Gingerbread Cake
Rich, spiced, and incredibly moist, this gingerbread cake is finished with swirls of cinnamon molasses frosting and adorable mini gingerbread cookies!
Equipment
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cake Batter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour *See notes below for measuring*
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 3/4 teaspoon cloves
- 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup sour cream room temperature
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup whole milk room temperature
- 1/3 cup unsulphured molasses
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup hot water
Molasses Cinnamon Buttercream
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsulphured molasses
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- Pinch fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Line a metal 9x9 baking pan with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C.
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices.
- Whisk together the melted butter, sour cream, eggs, oil, milk, molasses, and vanilla extract.
- Whisk the dries into the wets until just combined. It’s ok if the batter has some clumps!
- Then fold in the hot water until just combined.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the pan cool on a wire cooling rack for 30 minutes, then carefully lift up the parchment paper to remove it from the pan and let it cool completely on the rack.
- Cream the butter until smooth, then mix in the powdered sugar on low speed. Once combined, increase the speed to medium and beat for 2-3 minutes until the buttercream is light and fluffy. Mix in the molasses, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt and mix until combined.
- Spoon the frosting on top of the cooled cake, using the back of a spoon to create swoops and swirls in the frosting. Garnish with mini gingerbread men cookies, sprinkles, sugared cranberries, etc. Cut into 16 servings and enjoy!
Video
Notes
*Measure your flour properly. This is my #1 baking tip! Do not ever scoop a measuring cup into your flour as this always leads to using too much flour. Instead, use the spoon-level method. This means fluffing the flour first, then spooning it into your measuring cup/spoon. For the BEST results, use a kitchen scale!*
