Gingerbread Cake
Cinnamon, ginger, and cloves impart that classic cookie flavor into this moist gingerbread cake. I topped this cake with whipped cream, but cream cheese frosting or a simple dusting of powdered sugar would be just as delicious!
Take a break from chilling and rolling cookie dough this holiday season, and make this classic gingerbread cake for a change!
This is essentially a molasses cake that’s flavored with warming spices like cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Although richly spiced in flavor, the cake remains moist and can be enjoyed plain or with a dollop of whipped cream on top.
If you need an easy make-ahead dessert this holiday season, this gingerbread cake would be a great option. If you wait to add the whipped cream until slicing and serving it, the cake will remain tender and moist on your countertop for a couple days.
Made with basic ingredients and a handheld mixer, this easy cake recipe is good to have tucked up your sleeve for the holidays!
Ingredients for This Recipe
Your house will smell absolutely incredible as this cake bakes! Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe:
- Molasses: Be sure to use an unsulphured molasses. My personal favorite is Grandma’s Original Molasses.
- Water: You’ll need to use hot or boiling water for this recipe. The water is mixed with the molasses before being added to the batter.
- Flour: Be sure to spoon and level the flour when measuring it. You don’t want to measure out too much by mistake!
- Baking soda: Helps the cake rise in the oven.
- Spices: I flavored the cake with a mixture of ground cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt.
- Butter: Needs to be softened to room temperature before proceeding with the recipe.
- Sugar: I used a combination of granulated and brown sugar. The brown sugar not only sweetens the cake, but it adds a slight caramel flavor as well.
- Eggs: Should also be at room temperature. If you forget to do this beforehand, simply place the eggs in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes.
- Vanilla extract: I prefer using pure vanilla extract.
How to Make Gingerbread Cake
Before starting the recipe, you’ll need to spray a 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Once that’s done, you can proceed with the recipe.
- Combine the hot water and molasses: Stir the two together in a bowl, then set aside.
- Combine the dry ingredients: In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and spices.
- Mix together the wet ingredients: Combine the butter and sugars in a third bowl, then beat until light and fluffy. A stand mixer or a handheld electric mixer will work for this. Add the eggs and the vanilla to the butter mixture.
- Finish the batter: Add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the molasses mixture. This will help to ensure that you don’t over mix the batter, which can result in a dense cake.
- Bake the cake: Turn the batter into the prepared pan, then bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool and frost: I topped this cake with my homemade whipped cream and dusted it with a little bit of cinnamon. You can feel free to leave it off, or simply dust it with powdered sugar. You could even top the cake with cream cheese frosting, if desired.
Can This Recipe Be Doubled?
Yes, you should be fine to double the ingredients list and bake the cake in a 9×13-inch pan. The baking time should be about 50 to 60 minutes.
Can Blackstrap Molasses Be Used?
No, blackstrap molasses is very bitter and would be too strong for this recipe. Use a regular unsulphered molasses instead.
Storage Instructions
If left unfrosted, the cake can be kept at room temperature for up to five days. Cover the pan tightly with foil or transfer the cake to an airtight container. Once topped with whipped cream, you’ll need to store the cake in the fridge. Note that cake tends to dry out in the fridge, so be sure to store it in an airtight container.
The unfrosted cake can also be frozen for up to three months. I recommend waiting to add the whipped cream until you’re ready to thaw and serve the cake.
Baking Tips
- I think this cake is perfectly spiced as is, but you’re welcome to add more or less spices to taste.
- Be careful not to over mix the dry ingredients, as that would result in a dense cake.
- You must let the cake cool completely before topping with whipped cream. If you try to top the cake while it’s still warm, the whipped cream will melt.
More Easy Holiday Desserts You’ll Love!
Gingerbread Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsulphured molasses (320 grams)
- 1 cup hot or boiling water (240 ml)
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour spooned & leveled (315 grams)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened (115 grams)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
- ¼ cup packed light or dark brown sugar (50 grams)
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Homemade whipped cream optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray a 9-inch square pan well with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together the molasses and hot water. Set aside.
- In another large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a handheld mixer, cream the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes or until light and fluffy.
- Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract until well combined, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Mix in the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the molasses mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Make sure to mix in each addition until just combined and be careful not to over mix the batter.
- Pour the batter into the greased pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Once cooled, slice into pieces, dust with powdered sugar or top with whipped cream and enjoy!
Hi! I was wondering if you think it’s also possible to make this in a ceramic casserole dish (one you would for example use for lasagne) instead of a metal dish! And if that’s possible, how you would scale the recipe to fit a 32 cm x 23 cm dish! Thanks in advance!
