Ginger Molasses Apple Cake

A moist ginger molasses cake with fresh apples and a creamy mascarpone frosting. Talk about fall cake goals!!

Let’s just take a second to appreciate this beauty. Ginger Molasses Apple Cake.

I feel like around the holidays, cakes get forgotten. In lieu, people make pies, bars, and cookies.

My question is: why? Cakes are, like, the most festive. Showstoppers packed with flavor and pizazz. So this Thanksgiving, I’m making a cake. This cake. 

I couldn’t be more excited to say that I made this cake using Vermont Creamery’s mascarpone cheese. We’re partnering together this holiday season and I am truly honored to work with such an awesome company.

As a native New Englander, I’ve been in love with Vermont Creamery, well, forever. They totally embody New England culture: this no-frills mom-and-pop feel with an exceptional celebration for timeless, high-quality products.

Their goat cheese has been my favorite for years. But it wasn’t until this fall that I tasted their mascarpone. It was the creamiest mascarpone I’ve ever had. There was no granulation in the mascarpone; just rich, velvety goodness.

The mascarpone made for a unique and delicious alternative to a buttercream frosting. It imparted a super light yet notable flavor difference from using pure butter. The result was a fluffy, slightly tangy frosting that paired perfectly with a ginger molasses apple cake 🙂

And the cake. Wowza. Ginger and molasses are just made for each other. The addition of apples helps to pull in the mascarpone, and also gives the cake a great pop of texture.

Finished with candied ginger, this cake is just perfect for the holiday table.

• Author: Sarah Fennel

Ginger Molasses Apple Cake with Mascarpone Frosting

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• Author: Sarah Fennel

Units: USM

Ingredients

for the cake

• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup dark molasses
• 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon powdered ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups peeled and finely diced apples

for the frosting

• 8 ounces Vermont Creamery mascarpone cheese
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons powdered ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• candied ginger pieces, for topping cake (optional)
• fall-like branches (optional)

Instructions

make the cake

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line three 6″ cake pans with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, cream together sugar, molasses, and butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in eggs, milk, and vanilla extract.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. Carefully fold dry ingredients into wet until mostly combined.
4. Fold in apples. Distribute batter evenly into prepared pans (1 1/2 cups of batter per pan).
5. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

make the frosting

1. To make frosting, whip mascarpone in a standing mixer on high speed for 1 minute. Lower speed and add in powdered sugar, vanilla extract, ginger, and salt, mixing until combined.
2. Place the first layer of cake onto a cake stand, then top with a heaping ½ cup of frosting. Spread to edges, smoothing evenly. Repeat with second and third layer.
3. Add remaining frosting to sides of cake, then use a cake scraper or flat cake knife to smooth frosting out around edges.
4. Top cake with candied ginger pieces and fall-like branches. I chose purple/green branches with small buds on them!

This post is sponsored by Vermont Creamery. All text and opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting the companies that help make Broma possible!