This Gingerbread Latte Cake is your favourite Holiday drink in cake form! Gingerbread spice cake layers with an espresso buttercream.
This Gingerbread Latte Cake is the last cake in my holiday beverage cake trio. It’s also my very favourite holiday drink in cake form. It used to be all about the Pumpkin Spice Latte over here, but I actually don’t think I’ve even had one of those in the past few years. The Gingerbread Latte is the only holiday drink that has my heart now, so it was only fitting that I turn it into a delicious cake.
I had some time to kill on Wednesday, so I stopped into Starbucks to get my first Gingerbread Latte of the season. We used to go to Starbucks all the time, but we’ve barely gone at all since we got Zelda. I’m not sure why exactly — we could take her with us and sit on the patio — but it’s not as chill and enjoyable as it used to be, and I don’t think it’s exactly fun for her, so we just don’t do it anymore.
So there I am, all excited to dive right into my favourite holiday drink, when I go in and realize that none of their holiday merchandise is out yet. Minor panic set in, I’m not going to lie. Much to my dismay, the holiday drinks were all coming out the NEXT day. Off by a day. Worst.
I remember them busting out their holiday stuff on Nov 1 or 2nd years prior, so I thought for sure they’d have it. I begrudgingly settled on a very sub-par caramel macchiato. Good thing I had some of this Gingerbread Latte Cake at home to satisfy the craving!
Gingerbread Latte Cake
I used my favourite Gingerbread Cake recipe for the cake layers. I could have added espresso powder to it, but I wanted each element to stand on its own.
The frosting is the same espresso Swiss meringue buttercream that I’ve used numerous times before (I love it). My instant espresso powder is fine enough that I don’t need to dissolve it in hot water first, but I’ve started to do that because I find it gives the frosting a darker more obvious espresso color.
Fault Line Cake Frosting Technique
I first saw this technique from MilkMoonKitchen on Instagram. She has some gorgeous and crazy unique cakes, and this one in particular was so stunning, showing the cake layers peeking through the frosting.
I’ll admit, I’m not a huge fan of the double fault line cakes that are very trendy right now, but I loved the idea of creating some depth to this cake by adding a simple smooth layer of frosting to cover up some of the cake combed detail. I think it turned out pretty well!
This was my process:
- Start with a thick base of espresso buttercream all around the cake, smooth out.
- Run a scalloped cake comb (the left side of the one on the right in this set) around the sides until it’s smooth.
- Fill in patches of buttercream as needed to make sure it’s all even. It took a few passes, but otherwise it was pretty straightforward.
- After smoothing the top, chill the whole cake in the fridge for 30mins to set (or in the freezer for less time if you have the space). This is important, don’t skip this step.
- Once the cake is chilled, use a straight spatula to add the white buttercream around the base of the cake. Allow some of the buttercream to go higher up the cake to create depth.
- Smooth the sides with an icing scraper. Patch as needed and repeat.
It’s important to chill the cake between frosting layers so that the white frosting doesn’t smush into the espresso frosting. This will ruin the scalloped effect, and the frostings can start to blend together.
After that, it was just some simple dollops on top using a Wilton 4B tip, some nopareils and crispearls, and some chopped candied ginger.
If you’re a Gingerbread Latte fan like I am, you will LOVE this cake. It’s the perfect combination of delicious holiday flavours. If you wanted to amp up the flavour even more, you could add some chopped ginger and/or espresso powder right into the cake batter.
Looking for more Holiday recipes?
- Dark Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies
- Eggnog Cake
- White Chocolate Candy Cane Cake
- Eggnog Cheesecake Cookie Cups
- Stained Glass Cookies
Tips for making this Gingerbread Latte Cake
- The recipe as-is will also work in two 8″ pans. For three 8″ pans, 1.5x the recipe.
- To make cupcakes, all you need to do is reduce the baking time — start checking at 15mins or so.
- See blog post for details on frosting technique and tools used.
- Be sure to check my Swiss Meringue Buttercream post for tips and troubleshooting.
- Learn how to keep your cakes moist using Simple Syrup.
- To help ensure your cake layers bake up nice and flat, check out my Flat Top Cakes post!
Gingerbread Latte Cake
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cake:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 tsps baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp ground cloves
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar lightly packed
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 3/4 cup fancy molasses do NOT use blackstrap
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 3/4 cup buttermilk room temperature
Espresso Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- 6 large egg whites
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 cups unsalted butter cubed, softened but still cold
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2-3 Tbsp espresso powder dissolved in 1 tsp hot water, cooled to room
Instructions
Gingerbread Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease and flour three 6" cake rounds, line with parchment.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth. Add sugars and beat on med-high until pale and fluffy (2-3mins).
- Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time, fully incorporating after each addition. Add molasses and vanilla and mix until incorporated.
- Alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of milk). Fully incorporating after each addition. Do not overmix.
- Spread batter evenly into prepared pans. Smooth the tops with a spatula.
- Bake for approx. 30-35 mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
- Place cakes on wire rack to cool for 10mins then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely.
Espresso Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until combined.*
- Place bowl over a pot with 1-2" of simmering water and whisk constantly until the mixture is hot and no longer grainy to the touch or reads 160F on a candy thermometer (about 3mins).
- Place bowl on your stand mixer and whip on med-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled (the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (approx. 5-10mins)).
- Switch to paddle attachment. Slowly add cubed butter and mix until smooth.**
- Remove 3 cups of buttercream, set aside for white fault line frosting.
