easier to create the texture.
I decided to go for 6 layers with this cake, and I’m so glad I did. The cake is incredibly rich and delicious, with hints of gingerbread throughout, and the silky dark chocolate ganache makes for a perfect pairing in this Chocolate Gingerbread Cake.
Tips for this Chocolate Gingerbread Cake:
- The ganache recipe is fairly soft at room temperature and can be harder to work with. Read post for details. I’ve included an alternate ganache recipe that is thicker.
- When making the ganache, be sure to chop your chocolate very fine, and make sure it’s all melted after you add the cream. I had chunks in mine (because I was too lazy to chop the chocolate into small pieces) that I ended up having to strain out.
- If you’re looking for more holiday inspired cakes, be sure to check out my Gingerbread Cake, Eggnog Cake, Spice Cake, and White Chocolate Candy Cane Cake!
- To help ensure your cake layers bake up nice and flat, see my Flat Top Cakes post.
Chocolate Gingerbread Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Ganache Frosting - Original:
- 20 oz good quality dark chocolate chopped (not bakers chocolate)
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter
Chocolate Ganache Frosting - Alternate:
- 20 oz good quality dark chocolate chopped (not bakers chocolate)
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
Chocolate Gingerbread Cake:
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder sifted
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- pinch ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup buttermilk room temperature
- 3/4 cup hot water
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 Tbsp fancy molasses
Instructions
Chocolate Ganache Frosting (make in advance):
- Place chopped chocolate in a large heatproof bowl.
- In a medium saucepan, combine heavy whipping cream and butter. Cook over med heat, stirring often, until it just starts to simmer.
- Pour hot cream over chopped chocolate and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let sit 5 minutes.
- Stir gently with a spatula until completely smooth.
- Place plastic wrap directly on top of chocolate ganache. Allow to thicken and set overnight.*
Chocolate Gingerbread Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F, grease three 6" round baking pans and dust with cocoa powder. Line bottoms with parchment.
- Place all dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Stir to combine.
- In a medium bowl whisk all wet ingredients (pour water in slowly as not to cook the eggs if very hot).
- Add wet ingredients to dry and mix on medium for 2-3 mins. Batter will be very thin.
- Pour evenly into prepared pans. I used a kitchen scale to ensure the batter is evenly distributed.
- Bake until a cake tester comes out mostly clean. A total of 30-35mins.
- Cool 10 minutes in the pans then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Assembly:
- Cut each layer of cake in half horizontally.
- Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving dish. Top with about 1/2 cup ganache. Repeat with remaining layers. Frost and smooth the outside with a thin crumb coat. Chill for at least 20mins until firm and set.**
- Frost the chilled cake with the remaining ganache. It will start to set against the cold cake.
- Use a decorating comb (I used the bottom side of the one here) on the sides and top of the cake. Run it across the cake a few times to create a rustic look.
- Decorate the top with thyme sprigs and pomegranate seeds if desired.
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Notes
** If the ganache is too thin or soft and the cake layers start to slide around a bit during assembly, you can place 3-4 bamboo skewers into the top of the cake as support. You'll need to trim the skewers to the proper height of the cake.
Emma says
I totally love the cake stand,it looks so beautiful. I will try out the chocolate,gingerbread cake and see how it goes..
Olivia says
Hi Emma! Thank you! I hope you like it.
Diana McFeters says
As the result of a medical problem I am having some right sided weakness, and I am right handed, so I wasn’t up to the usual tiering and decorating of a round cake. I followed the recipe but used a 9×13 rectangle pan and poured the ganache over. Yummy!!
Olivia says
Hi Diana! Love the idea of pouring over the ganache — makes it so much easier! I’m so glad you liked it 🙂
Winni says
Hey, I am a big fan of your cooking skills. Thanks for sharing another unique recipe of chocolate gingerbread cake.
Stacie L McEntyre says
This was an INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS CAKE!!!! I would HIGHLY recommend this cake for a special occasion — it’s not too sweet, the chocolate ganache is divine, and it’s beautiful. I put pomegranate seeds on top with greenery around the base sprinkled with pomegranate seeds. It was BEAUTIFUL for Christmas, and quite the crowd pleaser!!
Olivia says
Hi Stacie! I’m so glad you liked it!!
Jennifer says
I’m diving into the world of your somewhat-intimidating cakes, and attempting this cake for Christmas Eve (TOMORROW!). I’ve just discovered my pans are 9″ round (not 8, as I thought). Should I do two 9″ cakes, or…? (Damn poor planning on my part!) Thanks for any advice.
Olivia says
Hi Jennifer! With the recipe as is, there won’t be enough batter for 9″ rounds. Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here’s a site I use as a guideline: http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html I would double the recipe and use two 9″ cake pans. I hope that helps! Let me know how you like it 🙂
Katie says
Hello, can’t wait to bake this! Stores are out of Dutch processed cocoa, can I sub regular?
