Gingerbread Sheet Cake With Whipped Chocolate Ganache Recipes

GINGERBREAD CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180C/350º F.
• Grease and flour 9-inch/20cm square pan.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together.
• Add egg. Add the water to the molasses, stir to combine, then stir molasses water into the butter mixture.
• Stir dry ingredients together, add to liquid mixture, and combine until smooth. Pour into prepared pan, bake 45 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
• To decorate-.
• Once cool, split the cake in half horizontally.
• Sit the two halves, cut side up, on the counter, and spread one half with jam and the other half with chocolate ganache.
• Sandwich the two halves back together.
• Ice the entire cake with chocolate ganache, decorate and serve!

CHOCOLATE-COVERED GINGERBREAD CAKE

Steps:

• For cake:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 9-inch square metal baking pan. Line bottom with parchment paper. Butter parchment. Whisk first 6 ingredients in medium bowl to blend.
• Mix warm water and baking soda in small bowl until baking soda dissolves. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, butter, molasses, eggs, and fresh ginger in large bowl until well blended. Add dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with water mixture in 2 additions, beating until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool on rack 20 minutes. Run knife around edge of cake to loosen. Invert cake onto rack; cool. Peel off parchment.
• For glaze:
• Bring first 3 ingredients to simmer in medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and vanilla; stir until smooth. Let stand until cool but still pourable, about 20 minutes.
• Place cake on rack set atop baking sheet. Reserve 1/2 cup glaze. Pour remaining glaze over cake, spreading with spatula to coat top and sides. Chill cake and reserved glaze until reserved glaze is just firm enough to pipe, about 1 hour.
• Transfer reserved glaze to pastry bag fitted with 1/4-inch plain tip. Pipe 5 diagonal lines atop cake, spacing evenly. Cluster crystallized ginger atop lines. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

GINGERBREAD SHEET CAKE WITH WHIPPED CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Steps:

• Make the cake: Set a rack in the center of the oven and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch light colored metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and line it with a piece of parchment that hangs over the 2 long sides.
• In a large bowl, combine the sugar and eggs, and use an electric mixer on medium or a whisk to beat the mixture until light and foamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the buttermilk, molasses, butter and oil, and mix until combined and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the fresh ginger, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt, and mix to incorporate.
• Add the flour, baking powder and baking soda, and mix until no streaks of dry ingredients remain, about 1 minute.
• Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, and tap on the counter a few times to release any large bubbles. Bake until puffed and set, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 28 to 34 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan set on a rack for 15 minutes, then use the parchment paper overhang to lift the cake out of the pan. Set it on a rack to cool completely.
• While the cake is cooling, make the ganache: Add the chocolate and butter to a large bowl or to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer.
• Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and butter in the bowl, and whisk until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and salt, and whisk until incorporated. Let the mixture sit until slightly thickened, about 1 hour.
• When the cake is cool and the ganache is thickened, whip the ganache on high speed until it's lighter in both texture and color, fluffy, and holds soft peaks, about 10 minutes.
• Dollop the ganache over the cooled cake, and use a spoon to spread it over the cake in swoops and swirls. Top with chopped crystallized ginger or shaved chocolate if desired. Store leftover cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.