Yes, that would be fine! I’d recommend doubling the recipe for a pan that size.
Hi! How much oil can I add for a more moist cake?
I haven’t tested this recipe with oil, so I’m really not sure.
I tested the exact recipe but added 1/2 cup oil and it turned out really good!! Our home smelled amazing! It was a bit too molassesey (I know that’s not a word). Could I scale back a bit on the molasses? Maybe to a 1/2 cup.
Glad to hear the oil worked great! I haven’t tried reducing the molasses so it’s hard to say. It may be fine, but you’d probably need to make some other adjustments to the recipe.
Hey Danielle! Wondering if you think this recipe would work in a bundt pan…if so, would I need to double the recipe?
Also, if I used a 9×13 pan does it matter if the 9×13 is glass or nonstick? Thanks for the help! The recipe sounds and smells like Christmas! Can’t wait to make it
I haven’t tried it, but I think it would work! It may be enough batter to make a bundt cake, but it may not be very tall. You could double the recipe, but it will probably be too much batter for one bundt pan. You could always use any extra batter to make a small cake or some cupcakes though. It’s fine to use either a glass or nonstick pan, but if your nonstick pan is dark it may cook a little faster. Hope that helps!
Thanks for the help! I’ll be making the cake for Christmas!
Update: I made the recipe exactly as written and used a 10 cup bundt pan. It turned out beautifully! Looks so pretty for Christmas. Another great recipe! Thanks!
I just saw your cake on Instagram, it was beautiful! So glad it turned out great for you, Heather!
DELICIOUS !!!
My cake was very wet after 45/50 minutes. What did I do wrong?
I don’t think you necessarily did anything wrong. Did you use a different size pan (like an 8-inch square pan?) and have you checked your oven temperature with an oven thermometer to make sure it’s correct? If a toothpick inserted into the center isn’t coming out clean, you can try baking it another 10 minutes.
Yet another home run with one of Danielle’s recipes. The spices and molasses are perfectly balanced and the crumb is very tender. The cake is sweet so I will pair it with unsweetened whipped cream. I am also going to try it in a bundt pan for a different type of presentation. Thank you, Danielle, for yet another exceptional recipe.
Thanks, Michael! I’m glad this recipe turned out great for you too!
Made this yesterday. Had to bake for additional ten minutes or so. In hind side should have covered with foil last 15 minutes or so. Still came out perfectly, delicious blend of spices, moist crumb. We are 3/3 for your recipes.
Glad to hear it turned out great for you, Sandra!
Oh, I’m so excited for this! Thank you so much Danielle!! I’ve been hoping you would make a recipe post for a Gingerbread Cake. I tried a recipe last year but it was a little too dense and dry, and I’m so excited how the changes in your recipe help (mix of brown and white sugar, 2 eggs instead of 1, etc)! Your recipes always turn out so well for me, and I love this cake. Nothing says the holidays to me quite like this cake. Smells delicious when baking, and tastes delicious when eating! I can’t wait to try this! I’ll try to post an update after I’ve made it, but I know it will be beautiful because every cake recipe of yours that I’ve tried has been great! I love baking cakes now, because of you 🙂 Thank you so much, and Happy Holidays to you and your family!!
Thank you so much! I’d love to hear how this cake turns out for you!
I made this cake again today, for this year. It is a great recipe! It has a very nice gingerbread spice flavor and the crumb is moist and soft. I love it. My kitchen smells amazing, and gingerbread cake really feels like the holidays have arrived for me! I agree that since it is a tall cake (in a 9″ square pan), putting foil over the top for the last 10 minutes of baking helps keep the top from getting too dark. I topped mine this year with some lemon glaze and sugared fresh cranberries and it was amazing! Thank you so much again for posting this cake recipe!
Hi Danielle! So excited for this recipe. Can this be made into cupcakes? If so, how many and what would the cook time be? Thank you ?
Yes, absolutely! I’m not sure how many it would make, but I would only fill the liners about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way full. Baking time for cupcakes is usually 16 to 23 minutes.
Could this be made in a 9×5 loaf pan? Looks so Good!
Yes, that would be fine! It would probably be too much for one loaf pan, you may need to divide it between two or use any leftover batter to make some mini loaves/cupcakes.
Just printed the recipe! This is a must do!!♥️
Hope you love the gingerbread cake, Cindy!
I haven’t made this yet but plan to. Do you think putting some crystallized ginger in it would be a good idea?
I haven’t tried it, but I think it would be okay. You will want to reduce the ginger and possibly some of the sugar, but it will depend on how much you add.