- Add espresso to remaining buttercream and whip until smooth.***
Assembly:
- Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Top with 2/3 cup of frosting. Repeat with next layer.
- Place the final layer on top and do a think crumb coat on the cake. Chill for 30mins.
- Frost and smooth the outside of the cake, generously frosting the sides specifically. Smooth with an icing smoother. Use a cake comb on the sides of the cake. Repeat, scraping off more frosting each time, until smooth. Chill for 30mins.
- Once the cake is chilled, use a straight spatula to add the white buttercream around the base of the cake. Allow some of the buttercream to go higher up the cake to create depth. Smooth the white frosting with an icing scraper. Patch as needed and repeat.
- Do dollops of the white frosting on top using a Wilton 4B piping tip. Sprinkle small and large white nonpareils on top as well as some chocolate crispearls and candied ginger if desired. Place coffee beans along the bottom.
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Notes
** The buttercream may look like it's curdled at some point. Keep mixing until it is completely smooth.
*** If your instant espresso is not a superfine powder, I recommend dissolving it first in 1-2 tsp hot water and cooling before adding to the frosting.
Olivia B says
I can’t get my icing brown enough using only the espresso powder. Can I use food colouring? If so, what colour?
Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Olivia! You can use brown color gel, I actually used some but regretted it as it ended up going too dark which is why I didn’t mention it in the recipe. I just used a regular brown gel.
Anne says
WOW! I am not a baker, but this I could do. Everyone loved this cake. I didn’t realize I didn’t have vanilla extract, but substituted spiced rum. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Olivia says
Hi Anne! So happy everyone loved it and I love the addition of the spiced rum 🙂
Jess says
If my cake pans are shallower (8 inch that is about 1.5 inches high), should I still do this in 2 pans or should I make 3 shallower layers? How much do you expect them to rise?
I suppose I could also fill the pans just under the top and then make a couple of cupcakes.
I have made a few of your other cakes for the office and they were a big hit, excited to try this one out!!
Olivia says
Hi Jess! It will work both ways, just depends on how thick you want your layers 🙂 If you go with two 8″ pans, only fill them about 2/3 full, 3/4 max. The cake doesn’t rise a ton, but you don’t want it to spill over. Make cupcakes with excess like you said. For three 8″ the layers will be on the thinner side (1″ or so tall probably) but some people like that for a good frosting to cake ratio. Baking time will be less for these ones though.
Heather of southernhoney.net says
I made this for a Christmas party a couple days ago and I am OBSESSED! I switched out the espresso buttercream and made an espresso cream cheese frosting instead – and the cake was perfect! I think this may be one of my favoritest cakes!
I guess I need to stop gushing now, but . . .
Olivia says
Hi Heather! So happy you loved it. The cake sounds delicious wi th the CC frosting too!!
Melissa Sibert says
Made this recipe into cupcakes last weekend for a Christmas party. So good. Making it again for a Christmas party cake order I have for Monday. Super yummy combo.
Olivia says
Hi Melissa! So happy to hear you loved it 🙂 Thanks for the feedback!
Meridith says
Hello Olivia,
How tall is you 6 inch cake pans? Are they 2 or 3 inches high?
Olivia says
HI Meridith! My pans are all 2″ tall and the cakes bake right to the top, so 3″ would work fine too.
Jade says
Really want to make this but why do you say not blackstrap molasses? 🙁 Only because I have a big jar in the cupboard! Thanks x
Olivia says
Hi Jade! Blackstrap is way too strong and bitter. You could try doing half blackstrap and half golden syrup? Let me know how it turns out!
Jade says
Ahh great, thanks I will do!
Keziah says
SUPERB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Olivia says
Thank you!! 🙂
Lori says
I’ve been following your blog for some years now and enjoy it very much as inspiration and eye candy. I’m a confident home baker but don’t delve into the fancy decorating you do, so I usually just make the cake and frost it with a simpler, more doable icing. You’re very talented, keep inspiring.
Giovanna Iannuzzi says
Hello Liv, can I use any alternative to fancy molasses? We don’t have such thing here in Sweden. Can I use sugar syrup instead? Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Giovanna! Sugar syrup won’t give it that same flavour — do you guys have treacle available? It’s very similar.
Giovanna Iannuzzi says
Unfortunately none of those are available. The only similar thing I could find is ‘dark syrup’ which the shop claims to be a very thick syrup with caramel, salt and sour taste compared to the regular syrup. Do you think it will do?
Olivia says
I would try it with that if that’s all you can find!
Nancy henry says
Oh MY!! That is my favorite holiday drink from Starbucks and they are not offering it this year in the US, only in Canada!! You are soooo lucky! I think, before the season is over, I might have to take a trip across the border to Vancouver to get my Gingerbread Latte fix, a 3 hour drive isn’t too unreasonable, is it? I am going to put this cake on my baking list, it sounds divine!!
Olivia says
WHAT?! No GBL in the US?? That is ridiculous. What are they giving you guys instead? I can’t believe they decided not to offer this one this year. It’s their best holiday beverage! I better get my fill in case we’re due for the same disappointment next year. You definitely should make the drive up! 100% reasonable to me. I hope you give this cake a go in the meantime to help curb the craving 🙂
Nancy says
I guess we have a toasted white chocolate mocha that you don’t. Blah, just give me my GBL!
Olivia says
Well now that sounds delicious too, but I agree — GBL all the way!!