A festive twist on a beloved classic
Around this time of the year, I crave anything with gingerbread spice – cakes, biscuits, drinks, you name it. So I recently made a fresh batch of homemade gingerbread spice (the recipe is included further down!) and that immediately sparked an idea. Remember my beloved Mini Honey Cakes? Why not give them a festive makeover and turn them into Mini Gingerbread Honey Cakes to match the Christmas mood?
It didn’t take me long to get into the kitchen and start creating these little beauties. As soon as she saw me making the Mini Gingerbread Honey Cakes, my daughter asked if we could bake a batch for her teachers as Christmas gifts – of course we can. They are absolutely perfect for homemade Christmas presents.
These cakes are as delicious as the original Mini Honey Cakes, but even better with warm gingerbread spice infused into every soft and fluffy biscuit layer. This time, I also switched the filling to a butter cream cheese frosting, which adds a lovely cream tang. Combined with the spiced honey-caramel biscuits, every bite is a little festive moment.
To give them a Christmas look, I use cookies cutters in seasonal shapes, then decorate with berries and little piped cream cheese leaves and berries for that cheerful red-and-green finish. There are endless ways to decorate them, make them as vintage, elegant or playful as you wish.
How to make Mini Gingerbread Honey Cakes
1. Preparing the Gingerbread Honey Biscuit Dough
Making the biscuits for your Mini Gingerbread Honey Cakes is surprisingly simple and very satisfying.
Start by whisking eggs and sugar together in a bowl and set aside.
In a small saucepan, heat honey and baking soda over low heat. Stir continuously to prevent burning. The mixture will foam, rise and gradually turn from pale caramel to deep, rich toffee colour. Remove from the heat.
Stir butter into the hot mixture in small pieces. The butter cools and transforms it into a glossy, smooth honey caramel. Slowly pour this mixture into the eggs, stirring constantly so the eggs don’t scramble.
Homemade gingerbread spice mix
Here’s the festive magic – your gingerbread spice. Mix the following in small quantities to make your own batch:
- 1 parts ground mixed spice (or allspice)
- 2 parts ground ginger
- 2 parts ground cinnamon
- 1 part ground cloves
- 1 part ground nutmeg
I use teaspoons so I can keep extra spice on hand for other seasonal bakes.
For this recipe which makes 6 Mini Gingerbread Honey Cakes, add 1 teaspoon of the gingerbread spice to the cake flour and mix well.
Now sift the spiced cake flour into your honey-butter-egg mixture and stir until smooth. The dough will be soft and slightly runny – completely normal. Cover the bowl and chill for 1 hour (or 30 minutes in the freezer) until firm enough to roll.
2. Rolling and cutting the biscuits
Dust your work surface with a little cake flour. Gently knead a portion of dough, then roll it out to around 2mm thickness.
Use your favourite cookie cutters – I chose Christmas shapes – to cut the biscuits. My useful trick is to roll the dough directly onto a silicone mat or baking sheet, so you don’t need to move each delicate shape before baking.
Prick each biscuit with a fork to prevent puffing.
Bake at 180°C (with fan) for 5 minutes, this is the perfect time and temperature for soft, springy biscuits that won’t harden.
Keep rolling, cutting and baking until the dough is used. Once cooled, the biscuits store beautifully in an airtight container for several days so you can prepare them ahead of time.
3. Making the butter cream cheese filling
For a firmer filling that allows decorative piping, I use butter instead of double cream this time.
Beat softened butter with icing sugar for about 5 minutes until pale and fluffy.
Add full-fat cream cheese and continue mixing for 2-3 minutes until smooth and creamy.
Finish with a small pinch of your gingerbread spice for extra warmth.
This frosting is creamy, tangy and perfect for piping leaves, swirls or berries.
4. Assembling the Mini Gingerbread Honey Cakes
This is my favourite part – assembling the cakes feels like playing a festive baking game and my little girl loves joining in.
Start with the first biscuit layer, pipe dollops of cream cheese filling, top with the second biscuit, pipe again the finish with the third biscuit. Add final dollops of cream cheese on top and decorate however you like – berries, tiny star biscuits, piped green leaves or red berry dots.
When edible flowers are in season, I often use them too.
The Mini Gingerbread Honey Cakes are best enjoyed after resting in the fridge for a day, allowing the layers to soften and meld beautifully into each bite.
