Gingerbread Buttercream Recipes

THE BEST GINGERBREAD BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• Add softened butter to a mixing bowl.
• Add Molasses and Ground Ginger.
• Beat on low until completely combined.
• Add Powdered Sugar. Beat on low until powdered sugar is incorporated. Then move mixer up to medium-high speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often.
• When completely mixed the frosting may appear dry. If that happens add a little bit of Milk, a bit at a time until frosting is the proper consistency.

GINGERBREAD COOKIES WITH BUTTERCREAM ICING

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and molasses. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and spices; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight., On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 3-1/2-in. cookie cutter into desired shapes. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Remove from pans to cool on wire racks., For icing, beat confectioners' sugar, butter, extracts and flavoring in a bowl. Gradually stir in enough milk to achieve desired consistency. Frost cookies.

GINGERBREAD BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Whisk together egg whites and sugar in a large heatproof bowl. Clip a candy thermometer to side of bowl. Set bowl over a pan of simmering water, and whisk until mixture reaches 160 degrees and sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes.
• With a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg white mixture on high speed until cooled and thick, about 12 minutes. Reduce speed to medium, and add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until incorporated after each addition. Beat in vanilla and spices. Buttercream can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month; bring to room temperature before using, and beat on low speed until smooth.

GINGERBREAD COOKIES WITH ORANGE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• Combine 1 cup butter and sugar in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Mix in molasses and egg until combined.
• Mix together buttermilk and 2 teaspoons baking soda in a small bowl. Mix vinegar with remaining 1 teaspoon baking soda in another small bowl. Add the buttermilk mixture to the molasses-egg mixture. Then add vinegar mixture, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, and salt; mix until well combined.
• Gradually stir in 4 cups flour, 1 cup at a time, stirring until the dough comes together and forms a ball. Shape dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator until chilled, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place chilled dough on a floured surface and roll to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut out cookies with desired cookie cutters and place on ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until edges are golden, about 10 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute before removing to a wire rack to cool, 8 to 10 minutes more.
• While cookies are cooling, place 3 cups powdered sugar, softened butter, orange zest, and 1/3 cup orange juice in a bowl. Discard remaining orange juice, or save for another use. Beat frosting ingredients with an electric mixer until consistency is similar to fondant or modeling dough, adding more powdered sugar, if necessary. Frost cookies.

GINGERBREAD HOUSE RECIPE (VIDEO)

Steps:

