Gingerbread Tree-Shaped Cake

These soft, fragrant gingerbread layers make a perfect base for holiday cakes. The preparation begins by melting the ingredients over a bain-marie, and the resulting dough is baked into thin layers that are later filled with cream. The layers are tender, delicate, and wonderfully scented with cinnamon and honey.

Ingredients

For the layers

  • 2 eggs
  • 200 g sugar
  • 150 g Zdenka butter
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 4 tbsp milk
  • 4 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 500 g all-purpose flour

For the cream

  • 500 ml heavy cream
  • 300 g Zdenka fresh cheese (for cooking and baking)
  • 200 ml sour cream
  • 50 g sugar
  • 1 packet vanilla sugar
  • Grated zest of one lemon

 

Instructions

  • Place the eggs, sugar, Zdenka butter, baking soda, milk, honey, and cinnamon in a bowl. Heat everything over a bain-marie, stirring constantly until the butter and sugar melt completely and the mixture becomes smooth.
  • Remove the bowl from the heat and let it cool until lukewarm.
  • Gradually add the flour to the cooled mixture, kneading into a soft, smooth dough that can be rolled out.
  • Divide the dough into three equal parts. Make a tree-shaped template about 25 cm tall and about 20 cm wide. Roll out each portion on baking paper to a thickness of about 3–4 mm. Use any leftover dough to make gingerbread cookies for decoration.
  • Preheat the oven to 160 °C. Bake the layers one at a time for 8 minutes, just until the edges begin to turn lightly golden.
  • Allow the baked layers to cool completely.
  • Using a mixer, combine all the cream ingredients, but be careful not to overmix.
  • When adding the cream between the layers, you can optionally pipe a little fruit jam irregularly across the surface, in thin lines or drops. This adds extra moisture, aroma, and a lovely contrast of flavors.
  • Spread a bit more cream on the top layer and decorate the cake as desired with the gingerbread cookies, fresh or frozen fruit such as blueberries, currants, or pomegranate, and fresh herbs like mint.

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