A popular cake made at Christmas time in Estonia is pehme piparkook / soft gingerbread cake. What makes this cake so tasty is that its full of spicy flavours and is topped with a smooth cream cheese frosting. This Christmas I will be making the recipe for the first time and can't wait to try it!
Ingredients:
400g plain flour
150g castor sugar
150g molasses or honey
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
1 tbsp baking soda
2 eggs
500ml (2 cups) buttermilk (or alternatively sour cream)
100ml oil
Pinch of salt
Cream cheese frosting:
200g plain cream cheese
50g unsalted butter, softened
150g icing sugar
Method:
Preheat the oven and grease a cake tin measuring approximately 25cm x 30cm.
In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients then add the beaten eggs and other wet ingredients. Mix thoroughly to ensure the spices are blended evenly. Take the batter and pour into the prepared cake tin and bake for 30-35 minutes at 180°C.
For the frosting, gently combine the butter, cream cheese and icing sugar in a bowl. Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting. Decorate with red berries or perhaps your favourite nuts.
