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Gingerbread Cake is the smell of December in our house, a moist, old fashioned molasses cake loaded with ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg under a blanket of fluffy cream cheese frosting. I bake the first one every year the weekend after Thanksgiving, and Maddie and Lizzie fight over the corner pieces just like they do with our yellow cake.
The batter mixes up with pantry staples and one secret step, a cup of boiling water that keeps the crumb impossibly moist.
Gingerbread Cake Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 20 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 30 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 50 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 15 slices
- ⚡ Calories: 635kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Deep molasses and warm spice with tangy cream cheese
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, a simple stir together sheet cake like our German chocolate cake
Quick Answer
Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt together. Cream butter, oil, and sugar, add eggs one at a time, then stir in molasses. Add the dry mixture in three batches, stir in a cup of boiling water, and bake in a 9×13 dish at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely and frost with whipped cream cheese frosting.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Boiling water blooms the spices. Stirring hot water into the finished batter wakes up the ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, so the spice flavor is deeper without adding more.
- Butter plus oil is the best of both. Butter brings flavor while oil keeps the crumb moist for days, which is why this cake never bakes up dry.
- Molasses does more than sweeten. A full cup gives the cake its signature dark color, bittersweet depth, and that classic old fashioned gingerbread chew.
- Four spices beat one. Ginger leads, but cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg fill in the low notes so the cake tastes round and warm instead of sharp.
- The thin batter is intentional. It looks too loose going into the pan, but that high moisture is exactly what bakes into a soft, springy crumb.
- Tangy frosting balances the molasses. Whipped cream cheese frosting cuts the deep sweetness, the same reason it is the classic partner for carrot cake.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- One 9×13 pan feeds a holiday crowd of 15 with no layering or stacking.
- The crumb stays moist for days thanks to the oil, molasses, and boiling water trick.
- The fluffy cream cheese frosting is the same one everyone begs for on our German chocolate cake.
Key Ingredients
Pantry baking staples plus one jar of molasses.
- Molasses: One full cup of unsulphured molasses gives the cake its deep color and classic bittersweet gingerbread flavor.
- Warm spices: Ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, the full quartet is what makes it taste like the holidays.
- Butter and vegetable oil: Butter for flavor, oil for a crumb that stays moist well past day one.
- Boiling water: The old fashioned secret, it blooms the spices and thins the batter for a soft, springy texture.
- Cream cheese: Whipped with butter and powdered sugar into the tangy frosting that balances all that molasses.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This classic takes to twists without losing its soul.
- Add a teaspoon of orange zest to the batter, orange and gingerbread are magic together.
- Swap the cream cheese frosting for a dusting of powdered sugar and a dollop of whipped cream for a lighter finish.
- Stir a half cup of finely chopped crystallized ginger into the batter for extra heat and chew.
- Top each slice with a drizzle of warm caramel, or go full chocolate lover and bake our Dr Pepper black forest cake alongside it for the holiday spread.
How to Make Gingerbread Cake
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, oil, and sugar together until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing each in fully, then stir in the molasses.
- Add the flour mixture in three batches, scraping down the sides as needed, then stir in the boiling water until just combined.
- Pour the batter into a greased 9×13 baking dish and smooth out the top.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely.
- Cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth, beat in the powdered sugar a little at a time with the vanilla and salt, whip 3 minutes until fluffy, then frost the cooled cake and serve.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use unsulphured molasses, not blackstrap. Blackstrap is too bitter and will overpower the spices.
- Check your spice freshness. Ground ginger older than a year loses its punch, and this cake leans on it.
- Do not skip the boiling water. The batter should look thin, that is exactly right.
- Cool the cake completely before frosting. Even slightly warm cake melts cream cheese frosting into a glaze.
- Whip the frosting a full 3 minutes. That is what makes it light and fluffy instead of dense and sweet.
- Bake it a day ahead if you can. The molasses and spice flavor deepens overnight, it is even better on day two.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Serve squares straight from the pan with coffee or hot cocoa, this is the cake that disappears at December potlucks before the chocolate fudge plate is even unwrapped.
For a holiday dessert table, pair it with our no bake cheesecake and a batch of cream cheese cookies so there is something for every kind of sweet tooth.