Why you’ll love these Mini Gingerbread Honey Cakes
- Perfect for Christmas treats or gifts
- Fun to decorate with kids
- Beautiful, festive and elegant
- Light, soft, spicy and delicious
- Easy to prepare ahead
This recipe combines the warmth of gingerbread with the sweetness of honey in the most delightful way. If you’re looking for something charming and homemade this Christmas, these are it.
Mini Gingerbread Honey Cakes – A lovely Christmas Treat
Description
These Mini Gingerbread Honey Cakes are a festive twist on the classic Mini Honey Cakes—soft, spiced and beautifully decorated for Christmas.
Ingredients
Gingerbread Honey Biscuits
Butter Cream Cheese Filling
Instructions
-
Make the Gingerbread Honey Biscuits
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar. Set aside.
- In saucepan, heat the honey and baking soda over low heat, stirring continuously. The mixture will foam, rise and gradually turn into a deeper toffee colour.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the butter in small pieces until fully melted and glossy.
- Slowly pour the warm honey mixture into the egg mixture, stirring constantly so the eggs don't curdle.
- Mix your gingerbread spice into the cake flour, then sift the flour into the wet mixture. Stir until smooth.
- Cover the bowl and chill for 1 hour in the fridge (or 30 minutes in the freezer) until the dough firms slightly.
-
Roll and Bake the Biscuits
- Lightly flour your work surface. Take a portion of dough, dust with flour and gently knead.
- Roll out the dough to around 2 mm thickness.
- Use Christmas-themed cookie cutters to cut the shapes directly on a silicone mat or baking sheet.
- Prick each biscuit with a fork to prevent puffing.
- Bake at 180°C for 5 minutes, until set and lightly soft to the touch.
- Cool completely on a rack. Continue rolling, cutting and baking until all dough is used.
-
Make the Butter Cream Cheese Filling
- Beat softened butter with icing sugar for about 5 minutes until pale, fluffy and increased in volume.
- Add full-fat cream cheese and mix for another 2 minutes until smooth and creamy.
- Add a pinch of gingerbread spice and mix to combine.
- If you plan to pipe decorations, divide the frosting and add gel colouring as desired.
-
Assemble the Mini Gingerbread Honey Cakes
- Place the first biscuit layer on a board and pipe dollops of cream cheese filling.
- Add the second biscuit, pipe again then top with the third biscuit.
- Pipe dollops of cream on the top layer.
- Decorate with berries, small star biscuits, piped leaves or anything festive you fancy.
- Chill for at least 4 hours (or ideally overnight) to soften the biscuits and create that classic honey cake texture.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 6
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 788.31kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 51.04g79%
- Saturated Fat 29.68g149%
- Trans Fat 0.58g
- Cholesterol 166.25mg56%
- Sodium 340.02mg15%
- Potassium 209.18mg6%
- Total Carbohydrate 77.51g26%
- Dietary Fiber 0.59g3%
- Sugars 41.15g
- Protein 7.92g16%
- Vitamin A 420.72 mcg
- Vitamin C 0.07 mg
- Calcium 80.76 mg
- Iron 3.24 mg
- Vitamin D 0.16 mcg
- Vitamin E 1.37 mg
- Vitamin K 3.74 mcg
- Thiamin 0.34 mg
- Riboflavin 0.34 mg
- Niacin 2.66 mg
- Vitamin B6 0.09 mg
- Folate 26.89 mcg
- Vitamin B12 0.25 mcg
- Phosphorus 117.58 mg
- Magnesium 24.75 mg
- Zinc 0.69 mg
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
- Chilling the dough is essential. It makes rolling much easier and helps the biscuits keep their shape when baked.
- Rolling on a silicone mat saves time and avoid distortion when transferring the shapes - highly recommended if you have one.
- The 5-minute bake at 180°C gives the perfect soft texture. Overbaking will make the biscuits hard, dry and potentially burnt.
- If the dough becomes sticky while rolling, dust lightly with flour but avoid adding too much or the biscuits may become dry.
- The gingerbread mix keeps well in an airtight jar.
- For the filling, full-fat cream cheese works best. Low-fat version contain more water and may loosen the frosting.
- If your butter cream cheese becomes too soft, chill it for 10-15 minutes and whip again before piping.
- The cakes taste best the next day, once the layers have softened into the cream cheese filling.
- Decorations are completely flexible - use berries, edible glitter, sprinkles, tiny biscuits, piped shapes or anything festive.
- These mini cakes keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days, stored in an airtight container.
