Description

A bold gingerbread cake, deconstructed and blended with a full block of cream cheese, and dipped in white candy melts. What’s not to love? If you’re baking the cake yourself, it’ll take a little longer (but it’s worth it and isn’t as hard as it looks), but you are more than welcome to use a boxed cake mix if you’re in a pinch!

Ingredients

Scale

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup molasses
3/4 cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
1 large egg (room temperature)
1 cup buttermilk (room temperature)
8 ounces full-fat block cream cheese
12 ounces white candy melts

Instructions

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 350F. Spray an 8×8 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cocoa powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, baking soda, and salt.
In the bowl of an electric mixer using the paddle attachment, combine the molasses, sugar, and melted butter together on low speed for 1-3 minutes. Add the egg and whisk until combined.
Add the buttermilk and mix until combined, about 30 seconds.
Slowly add in the flour mixture and mix for about 1-3 minutes until the batter is smooth and thick.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake the cake for about 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. To account for any hot spots in your oven, make sure to rotate your pan halfway through baking.
Let the cake cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before turning it out into a large bowl. Using a wooden spoon, break the cake up into crumbs. You want it to look like a nice fluffy pile of crumbs. Put the deconstructed cake into the refrigerator and leave for 20 minutes – the next part is hands on, so you don’t want the cake to be too hot to handle.
Take the cake out of the refrigerator and add the cream cheese to the bowl. Knead the mixture until fully combined.
Scoop out about 2 tablespoons (or use a #40 cookie scoop) of dough and form them into balls using your hands. Place the balls on a lined baking sheet and stick it in the refrigerator so they can set while you move on to the next step.
Using a double broiler or your microwave, heat up the candy melts in a heatproof bowl until they are smooth and completely melted. If you are using a microwave, heat the melts up for 30 seconds at a time, making sure to stir after each interval.
If you are decorating your cake balls with sprinkles or nonpareils, now is the time to get them out!
Dip the balls into the candy melt mixture one at a time. Use a fork to coat the balls completely. Make sure to get rid of any excess coating on the ball by tapping the fork against the bowl a few times and brushing the bottom of the fork against the top of the bowl. Carefully place the coated ball on your baking sheet and quickly sprinkle the nonpareils or sprinkles over the top.
Once assembled, place the baking sheet into the refrigerator to allow the finished product to set, about 10 minutes. They are best enjoyed at room temperature, so you’ll want to let them sit for a few minutes before serving them.

Notes

Gingerbread Cake recipe found in America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book .

Keywords: Gingerbread Truffles