A super moist gingerbread latte cake soaked with coffee and topped off with a vanilla cream cheese frosting.
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gingerbread latte cake
Hello hello! If you’re a fan of gingerbread, cakes, and lattes you’ve certainly come to the right place. This gingerbread latte cake is made with a super moist and perfectly spiced gingerbread cake that’s lightly infused with coffee, soaked in coffee, and topped off with a super rich, creamy and delicious vanilla cream cheese frosting.
So let’s get into it! 🙂
why you’ll love this gingerbread latte cake:
- It’s super moist: thanks to sour cream & a coffee soak.
- Cream cheese frosting: the perfect balance of sweet & tangy.
- Gingerbread: the warm gingerbread spices pair perfectly with the coffee.
papanicholas coffee
My favorite brand of coffee is PapaNicholas Coffee, so it’s perfect that I get to work with them! I use their coffee beans every single day and am so happy to be able to spread my love of their coffee to you. Today I partnered up with PapaNicholas Coffee for this delicious gingerbread latte cake and used their Cinnamon Swirl Coffee which is warm and toasty, combining the right amount of cinnamon and sweetness. I can’t recommend them enough, so please be sure to check them out! You can find their website by clicking here. And if you do end up purchasing their coffee be sure to use code FRESH20 which will get you 20% off any of their coffee!.
expert baking tips
Weigh your ingredients:
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
Be careful when mixing the cake batter:
When you over-mix your batter, you create more gluten in the batter which will make your cake go from light and moist to dense and chewy. Only mix in the dry ingredients until that last bit of flour dissapears.
Use room temperature ingredients:
This is super important for allowing the batter to come together smoothly. You’ll want to take your ingredients out of the fridge about an hour before baking to allow them enough time to come to room temperature.
Keep a close eye on the cake while it bakes:
Cakes and cupcakes like to go from under-baked to over-baked super quickly so it is important to keep a close eye on them.
A note on oven temperature:
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and might not always actually be at the temperature they claim to be at. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
ingredients for gingerbread latte cake:
gingerbread latte cake:
- All purpose flour: the structure of the cake.
- Baking powder: for leavening and giving that “cakey” texture.
- Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness.
- Gingerbread spice: for flavor – I used a pre-made blend of gingerbread spices but you can add in your own favorite blend.
- Unsalted butter: tenderizes the cake. You could use salted butter, just be sure to omit the extra salt from the batter.
- Vegetable oil: for tenderizing the cake. You could use any neutral oil, such as canola, here as well.
- Dark brown sugar: sweetens the cake and adds moisture & flavor. I recommend dark brown sugar for the best flavor but you could use light brown sugar here as well.
- Molasses: for that classic gingerbread flavor! Make sure you are using unsulphured molasses.
- Egg: contributes moisture to the cake and helps bind the batter together.
- Sour cream: makes the cake more moist. You could use a full-fat yogurt here as well.
- Whole milk: for moisture & for infusing with the coffee.
- Coffee grounds: use your favorite coffee grounds here – I used PapaNicholas Cinnamon Swirl Coffee.
- Vanilla: for flavor.
vanilla cream cheese frosting:
- Cream cheese: the base of the cream cheese frosting.
- Unsalted butter: to thicken up the frosting.
- Salt: to balance and bring out the sweetness.
- Powdered sugar: for sweetness and thickening the frosting.
- Vanilla: for flavor. You could use vanilla bean paste here for some cute little speckles in the frosting.
- Coffee: for pouring over the cake.
how to make a gingerbread latte cake
Below are some images of what the cake looks like at various points of the process. You can find the full recipe at the end of the blog post!
- Beat together the butter, oil, sugar, and molasses. followed by the egg and vanilla.
- Alternate folding in the dry and wet ingredients.
- Bake the cake.
- Soak the cake in coffee, then pile it high with cream cheese frosting & enjoy!
gingerbread latte cake recipe q&a
Can I bake this cake in a different sized pan?
