A high altitude gingerbread cake for Christmas, with warm spices, sweet and creamy mascarpone buttercream, and sparkling sugar. Decorate this festive Christmas cake with a little cookie house and rosemary “trees”, or with an assortment of gingerbread cutout cookies.
You might also love this gingerbread sheet cake with powdered sugar snowflakes, baked gingerbread doughnuts, and gingerbread cinnamon rolls.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Sweet and Spicy. I love the warm, cozy spices in this gingerbread layer cake, and they’re so nicely complemented by the sweet and creamy mascarpone buttercream.
Easy to Make. This is a simple cake batter to make, with just a bowl and whisk.
Perfect for the Holidays. With the spices, sparkling sugar and cute little rosemary Christmas trees on top, this is a perfectly festive cake to make for Christmas.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all of the recipes on my site for Denver’s high altitude of 5,280 feet.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
Cake
- Flour. All-purpose flour gives the cake structure and strength.
- Baking Powder. Leavening agent, so the cake rises as it bakes.
- Salt. Balances the sweetness.
- Spices. A blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves adds warmth and spice.
- Milk. Whole milk adds fat and moisture.
- Apple Cider Vinegar. The acid in the vinegar tenderizes the cake crumb.
- Brown Sugar. Sweetness and moisture.
- Molasses. The molasses adds more of that classic gingerbread flavor to the cake.
- Eggs. Gives the cake structure.
- Butter + Oil. A combination of melted butter and vegetable oil adds moisture and flavor.
- Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
Buttercream
- Mascarpone Cheese + Unsalted Butter. The mascarpone cheese is creamy, soft and sweet, and adds a wonderful flavor to the buttercream.
- Vanilla. I like to use vanilla bean paste for the mascarpone frosting, but you can also use a good quality vanilla extract.
- Powdered Sugar. Sweetens and thickens the frosting.
- Meringue Powder. Adds stability and improves the texture.
- Sparkling Sugar. For a simple but pretty finish, sprinkle the frosting with sparkling sugar.
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Spray the bottoms of three 6-inch cake pans with nonstick baking spray.
- In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and spices, then whisk until everything is evenly distributed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk and apple cider vinegar, and let it sit for several minutes to curdle. Add the brown sugar, molasses, eggs, melted butter, oil and vanilla extract, and whisk until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and whisk just until combined.
- Divide the cake batter between the pans. Bake the cakes for about 22 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean.
- Set the pans on a wire rack, cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel and cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the mascarpone cheese, softened butter and vanilla bean paste for several minutes until well combined and there are no lumps.
- With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar and the meringue powder, mixing until combined. Increase speed to medium and whip for about 4-5 minutes, scraping the bowl down several times, until light and fluffy. Only add the milk if the buttercream seems too stiff, but don’t add too much, as the buttercream will become softer as the mascarpone warms up.
- Stack and fill the cooled cake layers with the buttercream. Frost the cake all over with a thin crumb coat of buttercream, chill for 30 minutes, then frost all over with a final coat of buttercream. Before the frosting crusts over, sprinkle some sparkling sugar on top.
Recipe Variations
8-Inch Cake. For a larger layer cake that will serve 16 people, double the cake recipe and bake the batter in three 8-inch cake pans. Double the buttercream as well.
Sheet Cake. For a 9×13 cake, double the cake recipe and bake the batter in a 9×13 pan. You don’t need to double the buttercream, unless you want a thicker layer of frosting on top of the cake.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does it matter if I use light or dark brown sugar in the cake?
Brown sugar is just granulated sugar with the addition of molasses, with dark brown sugar containing more molasses than light brown sugar. For today’s recipe, you should use dark brown sugar, however, most of the light and dark brown sugar for sale in grocery stores is pretty much the same. I’ve never noticed a difference between them in taste or color, except for a very, very dark brown sugar I used last year in my Gingerbread Sheet Cake.
As it turns out, that particular brown sugar, which I received from a company I was working with, was made with blackstrap molasses, which gave the brown sugar, as well as the cake, a much darker color and richer, deeper flavor. If your brown sugar isn’t very dark, and you want a dark color and rich gingerbread flavor in your cake, then you should use dark or blackstrap molasses in today’s cake batter.
What kind of molasses should I use?
There are several types of molasses, each distinguished by how many times it’s been boiled. After the first boil, light molasses is produced, which is mild and sweet tasting. Then, after the second boil, dark molasses is produced, which is a little thicker and less sweet than light molasses. After the third boil, blackstrap molasses is produced. Blackstrap molasses is the darkest and thickest type of molasses, with a very robust flavor and distinct bitterness. For most of my recipes that call for molasses, such as my Ginger Molasses Cookies, I use light or original molasses.
