Holiday season is in full swing, and to me that really means that it’s gingerbread season!! And today felt like the perfect excuse to make this adorable gingerbread man cake.

It’s made with a tender, perfectly spiced gingerbread sheet cake, and frosted with delicious gingerbread buttercream!

Between how amazing your kitchen will smell and how much fun you’ll have decorating this cake, this recipe is sure to make you feel festive.

So, get ready to use inordinate amounts of ginger and molasses, and to go back for seconds 🙂

How to Properly Line a Sheet Cake Pan

Before we dive into how to make this cake, let’s make sure we properly prepare to bake it!

To ensure your sheet cake easily pops out of your pan, I highly recommend lining it with parchment paper.

Another trick I love to use when I make sheet cakes is to use flower nails as heating cores.

These are usually used to make it easier to pipe buttercream flowers, but they work great as a heating core too!

Just flip them upside down and they’ll help conduct heat from the bottom of the pan into the center of the cake.

This helps the sheet cake bake up more evenly and quickly.

I ordered mine on Amazon and a pair of them is $6. They last forever! I’ve had mine for over five years now.

Making this Gingerbread Man Cake: Step-by-Step Tutorial

Let’s walk through each step of this cake together to make sure it turns out as amazing as possible!

I figured it might be helpful to know what tools I use too, so I’ve shared a list below.

Not all of these are mandatory, but they make the process a lot easier. If you don’t have all these things on hand, feel free to improvise and work with what you have.

• One 9×13-inch cake pan
• Serrated Knife
• Large Rectangular Cake Board or Platter
• Offset Spatula
• Small acetate sheet
• 5 Small Piping Bags
• 1 Large Piping Bag
• 4 small round piping tips like a Wilton 10
• 1 Large round piping tip like a Wilton 1A
• Small Acetate Sheet (I cut these down into smaller squares with scissors)
• Gel food coloring – pink, red, green, brown, black
• Electric hand mixer or stand mixer

Step 1: Bake the Gingerbread Sheet Cake

The first step is to make the gingerbread layers. Preheat the oven and line a 9×13-inch (quarter sheet) pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray.

Place two flower nails / heating cores in the center of the pan, with the flat side resting flat against the cake pan. Make sure they are spaced a few inches apart and spray them thoroughly with non-stick spray.

Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs. If you don’t use heating cores, the cake will take 5-10 additional minutes to bake. Rotate the pan halfway through to help the cake bake evenly.

Let the cake cool in the pan for about 30 minutes, then carefully remove it from the pan to a wire rack to finish cooling.

If you make these in advance, wrap and freeze them at this point. Take them out of the freezer about 20 minutes before you want to assemble the cake.

Step 2: Make the Buttercream Frosting

Next, we work on the buttercream frosting. I chose to make this cake with American gingerbread buttercream, but any type of frosting should work great on this cake.

I find American buttercream is sturdier and easier to smooth, which is why I chose to use it for this design.

If the frosting seems too thick after mixing all the ingredients, add in additional heavy cream or milk (1 tablespoon at a time).

Or if the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (1/4 cup at a time).

If you’re unsure how thick your frosting should be, you can learn what consistency you’re looking for in my frosting consistency post.

Once the consistency is right, we color it and then flavor it with warm spices and molasses.

Step #3: Level and Trim the Sheet Cake

Once the sheet cake is fully cooled, flip it over to carefully remove the heating cores, then level the top of the cake with a serrated knife.

Use this template to cut the cake layer into the shape of a gingerbread man.

The template is a bit on the small side (limited to the size of a piece of printer paper) so I suggest trimming about an inch around the template.

I recommend making gingerbread man cakesicles or cake pops with the leftover cake trimmings.

Or if you don’t want to trim the cake, you can frost the entire sheet cake and use the template to trace the outline of the gingerbread man.

Place the sheet cake on the rectangular cake board or platter you plan to use, then pop it in the freezer for about 15 minutes to make it easier to frost. I leave the cake uncovered when I chill it!

Step 4: Cover the Sheet Cake in Gingerbread Frosting

Once the cake is cold to the touch, cover it in a thick layer of gingerbread buttercream.

Use a small offset spatula and a bench scraper or acetate sheet to get the frosting nice and smooth.

