Gingerbread Boy and Girl Cakes Recipe

Gingerbread Boy and Girl Cakes Recipe photo by Taste of Home

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For an adorable cake to serve at a child's birthday party, try this recipe. They are not only cute but delicious gingerbread cakes.—Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Greendale, Wisconsin

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Gingerbread Boy and Girl Cakes Recipe

Prep: 45 min. Bake: 40 min. + cooling

Yield: 12-15 Servings

45 40 85

Ingredients

3/4 cup shortening
3 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups molasses
1-1/2 cups boiling water
3-1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
FROSTING:
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons milk
Red, gold and brown paste food coloring
4 brown M&M's
Pastry tips-round #7 and star #16

Directions

In a bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a bowl, combine the molasses and water. In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with molasses mixture. Pour into a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan lined with waxed paper. Bake at 325° for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes; invert onto a wire rack. Remove waxed paper; cool completely.
In a bowl, cream shortening, butter and vanilla. Beat in confectioners' sugar and milk. Place 1/2 cup of frosting each in two bowls. Tint one red and leave the other white. Place 1/4 cup frosting in another bowl; tint gold. Place 1 cup of frosting in another bowl; tint dark tan.
Trace patterns onto waxed paper as directed and cut out. With a sharp knife, cut around patterns on gingerbread. Transfer cutouts onto a 16-in. x 11-in. covered board.
With tan frosting, frost girl's head, upper torso and bottom edge and boy's head, arms and legs. With gold, frost boy's overalls and make a heart centered at girl's waistline. Frost hear skirt red.
Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert round tip. Fill with remaining red frosting. Pipe buttons on boy, bow on girl and smile on both.
Prepare another bag; insert star tip and fill with white frosting. On both boy and girl, pipe a zigzag border at neckline and 1 in. from the tip of each arm. On the girl, pipe above and below the skirt and 1/4 in. from her feet. On the boy, pipe 1/4 in. from the top of his head, below shorts and 1/2 in. from the bottom of his feet. Insert M&M's for eyes. Yield: 12-15 servings.

Nutritional Facts 1 serving (1 piece) equals 538 calories, 23 g fat (8 g saturated fat), 45 mg cholesterol, 329 mg sodium, 79 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 4 g protein.

Originally published as Gingerbread Boy and Girl Cakes in Country Woman November/December 1999, p55