Olivia says
Hi Katie! Yes, regular will work fine. I hope you like it!
Laila says
ok Im going to bite the bullet and try this tried untried cake for our Christmas Eve dinner at my brothers. No one too critical there. It sounds great and really good details in the blog and comments. Will also put truffles around it as commented. easier than ordering and picking up at the local whole foods parking lot which would be a 1 hour excursion minimun anyway
Olivia says
Hi Laila! I love this cake and hope you and your friends/family do too!
Colleen says
Hi! Can the original ganache recipe be whipped?
Olivia says
Yes, for sure!
Colleen says
I was wondering when you put the thyme on the cake? Just before serving? I just wondered if the flavour of the thyme would affect the taste of the icing and cake? Excited to try this!
Olivia says
Hi Colleen! I would put it on right before serving. It shouldn’t really affect the ganache flavour, but it might if it was a buttercream.
Monica says
Hi there!! I’m super excited to make this cal! Ughhhhh it looks and sounds super delicious! I just have a question about the original ganache. You say that iris slippy and that chilling it will help, but will it become slippy again as the cake sits out and gets to room temperature again? I am not the best with ganache so I’m pretty intimidated.
Olivia says
Hi Monica! Yes, it will become soft again once the cake it at room temperature, but I think it’d delicious this way!
Rachel says
Is the texture of this cake sturdy enough for cupcakes? Some buttermilk-based chocolate cakes don’t seem to hold up. But traveling for the holidays and it’ll be easier to bring cupcakes than a tall layered cake. Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Rachel! I haven’t tried this as cupcakes myself, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Let me know if you try it!
Priyal says
Hi! Would this work with a chocolate buttercream frosting instead of a ganache?
Olivia says
Hi Priyal! Yes, for sure. Here are some chocolate buttercream options:
https://livforcake.com/birthday-cake-recipe/
https://livforcake.com/chocolate-cake-recipe/
Jacquie says
Hope you had a wonderful Christmas.happy New Year to you and Ryan!
Olivia says
Thank you!! 🙂
Jacquie says
Hi Olivia! I made this cake for my husband’s family for our Christmas dinner. It was divine!!! The Gamache (first recipe) turned out perfectly. Iade it yesterday and the cake too. Assembled it Thursday morning. Very easy to work with. I made it in 2 8″ pans to have 4 layers (ease of transporting it 1 1/2 hours was key) I had leftover ganache so I made truffles with it and rolled them in crushed candy cane, toasted coconut and Droste cocoa powder Yummmmm. Thanks for the recipe. I will definitely make this again and highly recommend.
Olivia says
Hi Jacquie!! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season. So glad that you guys liked this cake! Great idea making truffles with the extra ganache — they sound amazing too! Happy New Year to you 🙂
Ellie says
I made it this week for our Christmas party and it was a hit!
Olivia says
Hi Ellie! I’m so happy to hear that! Merry Christmas! 🙂
Drexel Kleber says
Thanks for all your support.
Olivia says
No problem! Let me know how it turns out 🙂
Drexel Kleber says
avatar test
Drexel Kleber says
Hi Olivia: New question: I just made my ganache–a day early as recommended–the original. It now says to let it thicken overnight. Is it ok to leave that on a counter? I’m worried about that cream going bad. Or should I put it in the fridge? The way the frig technique is written leads me to think putting it in the frig overnight is the wrong play. Thanks. Cheers.
Olivia says
Hi Drexel! I always leave mine on the counter, it will be totally fine :). Just be sure to place plastic wrap directly on top of it. You could stick it in the fridge too, but it will be thick and hard to spread out so you’ll need to let it soften a bit at room temp before assembling the cake. Either way will work!
Drexel says
PS. I hate the Avatar. I don’t know where it came from or how it got attached to me. That’s not me at all. Sorry.
Olivia says
Weird! It’s not something my site assigns, so it must be pulling from somewhere else.
Drexel says
Hi Olivia, I look forward to making this cake for a family Christmas party this Saturday, the 23rd. One quick question: You said, ” grease three 6″ round baking pans and dust with cocoa powder. Line bottoms with parchment.” Huh? I’m not a hugely experienced baker, but why would I grease and dust the pan and THEN line it with parchment? Should I just shut up and follow the directions–my wife’s advice :)–or am I missing something? Thanks so much.