Gingerbread is best made with dark or blackstrap molasses, but if you only have light molasses, your cake will still taste great. It will just be lighter in color and less robust in flavor. Note that I only had “original” (light) molasses on hand to use in today’s cake, so my cake’s color is a bit light. If you use light molasses, you should double the spices to add more gingerbread flavor.
Can I use cream cheese instead of mascarpone cheese in the frosting?
Yes, you can substitute block cream cheese for the mascarpone cheese. Block cream cheese will need to be softened at room temperature for several hours before making the buttercream, while mascarpone can be used cold from the refrigerator.
Does the cake need to be refrigerated?
With mascarpone or cream cheese frosting, it’s generally advised to refrigerate the cake. However, it’s perfectly fine having the cake sit out during the day, and then just refrigerating the leftovers in an airtight container or cake carrier overnight. Let the cake come back to room temperature again before serving.
Can I make this recipe if I don’t live at high altitude?
Please see my FAQs page for guidance on adjusting recipes for various altitudes.
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High Altitude Gingerbread Cake with Mascarpone Buttercream
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- 6-inch Round Cake Pans (x3)
- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- 1 ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ¾ cup + 2 tbsp dark brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2 tbsp molasses (see note)
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
Buttercream
- 4 oz mascarpone cheese, cold
- ½ cup (4 oz) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp meringue powder (optional)
- 1 tbsp whole milk, only if needed
- 2 tbsp sparkling sugar
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Spray the bottoms of three 6-inch cake pans with nonstick baking spray.
- In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and spices, then whisk until everything is evenly distributed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk and apple cider vinegar, and let it sit for several minutes to curdle. Add the brown sugar, molasses, eggs, melted butter, oil and vanilla extract, and whisk until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and whisk just until combined.
- Divide the cake batter between the pans. Bake the cakes for about 22 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean.
- Set the pans on a wire rack, cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel and cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the mascarpone cheese, softened butter and vanilla bean paste for several minutes until well combined and there are no lumps.
- With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar and the meringue powder, mixing until combined. Increase speed to medium and whip for about 4-5 minutes, scraping the bowl down several times, until light and fluffy. Only add the milk if the buttercream seems too stiff, but don't add too much, as the buttercream will become softer as the mascarpone warms up.
- Stack and fill the cooled cake layers with the buttercream. Frost the cake all over with a thin crumb coat of buttercream, chill for 30 minutes, then frost all over with a final coat of buttercream. Before the frosting crusts over, sprinkle some sparkling sugar on top.
How did you make the house on top?
You need a no spread sugar cookie recipe; this is the one I always use: https://curlygirlkitchen.com/perfect-vanilla-sugar-cookies-no-spread-recipe/
Then you need a mini gingerbread house cookie cutter – I bought mine on Amazon. You bake the sides and roof of the house, and then assemble it with royal icing. After the icing dries to hold everything together, I like to cover the roof with royal icing and then sprinkle it with sparkling sugar to look snowy.
Baked this in a Bundt pan for about 35, 40 minutes. It’s a small Bundt but that is what I wanted. Topped with a bit of lemon curd. Turned out perfect!
I’m doing some test bakes (reeeeally low altitude baker now after a move, but I adore your recipes) and was wondering if I can make ahead the mascarpone butter cream, and whether I can freeze any leftovers. Thank you!
Yes, I often freeze buttercream to use later. Just put it in a freezer bag and you can keep it frozen for 3-6 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight, then let it warm up to a spreadable consistency on your kitchen counter.
Will this work in two 8″ or 9″ pans? Is one better than the other? I’m in Colorado Springs at about 6200′ elevation. Thank you!
You’ll need to double the cake recipe if you want to use two 8 or 9 inch pans. The 8 inch pans will make a cake that’s a little taller than if you use 9 inch pans.
Thank you for answering so quickly! Excited to find this cake. It will be served with an amazing hot butter/sugar/cream sauce rather than frosting after it bakes.
Heather
Can I put this in a Bundt cake pan? Any changes to cooking time? (I live in Centennial.) I loved your pumpkin Bundt cake. I made it twice and it was perfect. I have a hard time with baked goods, but your recipe was the best I’ve ever tried.
I’m so glad you loved it! This cake should work just fine in a bundt pan. It’s enough batter for a 6-cup bundt pan, or you can double it for a 12-cup bundt pan. Maybe check out some of my other bundt cakes to get an estimate on the bake time.
Hi Heather, I want to put this in a 9-in springform pan. Will that work?