A thin slice is also wonderful slightly warm with vanilla ice cream, the way we serve our flourless chocolate cake.
Store the frosted cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, the flavor genuinely improves on day two. Let slices sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving. Unfrosted, the cake freezes beautifully for up to 3 months wrapped tightly.
Gingerbread Cake FAQs
Same flavor family, totally different texture. Gingerbread cake is a soft, moist molasses spice cake leavened with baking soda and baking powder, while gingerbread cookies are a stiff, rollable dough built for cutting shapes. This cake gives you all the flavor with a fork instead of a cookie cutter.
Unsulphured molasses, the standard baking bottle like Grandma’s Original. It is sweet, dark, and smooth. Avoid blackstrap molasses, which is far more bitter and mineral tasting and will make the cake taste burnt.
Two reasons, it blooms the ground spices so they release more flavor, and it thins the batter so the cake bakes up with a soft, moist, springy crumb. It is the same technique used in old fashioned chocolate cakes and it is not optional here.
Yes, it is actually better made a day ahead because the molasses and spice flavors deepen overnight. Bake and cool the cake, cover it, and frost the day you serve. The frosted cake keeps covered in the refrigerator up to 5 days.
The recipe is written for a 9×13, but it works in two 8 inch rounds for a layer cake, about 25 to 30 minutes, or a 12 cup bundt pan, about 40 to 45 minutes. Always test with a toothpick since the dark batter hides visual cues.
Usually the oven door opened too early or the cake was underbaked. The boiling water makes this a delicate, high moisture batter, so keep the door closed for the first 30 minutes and bake until the toothpick comes out completely clean from the center.
Baked this Gingerbread Cake? Leave a comment and a star rating below, I would love to hear how it turned out!
Sip our gingerbread latte alongside for double gingerbread joy.
For breakfast during the holidays, our gingerbread muffins bring the same cozy spice.
Our chocolate glazed mini bundt cakes are another cozy bake that feels special.
For the kids at the holiday table, my whimsical grinch cupcakes are the guaranteed grin.
Gingerbread Cake
Ingredients
- 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup molasses
- 1 cup boiling water
For the frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray, and set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt, set aside.
- In the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, oil, and sugar together until smooth.
- Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing the first fully before adding the next.
- Stir in the molasses.
- Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, and scrape down the sides as needed.
- Stir in the water until combined. Pour into the baking dish and smooth out the top.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.
- While the cake is cooling, make the frosting by creaming the cream cheese and butter together until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar a little at a time until fully mixed in. Stir in the vanilla and salt. Whip on medium-high speed for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Frost the cake once it has cooled, and serve immediately.
Notes
- Pumpkin pie spice can be substituted but you will not get the true flavor of gingerbread.
- Other toppings can be used, see above on ideas.
- We like to use an unsulphured molasses for this recipe.
- The flavors are a perfect combination and are not overwhelming.
- This can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
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Thank you – I am sure countless people looked at the gloves and said nothing. Thank you for reaching out you care and I appreciate that. Finding a pair of gloves in the gingerbread cake would not get the reaction we want unless they were the gingerbread man’s made out of gingerbread.
I’m sure I’m not the first person to notice this…..but you might want to proofread the list of ingredients in the body of your post. I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t taste so nice to add gloves to the recipe! 😉😂
Looking forward to giving this one a try!
HELPFULL HINTS!!! Way too much frosting, I cut recipe in half, need to add extra powdered sugar, I sift powdered sugar first. I also cut back on the nutmeg to 1/4 teaspoon as it has a bitter flavor, I guess one could use 1/2 teaspoon if they wanted but not a full teaspoon. At the time of this remark, I have not tried this cake as yet as I have made it for church & did not want to cut into the cake. I will know better how the cake fairs out after church tomorrow on the 2nd. of June-2024. I will get a report from the people at church as it is a “keeper recipe”. Added note – when baking a cake, one should bake for 15 min., & turn pan 1/4th. turn every 10 min. or so to get a nice flat top & not uneven top. Also for the cake- sift all dry ingredients together first – set aside to be added when needed. I also sift powdered sugar for frosting, be sure to mix the frosting for a long time to get the sugar mixed into the cream cheese & butter for a much better frosting.