This Christmas Cake stole my heart completely. It’s spiced and with house-shaped cookies all around, it’s beautiful for a Christmas dinner table. The cake is also soft, deliciously spiced, and has a fantastic cream cheese frosting.
Christmas Cake
If you have been paying attention, you might have noticed that there are not many cake recipes here on my blog. It’s not that I don’t think they are delicious but rather I think that they are extremely laborious and I don’t enjoy making them that much. However, from the moment I imagined how this Christmas cake would look, I was just aching to make it. I actually enjoyed making it and even more o when I got to see the final result.
Christmas flavour
If there are flavours that make me think of Christmas is this spice mix. Cinnamon, cloves and ginger are my favourites to mix during the season. These ingredients make this Christmas cake feel very Christmas-y. The spices that are in the cake and also in the frosting bring them to life. If you need more ideas for your Christmas table, check out my Christmas section here on the blog.
Cómo cortar galletas de casita
It’s not easy to find a house cookie cutter that’s the exact size that you need for a Christmas cake. On my part, I folded a piece of paper in half and cut it into the shape of a house front. I made it 6cm/2in at the base, 10-12cm/3in tall and the roof was about 3cm/1in tall. You don’t have to use the same measurements as me but maybe it’s a useful reference. Then, for the windows, I used small cookie cutters of different shapes. For the dough, I used my Christmas cookies recipe and I have to say that it looks beautiful around the Christmas cake.
Ingredients
For the cookies
- 110 g unsalted butter soft, at room temperature
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ginger powder
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 250 g all-purpose flour + more to dust the surface for rolling
For the cake
- 340 g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ginger powder
- ½ cdta ground cloves
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1½ tsp salt
- 400 g brown sugar
- 5 eggs
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 300 ml milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or essence
- 460 g all-purpose flour
For the frosting
- 370 g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 320 g cream cheese at room temperature
- 220 g icing sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
Instructions
For the cookies
- Use a whisk to beat the butter, sugar and salt together until you have a creamy consistency.
- Add the egg and mix it in until fully incorporated.
- Add the vanilla and spices and mix once again.
- Add the flour and baking powder and mix using a spatula. Once the spatula isn't helping anymore, knead slightly with your hands.
- Cover the dough and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- If your dough has been in the fridge for more than 30 minutes, it's possible that you will have to wait a few minutes for it to come back to room temperature before rolling it out to prevent it from breaking. Roll out the dough on a floured surface until it's 2-3mm thick.
- To make the houses I cut a piece of paper to 6cm/2in wide by 8cm/3in tall and about 3cm/1in for the roof. I cut them around the shape with a knife. I cut it to different heights and then cut out the windows in different shapes.
- Use a thin metal spatula to lift the cookies from the surface.
- Place the cookies on a non-stick baking tray. If your tray is not non-stick, line it with baking paper or silpat first.
- Bake the cookies in a preheated oven at 180°C / 350°F for 8-12 minutes or until slightly golden.
- Let them cool down completely before decorating.
For the cake
- Using a stand mixer, beat the butter with the sugar and spices until it's very soft and is lighter in colour, about 4 minutes.
- Add the eggs and beat again until the mix thickens. If you're using a stand mixer, remember to scrape down the sides every couple of minutes to make sure that everything is getting incorporated.
- Add the milk, vanilla, baking powder and flour and beat again only until incorporated.
- Prepare two 25cm/10in diameter cake pans by first greasing them with oil or melted butter. Stick a piece of baking paper cut to size to the bottom of the pan and grease the paper on top as well. Dust with flour, turn the pans upside-down and tap them to remove the excess.
- Distribute the batter between both pans. If you only have one, bake half the batter first and then the second half.
- Bake the cakes at 180°C/350°F for 30-40min or until you can insert a skewer or knife at the centre and it comes out clean.
- Let them cool down completely.
For the frosting
- Beat the butter for 3 minutes on high speed. Remember to stop every once in a while to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula if you're using a stand mixer.
- Add the cream cheese and vanilla and beat until it's very white.
- Add the sugar and spices and beat until fully incorporated, about 2min.
To assemble
- Place a bit of frosting on the cake stand or dish and place one layer of cake on top of it, upside-down so that the flat side is facing upwards. On top of that, distribute a generous amount of frosting.
- Place the other cake layer on top, again upside-down so that the flat side is facing upwards. Cover the top and sides of the cake using the rest of the frosting.
- Refrigerate the cake for 30min.
- Stick the houses to the sides of the cake, pressing gently against it. Refrigerate the cake for at least 2 hours before serving.
- Finish by dusting the cake and houses with icing sugar for a snowy effect.
