This holiday season, indulge in the warmth and comfort of old-fashioned Homemade Gingerbread Cake! Rich, molasses-infused cake, with bold flavors of ginger and cinnamon, will bring back sweet memories of the holidays with each and every bite.
Classic desserts like gingerbread cake, Eggnog Pound Cake, and Snowball Cookies are easy-to-make recipes that are my family’s favorites at Christmas.
In This Post
Gingerbread Cake: A Holiday Tradition
There’s something special about recipes passed down from The Greats, which is what we call the best cooks in our family. Homemade Gingerbread Cake is one of those recipes. It isn’t just a dessert; it’s a taste of nostalgia.
I don’t think anything can make my house smell more like Christmas than the beautiful aroma of gingerbread. The highlight of this recipe is the spices. After that, you won’t need much more than flour and baking soda, so you don’t have to worry about gathering a bunch of ingredients you won’t use again. Instead, you can focus on the wonderful seasonal smells that will soon fill your kitchen.
Old Fashioned Gingerbread Cake Ingredients
- Sugar: I suggest using granulated sugar, but you can also substitute it for brown sugar if that’s all you have on hand.
- Butter: Take your butter out of the fridge the night before to ensure it is warmed to room temperature. It makes for better combining with the other ingredients.
- Egg: 1 large egg is used to help mix the ingredients and enhance the cake’s structure.
- Molasses: It’s essential for classic gingerbread flavor.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is the best kind to use in this cake recipe.
- Baking Soda: This ingredient is a must in order to help the cake rise and maintain its fluffiness.
- Spices and Seasonings: Ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, and salt come together to make the gingerbread flavor.
- Water: You’ll need a cup of hot water for this recipe. Bring water to a boil or heat it in the microwave.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and measurements.
How To Make Classic Gingerbread Cake
- In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9×9 baking pan.
- Cream together sugar and butter using an electric mixer. Beat in egg and mix in molasses.
- Blend the wet and dry ingredients, then stir in hot water. Mix well, pour into the prepared pan and bake.
- Let the cake cool in the pan, cut into squares, and top with fresh whipped cream. Enjoy!
Serving Ideas
Gingerbread cake is terrific served warm or at room temperature. My favorite way to finish it is with a dollop of fresh whipped cream.
It’s also delicious with a drizzle of caramel sauce. And, like Grandma’s Apple Crisp, or Bread Pudding, you can’t go wrong with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Often Asked Questions And Answers
I recommend using regular molasses. The taste of black strap molasses can overwhelm and overpower the other ingredients.
A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean, then place the cake in the pan on a wire rack to cool.
Store any leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. It can last up to 1 week when kept in the refrigerator.
Yes! First, wrap the cooled cake in plastic wrap. Then, add a wrapping of aluminum foil. It will keep in the fridge for up to 2 months. Defrost it overnight before serving.
More Holiday Recipes You’ll Love
If you tried this Homemade Gingerbread Cake Recipe or any other recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks!
Recipe Card With Instructions
Ingredients
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup butter – room temp
- 1 egg
- 1 cup regular molasses
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup hot water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9×9 baking pan.
- Cream together sugar and butter. Beat in egg and mix in molasses.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices.
- Blend into the cream mixture. Stir in hot water. Mix well.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Serve warm with fresh whipped cream.
Video
Notes
- I recommend using regular molasses. The taste of black strap molasses can overwhelm and overpower the other ingredients.
- Store any leftover cake in an airtight container and store it at room temperature for up to 3 days. It can last up to 1 week when kept in the refrigerator.
- To freeze, wrap the cooled cake in plastic wrap. Then, add a wrapping of aluminum foil. It will keep in the fridge for up to 2 months. Defrost it overnight before serving.
Nutrition
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Homemade Gingerbread Cake
Timothy Green
An excellent yummy and simple recipe thank you.
Timothy Green recipe. Yeah!!
An excellent yummy and simple
Thank you so much!
Gail
Found this recipe yesterday in my inbox, made it, and love it. I had all the ingredients, it was quick easy and baked nice and high in exactly the time suggested. It seems to get even more moist the 2nd day. I didn’t have whipped cream or ice cream so dusted with icing sugar. My old (really old) electric hand mixer died and I haven’t replaced yet, so I mixed by hand with a whisk, so simple and easy. Lovely recipe, I’ll be making and saving this recipe a lot and forever. 🙂
This is the sweetest message, Gail. Thank you for sharing!
Merry Christmas.
~Donya
Carol Schwankl
I expected it to be sweeter. If I make it again I will add another 1/4 cup of sugar. Otherwise it nicely filled the pan was a good texture. Good with a scoop of sweetened whipped cream!
Mary Eman
I love gingerbread and always add a half teaspoon each of allspice and mace and a bit of pepper also. Happy holiday season to you!
Thanks, Mary! Merry Christmas to you.
~Donya
Joan
Can I use almond flour in this recipe? Or in any of your other recipes
I’ve not tested it but if you use a 1 to 1 ratio I would think it would work. Let me know.
Merry Christmas!
~Donya
Ann Jones
I did the Philly Stuffed sandwiches for Saturday night dinner. My sons are never picky and as long as there is something to eat they are happy. I just did steak fries and they were very happy campers. Thanks for such an easy recipe and one that I will definitely be doing again. In the words of my oldest one, Mom I don’t know where you got that recipe from but it was banging!!!! I love that they don’t complain about what they eat but eat it and enjoy. ❤️ your site thanks for the great recipes.
Donya
WOW! Thanks for sharing Ann. I know how it is cooking for boys and I’m so glad your guys liked it. I am so glad you stopped by and hope that you’ll let me know what your family thinks of other recipes.
Have a great week!
~Donya
Pauline Gudas
I love warm homemade gingerbread!!!