1 cup unsalted butter, or 2 sticks, room temperature
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
3/4 cup molasses
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground cloves
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup half and half, or whole milk
For the frosting:
16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
6 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 pinch salt, or to taste
1 Tbsp lemon juice (optional)
For decorating:
1/2 batch gingerbread cookies, cooled and decorated (depending on the size of your cookies, you will need about 10-12 cookies)
For the gingerbread cake: Preheat oven to 350F. Butter 2 9-inch round cake pans, and place a circle of parchment paper at the bottom of the pans. In an electric stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar for several minutes until very pale and fluffy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating between each one, to thoroughly incorporate them. Add the molasses, salt, baking powder, and spices, and mix well. With the mixer running on low, slowly add the flour, alternating with the half and half. Stop mixing when everything is evenly combined. Give the mixture a final stir by hand to incorporate anything that might be stuck to the sides or the bottom of the bowl. Divide the batter between the two pans, and bake for 25-30 minutes, until risen and starting to pull away from the sides of the pan. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out with no wet batter clinging to it. The cake layers can be made 1 or 2 days in advance. Keep wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator until ready to frost. For the cream cheese frosting: In an electric stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter for a couple minutes until very smooth and well mixed. Add the powdered sugar, a cup or so at a time, beating briefly between each addition. Add the salt, and mix to combine. Taste the frosting, and if you would like it to be a bit more tangy, add the lemon juice and mix to combine. You could also add 1-2 tsp of vanilla extract or other flavoring of your choice. If your frosting is a little bit loose, place it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes to firm up before frosting your cake. To decorate the cake: Frost the cake with a thick layer of the cream cheese frosting, I used almost all of it. For a swoopy top, make sure you have a nice thick layer of frosting on the top of the cake, and use the back of a spoon to make small swirls, scraping the excess frosting off of the spoon between swirls. Carefully place your decorated gingerbread cookies around the outside of the cake, pressing them in slightly. Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve. If you've included some tall cookies like the trees here, you might need to remove a shelf in your refrigerator to accommodate the height!