White Chocolate Gingerbread Poke Cake

Which flavours do you think of when you think Christmas?

Usually, when it comes to desserts, I’m not very picky. Mint, chocolate, ginger and spice, cranberry…. I’ll take them all. And some combinations of those flavors are pretty wonderful, too.

I was thinking about gingersnaps — because they’re some of my favourite Christmas cookies — and some White Chocolate Hazelnut Truffle Stuffed Gingersnaps I made for a cookie contest some time ago (yes — they won!), and I realized I’ve never made gingerbread.

I’ve also never made gingerbread men, but those are crunchy and the only reason to eat most crunchy cookies is the icing. Am I right?

With this cake, there are so many more reasons.

I didn’t want the flavor of the cake to be too overwhelming, so I reduced the molasses significantly and a few of the spices. You can tell by the color that there’s still enough molasses in it to give it that deep, rich flavor so characteristic of gingerbread.

The cake itself is super moist, but the white chocolate pudding just takes it over the edge. It is so luscious, and the creamy, silky pudding complements the rich, spiciness of the cake so incredibly well.

And, obviously, you need some whipped cream on top of that.

There are a lot of ways to make this a simple holiday dessert. It’s also great for making ahead! When I made it, I made a homemade gingerbread cake and homemade white chocolate pudding. These can easily be substituted with easier options if you’re in a rush or low on energy this holiday season. I don’t think anyone would even notice the difference!

You can find the recipe for this White Chocolate Gingerbread Poke Cake over on Julie’s Eats and Treats where I’m happy to be a regular contributor! Be sure to say hi while you’re there 🙂

And stay tuned for some more Christmas baking ideas coming up on The Recipe Rebel this week!