Description
A decadent fudgy chocolate gingerbread layer cake featuring spiced chocolate cake layers over a cookie crust, filled with silky ganache and toffee bits, and finished with luscious browned butter cream cheese buttercream. Perfect for holidays and winter celebrations.
Ingredients
- For the cookie crust:
- 160 g Biscoff cookies (or crisp gingersnaps)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- Pinch fine salt
- 1/4 cup (57 g) unsalted butter, softened
- For the chocolate gingerbread cake:
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (110 g) packed brown sugar
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) neutral oil
- 1/4 cup (60 g) full-fat sour cream, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) full-fat buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 120 g all-purpose flour
- 48 g Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) boiling water
- 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- For the chocolate ganache:
- 6 ounces (170 g) semi-sweet chocolate
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) heavy cream
- For the browned butter cream cheese buttercream:
- 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, browned and cooled
- 8 ounces (226 g) full-fat block cream cheese, softened
- 3 to 3 1/3 cups (360–400 g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon cold heavy cream
- For assembly:
- 1/2 cup toffee bits
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line three 6-inch cake pans.
- Crush cookies finely and mix with sugar, salt, and butter. Press into pans and bake 8 minutes. Cool.
- Whisk sugars, oil, sour cream, and buttermilk until smooth. Add egg, vanilla, and molasses.
- In another bowl, combine flour, cocoa, spices, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Gradually mix into wet ingredients.
- Dissolve espresso powder in boiling water and stream into batter while stirring.
- Divide batter into pans and bake 26–28 minutes until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs. Cool completely and chill at least 4 hours.
- Heat cream for ganache until simmering. Pour over chocolate, rest 5 minutes, then stir until smooth. Cool to spreadable consistency.
- Brown butter until golden and nutty. Cool until solid but soft. Beat with cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar, then vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and cream. Chill 30 minutes.
- Assemble: Layer cake with buttercream rim, ganache, and toffee bits. Repeat layers. Apply crumb coat, chill 15 minutes, then finish frosting.
- Serve at room temperature.
Notes
- Chill cake layers for easier stacking.
- Brown butter carefully to avoid burning.
- Use room temperature dairy for smooth batter.
- Store refrigerated up to 5 days.
- Freeze slices tightly wrapped up to 3 months.
- Allow cake to sit at room temperature 30–45 minutes before serving.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 28 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 520 kcal
- Sugar: 42 g
- Sodium: 320 mg
- Fat: 32 g
- Saturated Fat: 18 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 58 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
