Jump on the letter cookie trend with this beautiful gingerbread cookie wreath with ginger and white chocolate frosting. A beautiful centrepiece for your festive Christmas table.
Letter cookie cakes – also known as cream tarts or biscuit tarts – are hugely popular in my little corner of Instagram.
The brains behind this new cake trend belong to Israeli baker Adi Klinghofer, who makes large cookie cakes in the shape of numbers and letters.
Her beautiful letter cakes are decorated with an abundance of fruit, fresh flowers, macarons and meringues. The are perfect for birthdays and celebrations as you can customise them to suit the occasion.
I have given this trend a festive twist, using my gingerbread cookie recipe to create the base and topping with white chocolate frosting with a hit of ginger. You must know by now I am slightly obsessed with ginger!
I baked my cookie cake in the shape of a wreath and topped it with mini gingerbread cookies, meringue kisses, stem ginger and sprinkles.
You could vary the toppings to include your favourite candy, biscuits, macarons fresh fruit or flowers – making sure the flowers are either edible or suitable for cake decorating.
You could also use your favourite cookie recipe instead of gingerbread – my sugar and spice cookies would also be great in this recipe.
How to make a letter cookie cake
I made a batch of my gingerbread cookie dough which allows for three cookie layers plus lots of extra gingerbread cookies to use for decorating. This dough is endlessly versatile and can also be used to make a gingerbread house.
Step 1. Put the sugar, treacle and all the spices in a medium saucepan and heat gently, stirring constantly, until it reaches boiling point. Stir in a tablespoon of stem ginger syrup and take off the heat.
Step 2. Stir in the bicarbonate of soda – the mix will start to foam up (my kids love this bit).
Step 3. Add the butter and stir until completely melted.
Step 4. Mix in the beaten egg and transfer to a large bowl.
Step 5. Gradually add all the flour, stirring it in, until the dough is fairly firm.
Step 6. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured worktop and gently knead into a ball. If the dough is too soft, sprinkle with a little flour. It should be pliable but not sticky. Slice in half keeping the dough you aren’t using covered with plastic wrap.
Step 7. Roll the dough out to about 6mm ( about 1/4 inch) and cut out a 18cm (7in) circle using a cake board or plate. Cut out a smaller circle in the centre using a pastry cutter or smaller plate.
Step 8. Transfer the cookie to a tray lined with baking paper and bake for 12-15 minutes, until the edges just start to colour
Step 9. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely until firm. Create two more layers and cut some smaller cookies using festive cutters. They will need 7-10 minutes baking, depending on their size. Decorate these with royal icing, if you like.
How to make the white chocolate frosting
I used mascarpone here because I wanted the frosting to be fairly firm. If the frosting is a bit too thick for your liking you can add a little cream to lighten it.
Step 1. Put the chocolate in a bowl and microwave for 40 second bursts, stirring in between until melted and completely smooth.
Step 2. Put the mascarpone and icing sugar in a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of stem ginger syrup and whisk using a hand mixer on the lowest setting to combine.
Step 3. Add the melted white chocolate and mix on low speed to combine then increase speed to maximum until the frosting holds peaks. Transfer to a piping bagged fitted with a plain round tip or an open star tip.
How to assemble the gingerbread letter cookie cake
Step 1. Pipe a layer of the frosting over the bottom cookie layer and scatter with chopped stem ginger.
Step 2. Repeat with the second layer and top with the third. Add frosting over the top layer as well.
Step 3. Add the decorations just before serving: mini gingerbread cookies, meringue kisses, sprinkles and whatever else takes your fancy!
This gingerbread letter cookie cake will keep for a couple of days in the fridge. Cut using a serrated knife with a gentle sawing motion. Remember to decorate just before serving or the decorations might soften due to the moisture in the frosting.
HAVE YOU MADE MY GINGERBREAD LETTER COOKIE CAKE?
Post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes. I can’t wait to see your take on it!
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Gingerbread letter cookie cake with ginger and white chocolate frosting
Ingredients
For the gingerbread
- 85 g | 3oz soft light brown sugar
- 200 g | 7oz treacle /blackstrap molasses or half treacle , half golden syrup
- 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp salt
- pinch ground white pepper
- 1 tbsp Opies stem ginger syrup (optional)
- 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 115 g | 1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 440 g | 15.5oz | 3 1/2 cups plain flour plus more for dusting and rolling
For the Royal Icing
- 3 egg whites 90g | 3.1oz
- 500 g | 5 cups icing powdered sugar , shifted (more, or less as needed)
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract optional
White chocolate frosting
- 450 g | 1lb full-fat mascarpone cheese
- 200 g | 2 cups icing sugar
- 175 g | 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 2-3 tbsp Opies stem ginger syrup
To assemble
- 4 tbsp Opies stem ginger , very finely diced
- Mini gingerbread cookies
- Meringue kisses
- Sprinkles
- Macarons
- Mini candy canes
Instructions
Make the gingerbread cookie layers
- Preheat the oven to 170C (340F) and line 3 heavy trays with baking paper (you will need to bake the cookies in batches).
- Put the sugar, treacle and all the spices in a medium saucepan and heat gently, stirring constantly, until it reaches boiling point. Stir in a tablespoon of stem ginger syrup and take off the heat.
- Stir in the bicarbonate of soda – the mix will start to foam up (my kids love this bit).
- Add the butter and stir until completely melted.
- Mix in the beaten egg and transfer to a large bowl.
- Gradually add all the flour, stirring it in, until the dough is fairly firm.
- Tip the dough onto a lightly floured worktop and gently knead into a ball. If the dough is too soft, sprinkle with a little flour. It should be pliable but not sticky. Slice in half keeping the dough you aren’t using covered with plastic wrap.
- Roll the dough out to about 6mm ( about 1/4 inch) and cut out a 18cm (7in) circle using a cake board or plate. Cut out a smaller circle in the centre using a pastry cutter or smaller plate.
- Transfer the cookie to a tray lined with baking paper and bake for 12-15 minutes, until the edges just start to colour
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely until firm.
- Create two more layers and cut some smaller cookies using festive cutters. They will need 7-10 minutes baking, depending on their size. Decorate these with royal icing, if you like.
Make the frosting
- Put the chocolate in a bowl and microwave for 40 second bursts, stirring in between until melted and completely smooth.
- Put the mascarpone and icing sugar in a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of stem ginger syrup and whisk using a hand mixer on the lowest setting to combine.
- Add the melted white chocolate and mix on low speed to combine then increase speed to maximum until the frosting holds peaks. Transfer to a piping bagged fitted with a plain round tip or an open star tip.
Assemble the gingerbread cookie wreath
- Pipe a layer of the frosting over the bottom cookie layer and scatter with chopped stem ginger.
- Repeat with the second layer and top with the third. Add frosting over the top layer as well.
- Add the decorations just before serving: mini gingerbread cookies, meringue kisses, sprinkles and whatever else takes your fancy!
Video
Notes
Romylos Parissis says
EXCEPTIONAL!!!! Picture and cake.
Cat | Curly's Cooking says
Another stunning looking bake of yours. Looks beautiful and sounds delicious.
Mayuri Patel says
Your bakes are so beautiful… I’m left speechless with this one. Such a wonderful idea and its so pretty and festive.
Sisley White says
Your bakes are always so incredibly beautiful. I really want to try this. I will let you know how I get on.
Mandy says
Love this idea – it would be great for a birthday party as well.
Jere Cassidy says
I immediately pinned this for later. And I have never seen ginger syrup and so want to try that. This is just stunning,