• Print out my Sally's Baking Recipes Gingerbread House Template and cut out the shapes. Set aside for step 6.
• Whisk the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
• In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar together on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg, molasses, and water on high speed. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine. On low speed, slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined. Cookie dough will be very thick.
• Divide cookie dough in half, flatten into discs (about 4-5 inches in diameter), and wrap each tightly in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours or up to 3 days.
• Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
• Remove each disc from the refrigerator and roll each out in between two pieces of parchment paper. Watch me do this in the video above- gingerbread cookie dough will stick to your counter no matter how much you flour it. Parchment is best. Roll out to about 1/4 inch thick. You want thick pieces for your gingerbread house. Lightly flour the underside of gingerbread house template shapes. (The dough is sticky and the paper may stick to it otherwise.) Using a pizza cutter or small knife, carefully cut the dough into the gingerbread house template shapes. You will need TWO of each shape. Re-roll dough scraps so you have enough dough for the whole house. Use any extra dough to create fun shapes using cookie cutters. I made a few gingerbread stars!
• Carefully arrange gingerbread house shapes onto prepared baking sheets, about 3 inches apart. If they lost some of their shape transferring to the baking sheet, straighten out the edges (see my video above).
• Bake house pieces for about 18-20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Bake chimney pieces for about 12-13 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow shapes to cool completely on the baking sheets or on the counter. A flat surface is KEY for cooling- the gingerbread house edges very slightly curl up otherwise. Cooled gingerbread house pieces can be made up to 1 week in advance, cover tightly and store at room temperature or in the refrigerator. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months, thaw at room temperature before using.
• Select a base for your gingerbread house. I used a wooden cake server. Watch my video above to guide you through constructing the house. Start with two pieces: the front of the house and 1 side. Using a squeeze bottle, run a thick line of royal icing on one long edge and one short edge of the side of the house piece. Stick it to your base. Use whatever you have around the house to help it stand up. You can see in my video that I use snack bag clips. You can also prop it up with soda cans, a tall cup, water bottle, etc. Run a line of royal icing along the bottom of the front of the house piece. Stick it to your base, adhering it to the side of the house piece. Hold the two in place for a few minutes until the icing is partially set, propping them up as necessary. Repeat with the 2nd side of the house piece and back of the house piece. Pipe royal icing inside any seams, inside and outside of the house, to fill any voids. Don't be afraid to go heavy on the royal icing "glue" - when it dries, it looks like snow! Allow it to set at room temperature for at least 1 hour before adding the roof pieces.
• The roof pieces will be placed on top of the house base. Run a thick line of royal icing on the inside edges of one of the roof pieces and adhere it to the base. Hold in place for a few minutes. Repeat with 2nd roof piece. Run a thick line of royal icing where the two roof pieces meet at the top of the house. Hold in place for a few minutes.
• The chimney is optional, but it's a lot of fun. I recommend putting together the chimney separately, then adhering to the roof. It's easiest to glue the chimney pieces together upside-down. Use thick lines of royal icing to assemble the chimney in the same way you put together the base of the house. (Except you're not adhering it to a base because it's going on the roof!) Allow icing to set by propping it up as necessary. Once set, adhere onto the roof. The chimney may not fit to the exact angle of the roof because both puffed up or lost some shape during baking and cooling, so use as much royal icing as necessary and you can cover any bare spots with buttercream during decoration.
• Before decorating, the icing on the entire house must completely set. Allow the entire house to set at room temperature for at least 3 hours, preferably 4-6 hours or even overnight before decorating. Cover and store leftover royal icing at room temperature or in the refrigerator during this time. It will be the glue for adhering candies to the house.
• Buttercream can be prepared up to 1 day in advance- cover tightly and store in the refrigerator overnight. Bring to room temperature before piping/decorating. With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the shortening and butter together on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for 3 full minutes. Frosting will be very thick, which is what you want. If much too thick, add another splash of milk. Add a pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet. (I add 1/8 teaspoon salt.)
• Use buttercream, leftover royal icing, and candies for decorating. See my candy suggestions in the blog post above. I only used 1 piping tip for the entire house: Ateco piping tip #32. This is a small open star piping tip and you can watch me use it in the video above. Makes a lovely design.
• Don't forget to chow down on your beautiful creation if you're in the mood for eating it. Use your best judgment here, obviously the food will taste old after a few days!

GINGERBREAD CAKE WITH SALTED CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spray a 9x9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add the molasses and egg. Beat until smooth.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and salt.
• Add about ⅓ of the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture, mixing until just combined (don't overmix). Add half the water, followed by another third of the dry ingredients. Pour in the remaining water and add the final third of the dry ingredients. Mix until combined.
• Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Bake 45-50 minutes. (Check the cake after about 30 minutes; cover with aluminum foil if the edges are getting too dark.) The cake is done when an inserted toothpick comes out with a few crumbs, but no wet batter. Remove from the oven and let cool as you make the Salted Caramel Buttercream.
• Melt the caramels, butter, and milk in a microwave-safe glass or ceramic bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring after each melting. Set aside.
• Combine the butter, sugar, salt, and caramel sauce in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. (You can reserve some of the caramel sauce to use as a caramel drizzle.)
• Start mixing on low speed until the sugar is incorporated with the butter. Increase the mixing speed to high and beat until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Adjust the consistency with milk as needed.
• Spread the buttercream over the cooled gingerbread cake.
• Store unused buttercream in the refrigerator in an airtight container and bring it back to room temperature before using it to pipe or frost.

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.