Chocolate Gingerbread Cake

To make this Christmas gingerbread cake with chocolate, start by preparing all the gingerbread batter ingredients.

Gingerbread batter: Melt the butter in a saucepan.

Add the honey...

... maple syrup...

... Muscovado sugar.

Mix with a whisk until the butter is completely melted.

When the mixture is hot (without reaching boiling point), remove the saucepan from the heat and add the dark chocolate.

Whisk again until you get a smooth chocolate mixture.

Pour the flour into a bowl.

Add the baking powder...

... and the fleur de sel.

Add the Jamaican allspice, grated beforehand using a Microplane Classic zester-grater or with the pepper mill.

Then add the freshly grated nutmeg...

... as well as the powdered ginger...

... and ground cinnamon.

Add the cocoa powder...

... and whisk all the elements.

When the chocolate mixture in the saucepan has cooled down slightly, add the whole eggs and whisk vigorously to incorporate them.

Pour the unsweetened condensed milk into the saucepan while mixing with a whisk.

Add this warm chocolate mixture to the powders...

... and whisk vigorously...

... until smooth and homogeneous.

Grease the fluted bundt cake mould Ø 26cm using an oil spray.

Pour the gingerbread preparation into the bundt tin.

Bake in a fan-assisted oven preheated to 160°C (gas 3) for about 50 to 55 minutes.

At the end of the cooking time, prick the centre of the cake with a knife blade.

If the blade comes out clean, your gingerbread is baked.

Remove the cake from the oven and level the base with a serrated cake knife to give it a flat base. This way, the cake will sit straight on its serving plate.

This is what the result should look like at this stage.

While the cake is still hot, turn it over onto a tray lined with parchment paper and gently remove it. The cake should come out easily.

Here's our gingerbread cake released from the mould.

For the chocolate and ginger cream: Organise the necessary ingredients.

Place the soft butter (room temperature) and brown sugar into the stand mixer bowl.

... and whisk it extensively with the whisk attachment until it is perfectly smooth and becomes lighter in colour. This process should take at least 5 minutes.

Remove the whisk attachment to pour all the icing sugar into the bowl in one go.

Put the whisk back and start mixing slowly to avoid splashes. Gradually increase the speed as the icing sugar gets incorporated.

Add the unsweetened condensed milk...

... and the powdered ginger, continuing to mix.

Stop the mixer to scrape down the sides of the bowl, ensuring all ingredients are combined. No residues should remain at the bottom or on the sides.

Combine again.

Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave in 20 to 30-second intervals, stirring between each to ensure the chocolate doesn't burn.

Pour the melted dark chocolate into the bowl, over the previously prepared cream.

Continue to whisk until the chocolate is fully incorporated into the cream.

Finish by hand-whisking until you obtain a smooth and consistent mixture.

Transfer this ginger/chocolate cream into a piping bag. No need for a nozzle here.

Pipe two large ribbons of ginger/chocolate cream onto the gingerbread cake, which should be fully cooled to room temperature, as shown in the picture.

Smooth the cream with a mini angled spatula, creating wavy patterns.

For the finish: Cut the rosemary twig into small pieces about 3cm long and place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. These pieces should be turned upside down to resemble little Christmas trees.

Sprinkle the rosemary twigs with icing sugar to mimic snow.

Place these snowy trees on the cake, directly embedding them into the ginger/chocolate cream.

Complete the decoration with some de-stemmed red currants...

... and some cubes of candied ginger.

Sprinkle a light veil of icing sugar over the entire cake. This should be done right before serving. Here's our Christmas gingerbread cake with chocolate, ready to be enjoyed. Bon appétit!