Gingerbread House Cake

To prepare the gingerbread house cake, start with the cookie dough: in a bowl, place the all-purpose flour together with the baking soda 1 and brown sugar 2, then add a pinch of salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon 3.

Also flavor with ginger and cocoa 4, then mix to combine the dry ingredients 5. Now add the cold cubed butter 6.

Incorporate the butter quickly with your fingertips to obtain a sandy mixture 7, then pour in the beaten egg 8 and honey 9.

Knead with your hands first in the bowl 10 and then on the work surface 11. Form a dough ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and let it rest in the refrigerator for 3 hours 12.

After the resting time, gently tap the dough with a rolling pin to make it pliable again 13, then lightly flour it and roll it out to a thickness of about 1/8 inch 14. Cut out 3 Christmas tree-shaped cookies using cookie cutters of various sizes 15.

Also cut out 8-9 houses using different templates 16. Place the cookie shapes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated static oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes, on the center rack 17. Once baked, remove from the oven and let cool 18.

To prepare the cake batter, start with the buttermilk: in a bowl, pour the yogurt, milk 19, and lemon juice 20, then mix with a whisk 21 and let it rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

After this time, add the vegetable oil 22, egg white 23, and vinegar 34.

Mix with a whisk to combine the liquids 22 and set aside for a moment. In another bowl, combine the sugar and almond flour 26, then sift in the all-purpose flour 27.

Sift the cocoa 28, cinnamon 29, and ginger 30 into the bowl as well.

Finally, add the baking soda 31 and a pinch of salt. Mix with a whisk to combine the dry ingredients 32. At this point, pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients 33.

Mix well with the whisk until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous batter 34. Divide the batter evenly between two 8-inch springform pans, which you have previously greased with butter and lined with parchment paper at the base 35. Bake in a preheated static oven at 350°F for about 33-35 minutes, on the first lower rack. Check the baking with a toothpick, then remove from the oven and let cool completely before removing the cakes from the pans 36.

To assemble the cake, first prepare the frosting: in a bowl, combine the mascarpone, cream cheese 37, powdered sugar 38, and cream 39.

Mix well with electric beaters to obtain a firm and homogeneous cream 40, then transfer it to a piping bag without a nozzle. Once the bases have completely cooled, remove the top dome with a serrated knife to level the surface 41. Take the serving plate and squeeze a dollop of cream at the base to keep the cake steady 42.

Place the first base on the plate 43 and fill it with a generous layer of frosting 44, then level with a spatula 45.

Lay the second base on top 46 and add the remaining cream, both on the edges and on the surface, then smooth it well to make it even and uniform 47. Place the cake in the refrigerator to set for at least 3 hours 48.

To decorate the cookies, first prepare the royal icing: in a bowl, pour the egg white, powdered sugar 49, and lemon juice 50, then beat with electric beaters for about 5 minutes until you obtain a firm and homogeneous mixture 51.

Transfer the royal icing to a parchment paper cone and decorate the cookies as desired 52 53. Let the decorated cookies dry at room temperature for at least an hour 54.

Take the cake out of the refrigerator and place the house-shaped cookies along the edges 55, then arrange the tree-shaped cookies vertically on the surface 56. Your gingerbread house cake is ready to be served 57!