Gingerbread cake with Cinnamon Cream

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients for the cake:
2 cups (= 4 sticks = 40 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (175 grams) firmly packed dark-brown sugar (10% molasses)
In France, use "sucre complet" or "sucre intégral"; second choice: "cassonade" ( = sucre roux de canne); note: "sucre vergeoise" is just beet sugar ( = sucre de betterave) that has been sprayed/coated with caramel coloring!
1 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
8 large eggs, lightly beaten
1½ teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1½ teaspoons ground nutmeg, preferably freshly ground
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda (D: Backnatron, Backsoda; F: bicarbonate de soude)
1 teaspoon baking powder (D: Backpulver; F: levure chimique)
2 teaspoons salt
3 cups (450 grams) all-purpose flour (D: type 550; F: type 55)
Powdered sugar, for dusting

EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES

Ring-mold pan, or a Bundt pan (D:Gug(e)lhupf, Middle German for "yeast hood"); F: kougelhopf, kougloff - obviously derived from the German word)
The pan should have a capacity of about 10 cups (2.4 liters)
Ring pans are typically shallower than Bundt pans
Ring pans are easier to un-mold than Bundt pans, as you can slide a knife between the pan and the cake, all the way around
Kitchen machine (stand-mixer) with a paddle attachment (i.e., not the dough hook or the regular whisk attachment)
Wire whisk
Some butter (to grease the pan)
Spatula
Cake cooling rack
Medium sized bowl, chilled in the refrigerator (for the cinnamon cream)
Plastic kitchen film (cling wrap)

A ring-mold pan (left) and a Bundt pan

PREPARATION / DIRECTIONS

Instructions for the cake:
Pre-heat the oven to 175 °C (350 °F)
Grease the pan with some butter and set aside
In the mixer bowl, with mixer on medium speed and with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (appr. 2-4 minutes)
Add the vanilla and mix
Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix well each time
Put the ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour into a separate large bowl, and mix well with the wire whisk
Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and mix at low speed until the flour has been incorporated
Pour the batter into the greased pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
Bake until a cake tester (e.g., toothpick or skewer) inserted into the middle comes out clean (about 50-55 minutes)
Transfer the pan to wire rack to cool completely, then turn over onto a serving platter and dust with powdered sugar

SERVING & GARNISH SUGGESTIONS