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Gingerbread cake is rich, moist, and full of ginger flavor. Serve this holiday classic with whipped cream and caramel sauce for a dessert that is sure to be a hit with your guests.
Do you have a collection of inherited cookbooks like my family? We have so many that belonged to my Nana.
Some of them are full of everything that was awful about food in the ’50s (I’m looking at you, hot dog jello salad), and glorious about the following decades, like this gingerbread cake.
When I’m missing my Nana or I’m stuck for a new recipe idea, I like to thumb through these old cookbooks for nostalgia and inspiration.
They never seem to disappoint, I can tell you that much.
(Although what I want to know is, who actually ate that hot dog salad thing? Gross. We usually make a big deal in our house about not yucking anyone else’s yums, but I draw the line at combining jello and meat products, sorry 1957.)
One thing that’s definitely yum for just about everyone is a cake like this one. It’s a classic, and for good reason.
My classic gingerbread cake recipe
This recipe has a bit of an interesting history.
While flipping through an old cookbook, a random handwritten notecard with a version of this recipe fell out.
At first, I thought it must be one of my Nana’s recipes. After all, she was famous for her holiday baking, making everything from pumpkin rolls to tins of peanut brittle every year.
When I asked my Aunt Debbie, though, she said that it wasn’t Nana’s handwriting. Nana and her coworkers used to swap recipes all the time, so we think it must have come from one of her work friends.
Well, I love gingerbread everything, whether it’s gingerbread cookies or gingersnaps or gingerbread crinkle cookies. So I had to give this recipe a try. I made a few tweaks and fell in love with this flavorful cake.
This recipe is definitely an old-school classic; there are variations of it available all over the internet, which tells me that many handwritten recipe cards must have been shared years ago.
To really play up the ginger flavor, I use two full teaspoons of ground ginger in this cake. I also will sometimes add chopped crystallized ginger to the batter, giving it a great texture as well as another hit of that zippy, spicy ginger.
This cake makes an easy Christmas dessert, perfect for when you want to serve something totally delicious without putting in a ton of effort.
How to make this gingerbread cake
This is a totally simple, no-frills cake recipe, much like my eggless chocolate cake.
But don’t let that fool you into thinking it isn’t beyond flavorful! This gingerbread cake just doesn’t need to be dressed up to make a big impression.
Ingredients you’ll need
To make this cake, you will need:
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup room-temperature unsalted butter
- 1 lightly beaten egg
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup unsulfured molasses
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- ¾ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup hot water
- ½ cup finely chopped crystallized ginger (optional)
Before you start baking, make sure you know how to measure flour correctly. This will help your gingerbread cake turn out perfect every time.
A little bit of applesauce helps this cake stay moist, while unsulfured molasses gives it a rich sweetness and the characteristic gingerbread color. Make sure you are using regular unsulfured molasses, not blackstrap molasses.
I love pairing ginger with cinnamon and cloves for the perfect balance of spices in this cake. If you really love that ginger kick, add in some finely chopped crystallized ginger. It adds great texture and and an extra layer of ginger flavor to the cake.
Making this recipe
One of the most unusual things about this recipe is the addition of hot water at the very end. But hey, that’s a retro recipe for ya!
To make this gingerbread cake, start by beating the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then adding the eggs, applesauce and molasses.
If you are new to baking, I suggest reviewing how to cream butter and sugar together. This is a simple step that can make a big difference in the texture of your baked goods.
At this point the batter might look a little weird, almost curdled. Don’t freak out – it’ll come together in the end.
Then whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Slowly add this to the wet ingredients until just combined.
After the dry ingredients are added, stir in the hot water until the batter is smooth. Yes, after the dry ingredients!
Honestly, I don’t even know the why behind this step. All I know is it makes for an amazing moist texture in this cake, and that’s all I care about at the end of the day.
If you’re using the crystallized ginger, go ahead and fold it in before pouring the batter into a greased and floured 9-inch cake pan. You can use a square pan or round pan, or bake it in a springform pan to cut the final cake into wedges.
Bake the gingerbread cake at 350°F for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean with just a few crumbs clinging to it.
Let the cake cool before slicing and serving.
Storage tips
Store this gingerbread cake covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. Because it is a very moist cake, I don’t recommend keeping it much past 3 days, but you could extend this to 4-5 if you store it in the fridge.
You could also freeze the cake, either whole or in slices.
To freeze the whole cake, wrap the cooled cake in a layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of heavy-duty foil. Wrap individual slices in a layer of plastic wrap and place them in a zip-top freezer bag.
Freeze for 1-2 months. Thaw at room temperature for a couple of hours before enjoying.
For more info on this process, check out my post on how to freeze cake.
Serving suggestions
There are plenty of options when it comes to topping your gingerbread cake.
A dusting of powdered sugar is a simple and elegant way to go. You can also serve it with homemade whipped cream or salted caramel sauce, or even eggnog ice cream!
If you’re feeling extra fancy, try making some sugared cranberries for a festive and delicious garnish.
No matter what you serve with this gingerbread cake, it’ll be a big hit with your guests!
Gingerbread Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup unsulfured molasses
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- ¾ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup hot water
- ½ cup finely chopped crystallized ginger optional
- Whipped cream and caramel sauce for topping optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour (1) 9-inch cake pan OR a 9-inch springform pan.
- If adding the crystallized ginger to the cake, toss the chopped ginger with 1 tablespoon of the flour. Set aside.
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the egg, applesauce, and molasses. The batter may appear to be slightly curdled, this is okay – it will come together.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture until it is fully incorporated. Stir in the hot water until the batter is smooth and has an even consistency. If using, folding in the crystallized ginger. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 55-65, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow cake to cool before serving with whipped cream, caramel sauce, or even eggnog ice cream!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
would hot coffee work rather than boiling water here? I’m tempted to try it, I think the flavour would be interesting
Oh yum! I love gingerbread and can’t wait to try recipe!