Equipment
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 250 g plain flour
- 10 g ground ginger
- 5 g ground cinnamon
- 2 g ground nutmeg
- 8 g baking powder
- 4 g baking soda
- 3 g fine salt
Wet Ingredients
- 150 g unsalted butter, cubed
- 100 g dark muscovado sugar
- 150 g black treacle
- 100 g golden syrup
- 120 ml whole milk, room temperature
- 2 eggs, large, room temperature
Fruit and Add-ins
- 100 g raisins
- 50 g mixed candied peel, finely chopped
- 40 g stem ginger in syrup, drained and finely chopped
Decoration
- 150 g royal icing, stiff consistency
- 50 g gumdrops, assorted colors
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 402 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbohydrates
- 65 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 40 g
- Sodium
- 327 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 9 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 4 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 59 mg
- Potassium
- 346 mg
- Calcium
- 107 mg
- Iron
- 1.7 mg
- Magnesium
- 46 mg
- Phosphorus
- 81 mg
- Zinc
- 0.5 mg
- Vitamin A
- 104 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 6 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.3 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.5 mg
- Vitamin K
- 2 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.1 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.09 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.10 mg
- Niacin
- 0.8 mg
- Folate
- 19 mcg
- Water
- 29 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 160°C/320°F.
Thoroughly grease the gingerbread man shaped cake pan with a small amount of butter and dust lightly with flour to prevent sticking.
Whisk the plain flour, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and fine salt together in a large mixing bowl.
In a small separate bowl, toss the raisins, mixed candied peel, and finely chopped stem ginger with approximately 15g of the dry flour mixture until well coated.
Melt the unsalted butter, dark muscovado sugar, black treacle, and golden syrup in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally until completely smooth.
Remove the syrup mixture from the heat and allow it to cool for 10 minutes to prevent scrambling the eggs in the next step.
Whisk the whole milk and eggs into the slightly cooled syrup mixture until fully combined and homogeneous.
Pour the liquid syrup mixture into the dry flour ingredients and fold gently with a silicone spatula until just combined, ensuring no dry pockets remain.
Fold the flour-coated fruit and stem ginger evenly into the batter.
Pour the prepared batter into the greased pan and gently tap the pan on the counter to release any trapped air bubbles.
Bake at 160°C/320°F for 40 to 45 minutes.
Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before carefully turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely to room temperature.
Transfer the royal icing to a piping bag and pipe an outline along the edges of the cooled cake, adding a smiling face.
Attach the gumdrops down the center of the gingerbread man to act as buttons, securing each with a small dab of royal icing.
Chef's Notes
- Coating the dried fruit and stem ginger in flour prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the cake during baking by giving the batter something to grip onto.
- Melting the sugars and syrups gently ensures a moist, tender crumb characteristic of traditional British gingerbread. Avoid boiling the mixture, which can harden the sugars.
- Do not rush the cooling process. The cake must be entirely at room temperature before applying royal icing, or the icing will melt, lose its structure, and run down the sides.
- If you do not have a specialized gingerbread man pan, bake the batter in a 9x13 inch rectangular pan, allow it to cool, and use a paper template and a serrated knife to carve the shape. The spiced offcuts are excellent folded into ice cream or used for a festive trifle.
Storage
Refrigerator: 2 weeks — Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container to prevent drying out.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze uniced. Wrap in parchment paper followed by a double layer of aluminum foil.
Troubleshooting
Fruit sinks to the bottom of the cake
Cause: Fruit was not coated in flour or the batter was too warm, making it too thin to suspend the heavy inclusions.
Fix: Cannot be fixed once baked, but the cake remains perfectly edible. Serve inverted if aesthetically preferred.
Prevention: Ensure the melted syrup mixture cools sufficiently before mixing, and thoroughly toss all dried fruit in flour before folding into the batter.
Cake sticks to the pan and breaks when turning out
Cause: Intricate edges of the novelty pan were not greased and floured adequately.
Fix: Piece the cake back together using royal icing as glue, then cover the seams with decorative piped icing.
Prevention: Use a pastry brush to push softened butter into every corner and crevice of shaped pans, followed by a thorough dusting of flour.
Cultural Context
The gingerbread man is a quintessential holiday icon originating in the 16th century at the court of Queen Elizabeth I, who reportedly had gingerbread figures made in the likeness of important visiting dignitaries. Blending this playful shape with the rich, spiced fruit cakes traditionally served at British Christmas celebrations creates a festive centerpiece that bridges two beloved historical confections.