Olivia says
Hi Drexel! Lining the bottoms with parchment gives that extra little assurance that the cakes will come out of the pans without sticking. The sides should come out easily with just the grease and cocoa, but sometimes the bottom can still stick. It’s an extra step, but I never skip it! I hope that makes sense.
ann marie whitten ( Murray) says
Hi Oliva
This looks amazing as usual. I love reading your blog of your adventures, as a new baker, I love that someone who has such talent, still has a few moments 🙂
My question is you mention freezing the cake, how is this done and how long to defrost prior to using. I have not frozen any of my baked goods including cookies..I would love to learn the process etc
Thanks in advance
Olivia says
Hi Ann Marie! I actually freeze my cakes portioned — I freeze the individual slices. I’ve never frozen a whole cake, but it should be totally fine to do so. It would need a good few hours to thaw at room temperature though — refrigerated cakes take about 2-3 hours so frozen would take a lot longer. Cookies freeze amazingly well too!! Most of them anyhow. Either as dough or baked.
Kelly says
Hi Olivia
I am so excited to have stumbled on your chocolate gingerbread cake, was desperate to find an alternative to fruit cake.
Two quick questions, do you think I could use two 8” pans instead, would I need to adapt the recipe?
And do you think a white ganache would work? I wanted to put my fondant Christmas figures on and need the base to be white.
Thanks again
Kelly
Olivia says
Hi Kelly! It would work great in two 8″ cake pans, no need to alter anything and timing should be roughly the same. I think a white chocolate ganache would work really well too!! Let me know how it turns out 🙂
Cindy Rodriguez says
This is such a magical looking cake. I love the textured ganache frosting. And hey, the candle pillar stand that doubles as a cake stand works for me. It’s perfect!
Olivia says
Thanks Cindy! I’m so happy with how the frosting turned out 🙂 And I’m so glad I got that stand!
Elizabeth says
Hi Olivia,
I just logged on and wanted to say the pictures of the chocolate gingerbread and the candy cane cakes are stunning. I love the reindeer cake stand. How did you get the cake on there without hitting the antlers?
I have had a request (yet again) for your turtle cake. My co-workers never seem to get tired of it even though I have told them they can have any cake made for their birthday!
Olivia says
Thanks so much Elizabeth for your sweet comment! I’m so glad they like that Turtles Cake, I love it too. Getting this cake onto this stand was so tricky! I made sure to chill it so that the ganache was firm and I just kinda had my fingers under the cake board and lowered it as far as I could and then dropped it in there (lol). It was a bit nerve wracking, but it worked. I don’t know if I’d recommend it though, haha!
Joelle says
I loved, loved, loved the pillar candle reindeer stand!
Olivia says
It was a great find!
Nancy says
Can you tell me where you found the cake plate/candle stand? I love it – it looks old-school classic German! Thank you. I can’t wait to try the cake too.
Olivia says
Hi Nancy! I found at Homesense. It’s actually a candle holder!
Sandi says
This cake is a gorgeous show stopper! It would make any holiday table look festive!
Olivia says
Thank you Sandi! I think so too 🙂
Julie Espy says
This cake sounds wonderful! Gingerbread is my favorite, but I’ve never had it paired with chocolate. Sounds like a great match! I love the beautifully simple design of the cake and decor on top too. A big thumbs up!!
Olivia says
Thanks so much Julie! It’s a delicious combo 🙂
Angela Exton says
Firstly….. I always look forward to a new cake that you share. Just love your cakes, so thank you. I certainly will make this chocolate ginger cake as I love the combination but how gingerly spiced is the cake ? Would I kill the flavours if I put in a extra tsp of ginger in it? I thought 3/4 tsp might not give me the ginger flavour. But I also didn’t want to over power it. lol forward to your advise.
Olivia says
Hi Angela! Thank you!! Honestly, I think one extra tsp might be a bit too much. I tested this recipe a few times and actually reduced the amount of ginger because I found it too strong, but it’s a personal preference. I think you could increase it to 1 tsp no problem, 1 1/2 tsp if you really want a strong ginger taste. You still want the chocolate to stand out! 🙂 Let me know what you decide and how it turns out!
Angela Exton says
Thanks Olivia for your advice. I might increase it then to 1 tsp only just for a teeny weeny extra punch!. I shall be making it for Christmas so I will let you know the results. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas xx
Olivia says
I think 1 tsp will be perfect 🙂 You could also chop up some candied ginger and put it between the layers. That way people that love it can have more and people that don’t can eat around it 😉
Angela Exton says
That’s sounds like a good idea Olivia. Great tip ! Shall definitely consider it.
Angela Exton says
Hi Olivia
Your chocolate ginger cake was a success which became one of my Christmas desserts. I did place 1/2 tsp of extra ginger in the mix which gave it that slightly extra punch I wanted. I also decorated it with pomegranate and thyme similar to yours so thank you for a lovely cake receipe ……
Olivia says
Yay! Happy to hear that Angela. I hope you had a wonderful holiday season!
Catherine Smith says
This is so cute!!!!! I love the antler candle holder! Where did you find it?
Olivia says
Thank you Catherine! I got it at Homesense. I tried to find it online to link to people, but I didn’t have any luck 🙁