Cooke's Frontier: Gingerbread Cake with Apple Cranberry Filling and Cinnamon Buttercream

I love to make pretty cakes. I don't do it very often, because of one thing or another, but I really love taking the time to make a few special little touches that make the cake extra special.

When Lucky Leaf sent me a gift pack and I saw that it had a can of Apple and Cranberry Filling inside, I knew immediately that I would make this cake. I love anything gingerbread and I make this cake often. Usually, I serve it with custard sauce and spiced pears so I knew that the sweet-tart apples and cranberries would work perfectly here as well.

The cake is simple and straightforward. No muss, no fuss. The Cinnamon buttercream is just that- a cinnamon scented buttercream and the filling came from the best place on earth...Lucky Leaf! I also took the extra time to make sugar frosted cranberries to act as a garnish because everything, even our food, needs a little sparkle this time of year, doesn't it? I do believe so!

Now, most of you know I have a small love affair with Lucy Leaf, I even consider them family. I feel good about feeding my family Lucky Leaf products because I have seen first hand the care and quality that goes into every can of pie filling. It's the real deal folks, no jokin' around.

Lucky Leaf recently launched a Lucky 13 Recipe Contest and anyone can enter. Simply enter your best original recipe using Lucky Leaf pie filling and you will have a chance of being one of the 13 lucky winners! That's a grand prize of $2,500 on down to 8- $100.00 3rd place prize winners. What do you have to lose? Take the chance and enter today, I know I'll be :)

Gingerbread Cake

2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons Ginger, Ground
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon Cinnamon, Ground
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup molasses
2 eggs
1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Add molasses and egg; mix well. In another bowl, mix together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the flour alternately with the boiling water. Pour into 2- 9 inch round cake pans and bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Frost with Cinnamon Buttercream (recipe follows)

Cinnamon Buttercream

1 cup butter, softened
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
3-4 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cream the butter. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Add milk gradually while beating until you come to your preferred spreading consistency.

Sugar Frosted Cranberries

2 Tablespoons water
1 Tablespoon corn syrup
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup granulated sugar

In a bowl mix together the water and corn syrup. Mix in cranberries and then pour into a strainer to remove excess liquid. Move cranberries to a bowl and add the sugar; stir until all the cranberries are coated. Sprea the berries out onto a cookie sheet and let dry overnight. Use as desired

To make the cake:

Place one layer of cake onto your serving platter. Spread 1/2 of the buttercream over the top. Drain 1 can of Lucky Leaf Apple Cranberry Pie Filling and spread 1/2 the can over the frosting. Top with the other cake layer and spread with remaining buttercream. Top with remaining pie filling and sugar frosted cranberries, if desired. Keep refrigerated. Serves 10-12.

My generous Lucky Leaf Family has been generous enough to offer a gift pack for me to give away, as well. One winner will receive the gift pack pictured below. Good luck!