I recommend covering the entire sheet cake (sides and top) with buttercream if you make this in advance to keep the cake nice and moist.

However, if you make this shortly before you plan to eat it, you can just frost the top of the cake.

Step 5: Add on the Details

Then use a toothpick or scribe to trace out where you want to pipe the gingerbread man’s details.

Use the white, black, pink, red frosting and green to add on the gingerbread man’s face, scarf, buttons, and sleeves like in the picture above.

I used a basket weave piping technique to pipe on the scarf, but this is totally optional.

Enjoy! This cake can sit out at room temperature for up to 2 days, be stored in the fridge for up to a week or be kept in the freezer for up to a month.

I recommend storing it in an airtight container to keep it nice and fresh.

Substitutions and Swaps – Gingerbread Sheet Cake

This gingerbread man sheet cake uses quite a few ingredients and I know you might not have them all on hand. Or if you have food allergies or restrictions, I’ve got you covered.

Below are some swaps and substitutions that can be made in this cake recipe.

• Brown Sugar – I love using dark brown sugar in this recipe, but light brown sugar can be used too. I do not recommend reducing the amount of sugar or it will change the texture of the cake layers.
• Eggs – If you have an egg allergy, I recommend using an egg replacer like this in place of the eggs in this recipe.
• Buttermilk – You can use full fat yogurt, sour cream, whole milk, or an alternative yogurt or milk (almond, soy, oat) if you’re dairy free.
• Vegetable Oil – Any flavorless oil would work great in this recipe, like canola or sunflower.
• All Purpose Flour – This recipe turns out best with all-purpose flour, but you can also use gluten free flour blend if needed.

Substitutions and Swaps – Gingerbread Buttercream Frosting

• Unsalted Butter – If you only have salted butter on hand, you can use it in place of the unsalted butter. Just be sure to omit the salt that this frosting recipe calls for. You can also use vegan butter in its place!
• Heavy Cream – Whole milk or alternative milk (soy, almond, oat) will work fine in this frosting recipe too.
• Vanilla Extract – Other extracts can also be used in place of the vanilla extract.

Making This Gingerbread Man Sheet Cake in Advance and Storage Tips:

Make this sheet cake in advance and freeze it. This breaks the process up and makes it more approachable. An unfrosted sheet cake can be wrapped and stored in the freezer for up to a month.

You can also make the frosting ahead of time or save any leftover frosting! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Be sure to give it a good stir once it thaws to get the consistency nice and smooth again.

This cake can sit out at room temp for a few hours or be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

Tips for Making the Best Gingerbread Man Cake:

• Line your sheet pan with parchment paper to easily remove your cake once it’s baked.
• Use flower nails to help your sheet cake bake more evenly and quickly.
• Properly measure your flour (spoon into the cup measure, then level) or use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients.
• Ingredients at room temperature mix together better. Set out any cold ingredients ahead of time.
• Chill the sheet cake in the freezer for about 15 minutes before assembling the cake. This makes it a lot easier to stack and frost.
• Make a vegan or dairy free gingerbread man cake if needed! Use your favorite type of dairy free milk to replace the buttermilk and heavy cream and use vegan butter sticks in place of the butter. For the eggs I recommend using an egg replacer like this.
• If your hands run hot, wrap a paper towel, or thin kitchen towel around your piping bag to prevent the transfer of heat from your hands into the frosting.

Making this Gingerbread Man Cake in Different Sizes

You can also use this recipe to bake a 12×17 in sheet cake, but the layer will bake up a lot shorter. Bake time will also be shorter! Bake for about 25 minutes at 325 F / 162 C.

If you want to make gingerbread cupcakes, I recommend baking them at 350F / 175C for 18-21 minutes. One batch of batter will make about 3 dozen cupcakes (yield will vary based on the size of your liners).

If you want to make a gingerbread layer cake, I recommend baking 3, 8-inch cake layers at 350F / 175C for 32-35 minutes.

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you try this gingerbread man cake recipe, I’d love to hear what you think of it! Please leave a rating, and let me know your thoughts by sharing a comment 🙂

Also please tag me @chelsweets and use the #chelsweets on social media so that I can see your amazing creations!

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