I baked this dulce de leche ginger cake with dulce de leche frosting, and made it look like a snow globe for Christmas.
The sponge is so light and fluffy unlike traditional dense gingerbread cakes.
Though I love traditional gingerbread, i find it quite heavy for a layer cake like this.
This post is a part of a paid collaboration with Waitrose and Partners. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I made some gingerbread trees to decorate it (see tutorial below). I used some gold lustre spray from Waitrose to create the little stars.
The dulce de leche was from Waitrose too. It was so delicious, i thought it would be perfect with this spicy ginger cake.
I used it in the cake and the frosting and the sweet caramel like flavour works so well with these christmassy flavours.
The spicy flavours in the sponge come from a combination of ground spices, as well as some finely chopped candied stem ginger and some stem ginger in syrup.
I love using a mix of those two in my ginger cakes as they have so much flavour.
As i was using the dulce de leche i decided not to use treacle like i would for a normal gingerbread cake, so its a lot lighter and fluffier.
Jump to RecipeI made a snow globe cake years ago with an edible gelatin snow globe, but this time i decided to buy a dome to use as it was easier.
Dulce de leche ginger cake
To make the stars for this cake i piped some white chocolate onto some baking paper and sprayed on the gold lustre spray before it dried.
Before you bake the dulce de leche ginger cake
Some tips for you
- A spatula is your best friend when you bake a cake, scrape the bowl often so everything is well combined
- Use a balloon whisk with your stand mixer to make the sponge full of air
- Don’t bake this cake in a hurry, Take your time!. Whisk the mixture well, i wait at least 3 to 5 minutes between adding each egg while the whisk is beating at high speed, Then i scrape the bowl before adding the next one and start whisking again.
- Fold in the flour by hand with a spatula, whisking in the flour can build up gluten making it tough so fold in gently.
- mix together the dry ingredients in a bowl first before adding, this way the baking powder will be evenly mixed.
- Make sure the butter and eggs are at room temperature.
- I bake my cakes at 160c rather than 180c/350f as they rise evenly with a flat top.
- I don’t like buttercream so i use mascarpone with my cakes, you can you butter if you like.
- The dulce de leche is used as the sweetener in the frosting, you can add more of less depending on your taste.
- Slice the candied ginger into very small chunks.
Dulce de leche gingerbread cake
Equipment
- stand mixer with balloon whisk attachment
Ingredients
For the sponge
- 220 grams unsalted butter softened
- 120 grams caster sugar
- 80 grams light muscavado sugar
- 50 grams dulce de leche
- 4 medium eggs
- 220 grams plain flour
- 2 tea spoons baking powder
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 tea spoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tea spoon ground all spice
- 40 grams chopped candied stem ginger
- 2 tbsp chopped stem ginger in syrup (or one piece of stem ginger in syrup and 1 tbsp syrup from the jar)
- 2 tbsp milk
Frosting
- 300 ml double cream
- 250 grams mascarpone
- 280 grams of dulce de leches
Instructions
- For the cake
- preheat the oven to 160c
- grease and line three 8 inch shallow cake pans with baking paper
- Add the softened butter in to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the balloon whisk attachment and beat at high speed for 2 minutes, scrape around the bowl with a spatula then add the caster sugar and muscavado sugar and beat again for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, scrape the bowl again and add the dulce de leche and beat for 2 more minutes until pale and fluffy, then add the first egg, beat for 3 minutes, scrape the bowl and add the next egg, beat again for 3 minutes and scrape the bowl before adding the next egg. continue this beating and scraping process between each egg.
- Once all four eggs are added, scrape the bowl again, the mixture should be pale and fluffy.
- In another bowl mix the flour, baking powder, ground spices and a pinch of salt together, i do this with a whisk, but you can use a sieve also.
- fold the dry ingredients in using a spatula then, fold in the sliced candied stem ginger and the chopped ginger in syrup.
- lastly fold in the milk to loosen the batter and separate the mixture into the tins.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean
- let cool in the tins for 15 minutes, then gently remove tins and baking paper and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Make gingerbread using the dough recipe below
- make the frosting by adding the cream in a bowl and whisking until soft peaks form, then add the mascapone and dulce de leche and whisk until thick
- Assemble the cake by adding the frosting to each layer and smoothing out then frosting the outside of the cake. (you can add more dulce de leches between the layers if you wish.)
- sprinkle some desiccated coconut for snow and and press on the gingerbread trees. then add the snow globe.
gingerbread dough recipe
Equipment
- electric mixer
Ingredients
- 75 grams unsalted butter, softened
- 90 grams light brown sugar or a mix of light and dark
- 100 grams golden syrup i use lyles
- 300 grams plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground mixed spice
- 1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp allspice
- pinch salt
- 3/4 tbsp milk
Instructions
- using an electric whisk or stand mixer beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, then mix in the golden syrup and whisk again.
- sift together the flour, spices, pinch of salt and baking powder, then add to the whipped butter and together,
- Add the milk a little at a time until you get a soft dough.
- using your hands mix into a ball and then wrap up and place dough in the fridge for at least 1 hour. longer is better.
To make the trees
The trees are really simple yet effective. With only little skill level required to make them, they elevate this cake into the show stopper it is.
Make the dough as directed above.
Preheat the oven to 180c 350f
Sprinkle some flour onto some baking paper and place the dough on it.
Dust some more flour over the dough, then place some paper on top and roll out thinly between the two sheets.
Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into triangles. Make them different sizes.
Use the knife to cut slits each side so it looks like tree branches. (see photos below)
When cutting the slits, you can drag the knife slightly so it pulls the dough.
Roll out small strands of the dough off cuts and stick onto the top to look like branches.
Place on a baking tray
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes depending on size.
Let cool on a wire rack.
Dust with icing sugar and using your hands or a small brush rub it into the indentations.
Ruth Miranda says
honestly, this cake is BEYOND gorgeous!
twiggstiudios says
thank you ruth xxxx
sarah says
OMG I have missed your blog and seeing the astounding images. Well done. very festive!
twiggstiudios says
thank you so much sarah xx
Laura says
A beautiful cake, Aimee. May I ask where you found the little dome?
twiggstiudios says
thank you so glad you like it i found it on amazon its a little display dome x
Fiona Bloxham says
Where did you get the snow globe from please?
twiggstiudios says
hi i think it was from amazon or ebay, i just had a look, and this is what it looks like from another shop https://www.wayfair.co.uk/home-decor/pdp/ebern-designs-nocana-cloche-globe-u001811547.html