The Great British Baking Show has influenced my baking in many ways, among them what I’m starting to call things. Two-layer cakes have become sandwich cakes, baking pans have become tins, rising time for bread has become proving time. I don’t mind – I’m an Anglophile after all. This week I re-watched a few episodes from a previously viewed season where the bakers made highly creative sandwich cakes, and wanting to make something fun for the impending arrival of fall, I settled on rich spicy flavors.
This gingerbread sandwich cake features apple pie spice rather than traditional gingerbread spices, although truth be told, they’re quite similar and next time I’ll probably go with the regular gingerbread spice blend. The frosting is a lovely creation of buttercream with molasses and ginger that I found at Two Sisters Crafting and tweaked to suit my own taste for a stronger molasses flavor. The cake itself was a bit on the dry side, so I suspect I may have baked it just a bit longer than necessary. Good to know for next time, as I’ll definitely make this again.
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons apple pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 8 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
- 6 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup water
For the frosting
- 8 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
Preparation
For the cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two 8-inch square cake pans (or tins, if you prefer the British version!) and line the bottoms with parchment.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, apple pie spice, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.
In a mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and brown sugar until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl well. Add molasses and egg and beat well to combine.
Add flour mixture and water alternatively in three batches, starting and ending with the flour and mixing to combine between each.
Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 15-17 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pan for about 20 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting:
In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter for about 1 minute, then add all the powdered sugar at once and beat on low, then medium speed until the sugar is fully incorporated into the butter. Add molasses and ginger and beat to fully combine, scraping the sides of the bowl at least a few times.
To assemble, place one layer on your cake stand and top with half the frosting; repeat with the second layer and remaining frosting, leaving the sides bare. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Makes about 12 servings.
amy bakes in the 'burgh 