gingerbread layer cake
America's test kitchen
This is a sublime dessert. The cake is plush and moist. It has a a dark, complex flavor which pairs perfectly with the ermine frosting. This was my first experience with ermine frosting. I found it fun to make and loved the end result: a fluffy frosting that's lighter and less sweet than other types like cream cheese and buttercream. It had beautiful, harmonious contrast with the intensely flavored gingerbread. I love how the cake batter incorporates coffee and cocoa powder. They add depth and bitterness to its flavor. The cake has a tastefully pronounced flavor of ginger and warm spices. It is a wonderful dessert for any gingerbread enthusiasts out there.
I followed the recipe closely, and found the instructions precise and easy to follow. The only hiccup was that the cakes took 15-20 minutes to bake, which was longer than instructed. Given how wet the batter is, it's easy to tell when the cakes are baked through, so this wasn't a big problem. The extended bake time may have been in part due to my parents' oven or cake pans.
I look forward to revisiting this dessert at a future winter holiday gathering.
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Comments:
On Feb. 9, 2026 Alice Morgan wrote:
I made this cake over the weekend with a cream cheese frosting from Cook's. It wasn't enough to cover the whole cake because of the four layers but it was rich so that was ok. The cake was amazing, it rose really well, I think the small layers helps!
On March 1, 2026 Porter wrote:
Thank you for this note, Alice!