Easy Gingerbread Traybake Cake Recipes

EASY GINGERBREAD TRAYBAKE CAKE

Steps:

• Grease and line a 33cm by 23cm (13ins by 9ins) cake pan (see tips above) and preheat your oven to 180C / 160C fan/ gas mark 4 / 350F.
• Place the butter, golden syrup and treacle in a pan. Cook over a low heat until the butter is just melted.
• Meanwhile, place the flour, ginger, mixed spice, nutmeg and baking soda in a large bowl and stir together until thoroughly combined.
• Next, whisk together the milk and eggs in a jug.
• As soon as the butter has melted, remove the pan from the heat and add the dark muscovado sugar.
• Pour the butter/sugar mixture into the bowl containing the flour and spices, and stir everything together.
• Next, pour the eggs/milk mixture into the bowl containing the flour, spices, butter etc. and stir until thoroughly combined.
• Finally stir in the juice and zest of the two oranges.
• Tip the mixture into your prepared cake pan (it should be quite runny and have little bubbles on the surface). Then pop it straight into your preheated oven.
• Cook for 40-45 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. (Use a teaspoon handle if you don't have a skewer.)
• When done, remove the cake from the oven and leave it to cool for 10 minutes in the tin,. Then lift it out onto a cooling rack, using the baking paper to help you.
• Either eat the gingerbread warm, or leave to cool completely before wrapping it up, first in a layer of baking paper, then a layer of tin foil. Wrapped like this the cake will keep for up to 2 weeks.
• Alternatively decorate the cooled cake, as per the instructions below.
• **Do not try to decorate the cake until it is completely cold!**
• Start by cutting up the stem ginger (if using), into ½cm / ¼inch cubes.
• Next, sieve the icing sugar into a bowl and add the lemon juice slowly until you have a thick paste. It should be quite thick, but still spreadable. (If after adding all the lemon juice, your icing is still too thick, add some cold water, 1 teaspoonful at a time, until you get the desired consistency.)
• Using a tablespoon, drizzle the icing over the cake in a zigzag pattern to achieve the graffiti effect.
• Finally, scatter over the cubed stem ginger.
• Cut the cake into 24 pieces and serve.

GINGERBREAD HOUSE CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and generously spray a 9-cup gingerbread house cake mold with nonstick baking spray.
• Whisk the flour, gingerbread spice and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside. Whisk the molasses, oil and granulated sugar in a large bowl. Combine 1 cup boiling water with the baking soda in a heat-proof measuring cup and stir to dissolve. Whisk the water mixture into the molasses mixture until well combined. Whisk in the flour mixture and then the eggs until combined.
• Pour the batter into the prepared cake mold and bake until the edges are set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with a few wet crumbs, 50 to 55 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan before unmolding onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
• For the icing: Combine the confectioners' sugar and meringue powder in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add 5 tablespoons water and beat on medium-high speed until the icing forms thick and glossy peaks, about 2 minutes, adding up to 1 tablespoon more water, if needed.
• Transfer 1/2 cup of the icing to a small bowl, add food coloring for desired shade of green and stir to combine. Transfer the green icing to a piping bag and snip off the tip. Transfer the remaining icing to a second piping bag and snip off the tip.
• For the decorations: Transfer the cake to a baking sheet or decorative tray. Use the green icing to pipe trees and shrubbery on the sides of the house. Use the white icing to pipe windows and outline the roof and eaves. Sprinkle with the shredded coconut for snow. Decorate the house and grounds with candies such as gumdrops, candy canes, shaved chocolate, cinnamon sticks, white chocolate chips, cinnamon candies and red sanding sugar.