1tspcoarse Kosher salt(if using table salt, use half the amount)
2tspground cinnamon
2tspground ginger
½tspground nutmeg
¼tspground cloves
¼tspground cardamom
1 ¾cupswhole or lowfat buttermilk,room temperature
1 ¾cupsdark brown sugar,lightly packed
3large eggs
½cupunsalted butter,melted
¼cupvegetable oil
2tspvanilla extract
Whipped Cream
1 ½cupscold heavy whipping cream
3tbsppowdered sugar(plus extra for the snowflake stencils)
1tspvanilla extract
Instructions
Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with non-stick baking spray.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and spices.
Separately, whisk together the buttermilk, brown sugar, eggs, melted butter, oil and vanilla.
Add the liquid ingredients to the dry, and whisk just until combined and mostly smooth, and pour the batter into the pan.
Bake the cake on the center oven rack for about 30 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean or with moist crumbs clinging to it.
Cool the cake for at least 1-2 hours and serve warm, or cool completely to serve at room temperature.
Whipped Cream
In a bowl, combine the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla.
Use an electric mixer to whip the cream until thick and fluffy.
Snowflake Stencils
The bottom of the cake will look a little smoother than the top, so set a cutting board over the pan and turn the cake out onto the cutting board, so the bottom is facing up.
Cut the cake into 12-16 squares.
Take your snowflake stencils, position a stencil over a piece of cake, and dust with powdered sugar. Carefully lift the stencil off, and shake the excess sugar off the stencil. Repeat with the remaining pieces of cake.Stenciling the pieces of cake individually will result in a prettier presentation, so each piece of cake gets a snowflake centered right on top.
Serve the cake with the whipped cream.
Notes
The cake will stay moist and fresh for 4-5 days, stored in an airtight container.
The moisture of the cake will cause the powdered sugar to melt as it's stored, which is totally normal. To avoid this, just add the powdered sugar right before serving, or use "non-melting" powdered sugar.
I used a very dark brown sugar, which gave my cake a nice dark color. If your brown sugar is not very dark, add 2 tablespoons dark molasses or blackstrap molasses.
Keyword Cake, Christmas, Gingerbread, High Altitude, Snowflakes