You could bake this in a 8″ square pan, 9″ cake pan, or 9″ square pan. Note that in a 9″ pan the cake will be a tad shorter and will probably take a few minutes less to bake.
can I make this cake ahead of time?
The cake itself can be made and stored at room temperature – I probably wouldn’t recommend baking it more than one day before you want to frost and serve it just for the best freshness. You could make the cream cheese frosting ahead of time and keep it stored in the fridge as well – you would just have to have it come to room temperature & re-whip it before frosting the cake.
how to store this gingerbread latte cake
Once you frost the cake, you’ll want to keep it stored in an airtight container in the fridge, where it will keep well for about 3 days. I recommend only frosting the pieces you’re going to eat right away to avoid needing to store the cake in the fridge, where it will dry out faster.
tools and ingredients:
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
other recipes you might enjoy:
did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery
Gingerbread Latte Cake
Ingredients
Gingerbread Latte Cake
- 75 g whole milk (⅓ c.)
- 2 tbsp. coffee grounds
- 210 g all purpose flour (1 ¾ c.)
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. gingerbread spice
- 85 g unsalted butter room temperature (6 tbsp.)
- 70 g vegetable oil (⅓ c.)
- 200 g dark brown sugar (1 c.)
- 60 g unsulphured molasses (¼ c.)
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 150 g sour cream room temperature (⅔ c.)
Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
- 170 g cream cheese room temperature (¾ c.)
- 85 g unsalted butter room temperature (6 tbsp.)
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- 250 g powdered sugar (2 c. + 1 tbsp.)
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 110 g freshly brewed coffee cooled to room temp. (½ c.)
Instructions
Gingerbread Latte Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Butter and line an 8" cake pan* with parchment paper.
- Heat up the milk in a small microwave-safe measuring cup. Mix in the coffee grounds then set it aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and gingerbread spice. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat together the butter, oil, sugar and molasses for 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat in one egg until it's well combined. Then, add in the next egg and vanilla and beat until well combined.
- Fold in ½ of the flour mixture until just combined. Place a fine mesh sieve over the bowl and pour the coffee-milk mixture through the sieve to remove all of the coffee grounds. Then, add in all of the sour cream and gently mix the batter together until all of the sour cream and milk is incorporated.
- Fold in the remaining flour mixture until just combined.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
- Add the cream cheese, butter, and salt to a medium sized mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer (or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment) to beat the ingredients together until the mixture is light and fluffy (1-2 min.)
- Slowly beat in the powdered sugar until well combined. Add in the vanilla, then beat for an additional minute.
- Once the cake has fully cooled to room temperature, poke quite a few holes in the top of it, then pour the room temperature coffee over the cake.
- Top the cake with the vanilla cream cheese frosting, then slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.
The cake is amazing, easier to prepare than I expected too.
Can i make this into cupcakes? If not, what can i change in the recipe to make them into cupcakes?
Hi! If you’re looking for a gingerbread cupcake I’d recommend my small batch gingerbread cupcakes, which are also topped with a cream cheese frosting 🙂 You can soak them in a bit of espresso as well to turn them into gingerbread latte cupcakes!
Beautiful recipe!
Would it work for cupcakes and if so how long would you bake for ?
Thank you so much! If you’re looking for a gingerbread cupcake I’d recommend my small batch gingerbread cupcakes. You can soak those in a bit of espresso as well to turn them into gingerbread latte cupcakes!
I would love to make your Gingerbread Latte Cake but not sure if the gingerbread spice is the same as ginger spice which I have. Is there a difference ? Can I use just the ginger spice for this recipe ?
Thanks
Betty
Hi, thank you so much! I used a pre-made gingerbread spice which is a blend of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves & allspice. You can use your favorite pre-made blend or your own preferred homemade blend of gingerbread spices, but it is different from just ginger spice!