Recipe

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This gingerbread cake is everything you want out of the classic holiday treat with rich and warm flavors from molasses, ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.

On top of its heavenly flavor and impressively moist texture, this Gingerbread Cake recipe is super easy to get right, even on your first try.

large square gingerbread cake topped with powdered sugar and craberries

Holiday Gingerbread Cake

The first time I brought this gingerbread cake to the holiday table, everyone asked me for the recipe. The cake wowed them, but once they knew the simplicity of the recipe, it was like, seriously?

The following year, I introduced my gluten-free gingerbread cake: yes, another hit! So get ready to enjoy this cake with a cup of warm hot cocoa, because you won’t try any other recipe after you bake this one -or the GF version- for the first time.

This cake makes a show-stopping dessert topped with butter, molasses, and hot water to help make it soft. Unlike some gingerbread recipes, this cake gets just enough spice so both adults and kids can enjoy its warm flavors, just like my Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies!

Ingredients

The balance of the ingredients is what makes this gingerbread cake sooo good. So before you make any swap or jump to the printable recipe card, check out why I’m using each of them:

all-purpose flour: the flour of choice for this recipe. Swap for a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour to make this recipe gluten-free.
baking soda & baking powder: the leavening agents that give this cake a lighter texture.
spices: the combination of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves make up the classic gingerbread spices. Some recipes use fresh ginger, but in this case, we are sticking to ground ginger.
salt: enhances the flavor of the other ingredients.
butter: you’ll only need ¼ cup melted butter. For a dairy-free alternative use ¼ cup canola oil.
molasses: make sure you use unsulphered molasses and not black-strap, which can be bitter (check the label on the jar for this).
maple syrup: for a little ‘neutral’ sweetness, otherwise the molasses flavor can be overpowering.
eggs: to bind the ingredients.
vanilla extract: brings out the sweetness in the cake.
warm water: a must to thin out the molasses and help incorporate it into the rest of the cake batter.
powdered sugar: an optional ingredient for dusting, once cooled to give this cake an exciting holiday touch.

cut squares of gingerbread cake topped with powdered sugar

How to Make Gingerbread Cake

Baking gingerbread cake with this recipe is super easy. Below, you’ll find an overview of the steps and useful tips to bake a perfect cake every time:

Prep
Preheat the oven and grease a square pan.
Sift the dry ingredients
In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients and set aside.
Mix the wet ingredients
In a separate large bowl, use a hand mixer or whisk to mix the wet ingredients.
Add the eggs
Let the mixture reach room temperature before adding the eggs. If you add eggs to scalding hot water, they will scramble.
Make the batter
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine. The batter will be thin, but that’s okay!
Bake
Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center.
Add the finishing touches
Once baked, allow the cake to cool down to room temperature before removing the cake from the pan; otherwise, it could break apart. Dust with powdered sugar.
Grab a fork and plate
Slice the cake into squares and enjoy!

Watch this quick video to see the gingerbread cake come together:

Keeping It Moist

Below are a few simple tips so your gingerbread cake turns out moist every single time.

Use both baking soda and powder
Molasses is an acid, and too much acid with too little baking soda can make a cake flat and dense. This is where the baking powder comes in. It works with the baking powder to make the cake’s texture lighter.

Room temperature ingredients
Ingredients such as eggs and butter should be at room temperature, and in this recipe’s case, the butter is melted. This makes it easier to incorporate the ingredients and prevents overmixing, which can make cakes dense.

Don’t overbake
An overbaked cake is the biggest culprit to dry cakes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.

sprinkling powdered sugar over a square cake from a mini sifter

How to Freeze Gingerbread Cake

To freeze a piece or the entire gingerbread cake for future enjoyment, wrap each piece (or the whole cake) with plastic wrap, transfer inside a freezer zip bag, and freeze for up to 2 months.

To have it later, simply remove one of the pieces from the freezer (or the entire cake) and let it thaw on the counter for 30 minutes, or warm-up for 30 seconds in the microwave.

If you froze the entire cake, I recommend thawing it out slowly in the fridge, which will take 4 hours or so -or overnight. Once it’s thawed out, remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

four plates of gingerbread cake topped with powdered sugar

Gingerbread Cake Toppings

While this cake is delicious all by itself, the right toppings can turn it into a gorgeous dessert. Below are a few options you can spread, drizzle, or sprinkle over this cake and whoo everyone into a slice:

powdered sugar and cranberries (as pictured above)
Cream Cheese Frosting
whipped cream
a drizzle of Caramel Sauce and whipped cream

Best Gingerbread Cake

Servings: 16 squares

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 25

This gingerbread cake is everything you want out of the classic holiday treat with rich and warm flavors from molasses, ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.

5 from 8 votes

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Ingredients

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
¾ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup melted butter
½ cup molasses
½ cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup warm water
2 eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons powdered sugar for dusting, optional

Instructions

Prep the oven:

Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9 x 9-inch square pan with cooking spray or butter.

Make the batter:

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ground ginger, cloves, and salt.
In a separate large bowl, whisk the butter with the molasses, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and warm water until smooth. Let the mixture reach room temperature before adding the eggs and whisking until fully incorporated.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine.