- 8 oz. salted butter (2 sticks)
- 1.5 cups whole milk (or milk alternative)
- 2 cups dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 3 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Makes 3 cakes
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat the inside of The Tomte Cake baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Dry ingredients: In a large bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Whisk to combine and set aside.
3. Wet ingredients: In a medium-sized bowl, melt the butter in the microwave or in a small pot on the stove. Add brown sugar and stir to combine. The sugar will not dissolve, but will look similar to molasses. In a separate small bowl, add milk and eggs and whisk to combine. Slowly pour milk and egg mixture into the butter and sugar (be sure to pour slowly and continuously whisk so that the milk doesn't cool down the butter too quickly and make it lumpy!)
4. Pour the wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until fully incorporated. Your batter should be dark, thick, and smell heavenly.
5. Pour batter evenly into cake pans, leaving about 2 inches at the top to allow space for the cake to rise. Set aside the remaining batter for third cake.
6. Drop Tomte in to one of the gingerbread houses, hat first preferably. NOTE: To prevent Tomte from sinking to the roofline and being easily spotted after baking, use this trick! Coat Tomte in baking spray and generously sprinkle flour on him. This step is not necessary but produces the best results.
7. Baking times may vary depending on your oven's settings. I've found it's best to "watch your cake, not the clock!" Bake for 45 minutes and insert a skewer as far as you can into the center of the cake. If it comes out with batter on it, set timer and check again in 5 minutes. Repeat until skewer comes out clean. Average baking time is 50 minutes.
8. Allow cakes to cool in the baking pan for 10 minutes. Using a serrated knife, carefully cut off any excess cake that has expanded up outside of the baking pan if necessary. Place a baking sheet or large plate face down on top of the baking pan and flip the pan and plate together to remove cakes right side up.
9. Decorate your Tomte cakes however you like! Our vanilla nutmeg buttercream frosting recipe is the perfect flavor pairing for this cake and does a good job holding even the heaviest of candies on.
Notes on baking The Tomte Cake safely: All children should be constantly supervised by an adult while participating in baking. Adults must continue to supervise to ensure Tomte is found in the cake before children begin eating, and Tomte should be placed safely out of reach of small children after he is found.
- 1 stick salted butter (softened)
- .5 pound powered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 teaspoons milk or milk alternative
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Vanilla Nutmeg Buttercream Frosting
1. In a large bowl using a mixer, whisk the softened butter until creamy, about 1 minute. Add about 1 cup of powdered sugar and mix on medium high until fully incorporated. Add a teaspoon of milk and whisk. Add 1 more cup of sugar and mix again. Repeat process until all sugar and milk is gone. Add vanilla extract and nutmeg and mix until incorporated. Add more milk or sugar as needed to get the consistency how you like it.
