This Winter Spice Cake by Chef Nate Bateman and Julia Lombardi of Altius captures the warmth and aroma of the season in every bite. Rich gingerbread layers meet tart cranberry compote and silky rosemary mascarpone ganache for a comforting, elegant dessert. Perfect for the holidays, it combines cozy spice, bright citrus, and herbal notes in every slice.
Chef Bateman and Lombardi made their Winter Spice Cake as a part of our second annual TABLE Magazine Holiday Bake Off where five professionals and five student pastry chefs go head-to-head in a battle for the most decadent dessert.
Winter Spice Cake
Description
Rich gingerbread layers meet tart cranberry compote and silky rosemary mascarpone ganache.
Ingredients
For the gingerbread cake:
- 1 ¾ cups (248 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (21 g) cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp cardamom
- ½ tsp clove
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground white pepper
- 1 cup brewed coffee
- ¾ cup molasses
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ cups (298 grams) sugar
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
For the cranberry compote:
- 5 tbsp (80 g) orange juice
- ½ cup (80 g) sugar
- Splash of Grand Marnier
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 1 star anise
- 4 cups (400 g) frozen cranberries
- 2 tbsp (30 g) glucose powder
- 2 tsp (5 g) pectin NH
- ¾ tsp (4 g) citric acid
- 2 ½ tsp (8 g) cornstarch
For the rosemary mascarpone ganache:
- 11 g powdered gelatin
- 65 g cold water
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 vanilla bean (split and scraped)
- 5 sprigs fresh rosemary
- Zest of 1 orange
- 300 g white chocolate
- 2 cups heavy cream (cold)
- 300 g mascarpone
- 25 g Grand Marnier
Instructions
For the gingerbread cake:
- Grease, flour, and parchment line a half sheet tray and heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, and spices in a large bowl. In a second large bowl, whisk coffee, molasses, and baking soda together.
- Add sugar, oil, eggs, and fresh ginger to coffee mixture and whisk until smooth.
- Combine wet and dry mixes together until smooth.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted to the center comes out clean.
For the cranberry compote:
- In a saucepan heat orange juice, zest, sugar, and Grand Marnier. Bring to a boil and cook until syrupy.
- Add frozen cranberries, cinnamon, and star anise. Combine glucose, pectin, and citric acid in a separate bowl.
- When the cranberries start to release their juices and the mixture is warm, add the glucose mixture. Heat to 215 degrees then stir in the starch mixed with 30 grams of water.
- Boil for 1 minute, then cool rapidly.
For the rosemary mascarpone ganache:
- Heat cream, vanilla, rosemary, and orange zest to a bare simmer. Remove from heat, cover and infuse for at least 30 minutes.
- Hydrate gelatin in cold water.
- Once cream is infused, bring back to a bare simmer, and strain over white chocolate and hydrated gelatin. Immersion blend. Add cold cream, mascarpone, and Grand Marnier and immersion blend again until smooth.
- Chill overnight with cling film covering, making contact with surface of ganache.
- The next day in the bowl of a KitchenAid with a whisk attachment, whip on medium speed until stiff peaks form.
Check out more recipes from our Annual Holiday Bake Off!
Recipe by Julia Lombardi and Nate Bateman
Photography by Laura Petrilla
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