Spicy, soft, and smothered in either a sticky toffee sauce or with sticky toffee buttercream, these Mini Sticky Toffee Gingerbread Cakes are a Christmas dream come true. Actually, they’re just a fall and winter dream come true because, if I’m being honest, you won’t want to limit yourself to making these just during the holidays. With pieces of crystallized ginger and toasted walnuts folded through the batter, there’s a bite of heat or nuttiness with every forkful. The cake is incredibly soft, delicious, and perfectly spiced, and the sticky toffee sauce and frosting are just the sweet complement that all that ginger needs.
I’ve been a bit crazy about these mini loaf cakes lately. They’re the perfect size to eat all at once, save half for later, share with a friend, or to gift away at the holidays. You don’t have to worry about the inside going dry like you would with a sliced cake. Plus, as a huge fan of The Magicians, I hear Ember’s voice asking, “Have you brought me little cakes?” every time I make them. I think I repeated that phrase multiple times as I decorated these. (Also, if you’re into weird but wonderful hours of television, you should check the show out!)
The ingredient list looks long, but don’t fear it. Most of the cake ingredients are just the various spices that give this cake its gingerbread flavor. This is also quite possibly the easiest toffee sauce to make–just throw everything into a saucepan and stir it (the instructions say to whisk, but you can also just mix with a rubber spatula if you’d rather) until everything melts and the toffee begins to boil slightly. Let is sit to thicken and then use in the buttercream, gently pour it over the tops of the cakes, or drizzle it over your frosted cakes.
This cake is essentially a combination of gingerbread and sticky toffee pudding. The two combine for something that’s sticky without being stodgy, and the cakes are well balanced between sweetness and spice. It’s also a combination that I just couldn’t stop thinking about until these cakes were made!
I know that the holidays are all about cookies, but sometimes you just need to change things up a bit. These Mini Sticky Toffee Gingerbread Cakes are adorable and impressive while being super easy to make (the toffee sauce is annoyingly easy–just toss it in the fridge or freezer for a bit to cool and thicken faster; if it gets too thick, just pop it into the microwave for a few seconds to loosen). Winter and spice were just meant to go together.
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 19-21 minutes |
| Servings |
cakes
|
- 250 grams self-rising flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 lemon zest only
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 125 mL vegetable oil
- 150 mL unsulphured molasses
- 250 grams dark brown sugar
- 4 eggs large, room temp
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 150 mL sour cream
- 140 grams crystallized ginger pieces
- 55 grams walnuts toasted and chopped
- 1/2 cup salted butter
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup salted butter softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp sticky toffee sauce (ingredients above)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 lemon zest only
- 1-2 Tbsp milk (as needed)
Ingredients
Gingerbread Mini Cakes
Sticky Toffee Sauce
Sticky Toffee Buttercream
|
|
- Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Grease/spray a mini loaf pan and set aside.
- Sift the self-rising flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the lemon zest, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice. Using the paddle attachment. Mix the dry ingredients on low until blended.
- Add the vegetable oil and mix until the dry ingredients are fully coated. Add the molasses and mix until fully combined.
- Add the dark brown sugar and beat on medium-high until combined.
- In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the four eggs and vanilla extract. Add a little of the eggs and a little of the sour cream to the mixing bowl. Beat until combined. Continue to add the eggs and sour cream a little at a time until the batter is completely combined, scraping down the sides as needed. Add in the pieces of crystallized ginger and the chopped walnuts; mix on low until evenly distributed.
- Fill each cavity of the mini loaf pan about 2/3 of the way full--I usually use 2 large ice cream scoops or a 2 large spoonfuls. Once filled, gently tap the baking pan on the counter to get rid of any air bubbles.
- Bake on the center rack for 19-21 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean or with just a few dry crumbs. Allow to cool in the pan about 3-5 minutes and then gently tip the cakes out of the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once cooled, top cakes with Sticky Toffee Buttercream (recipe below) or with a coating of Sticky Toffee Sauce. If desired, sprinkle with a bit of flaked sea salt.
- Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Whisk the ingredients together until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. This should only take about 5-7 minutes or so. Allow to bubble for an additional minute or two, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat. Transfer the sauce to a clean bowl and allow to cool and thicken.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer using a paddle attachment, cream the softened butter until light. Add in the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Mix on low at first and increase the speed once the sugar is combined. After the second cup of sugar, add in the vanilla extract, sticky toffee sauce, pinch of salt, and lemon zest. Mix on high to combined. Add in the final cup of powdered sugar and any milk as needed. Beat on high for 1-3 minutes until smooth and fluffy.