Gingerbread Castle House with Speculaas Spices
 
 
Ingredients
  • For the cake
  • 200 grams salted butter
  • 360 grams all purpose flour
  • 1½ tsps baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp.ground cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp.ground ginger
  • 2 tsp. freshly ground cloves
  • 1 tsp. speculaas spice mix (can be omitted)
  • 4 large eggs
  • 360 grams granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup freshly brewed coffee
  • 4-5 tbsps kahlua
  • For the Swiss buttercream
  • 4 large egg whites
  • 1¼ cups granulated sugar
  • 2 cups unsalted butter softened
Instructions
  1. For the cake: Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease and flour two 6 inch springform pans. Set aside.
  2. Melt the butter and set aside.Mix flour, baking soda, salt and spices in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  3. Beat eggs and sugars until fluffy and lighter in color, about 3-4 minutes.
  4. Add the dry ingredients and butter to the egg mixture in additions, and stir until completely smooth. Stir in the sour cream.
  5. Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Bake on the middle rack for 45-50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
  6. Let cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then unmold onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
  7. Cut each cake into 2 and poke hole with a skewer. Generously soak the cakes with the coffee-kahlua mix and set aside.
  8. For the buttercream: Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until combined. Place bowl over a pot with 1-2" of simmering water and stir constantly with a whisk until the mixture is hot and no longer grainy to the touch.
  9. Place bowl on your stand mixer and whisk on med-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled (the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (approx. 5-10mins)).
  10. Slowly add cubed butter and mix until it comes together and is smooth.
  11. Putting the cake together: Place the first cake layer on a cake stand Spread a layer of frosting on the first layer. Repeat this until you’ve used up all layers.
  12. Spread a thin layer of frosting all over the cake. Place the cake in the fridge for a few minutes if the frosting is soft.
  13. Decorate with the gingerbread cookies. I placed toothpicks behind the cookies on top of the cake to get them to stand up. Dust with powdered sugar if you like.
Recipe by Box of Spice at https://boxofspice.com/2019/12/kahlua-spiced-gingerbread-cake/