Easy Gingerbread Cake
Print Pin VideoThis moist and flavorful gingerbread cake recipe promises to be a showstopper at your next gathering! It's full of comforting spices, and topped with a super easy butterscotch sauce that really takes this gingerbread cake to another level.
IMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cake
- 2½ cups (300 g) flour - plain, all purpose
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tsp ginger powder - ground ginger, can reduce to 2 tsp for a less spiced/more kid friendly cake
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 cup (200 g) light soft brown sugar - firmly packed (see note 1)
- ¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter - melted
- ¼ cup (55 g) unflavoured vegetable oil - I use canola oil
- ½ cup (140 g) blackstrap molasses - see note 2 for using light molasses
- 1 large egg - room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla essence/extract
- ¾ cup (180 g) hot water - make sure it's very hot (almost boiling)
Butterscotch Sauce
- ½ cup (100 g) light soft brown sugar - firmly packed (see note 1)
- ½ cup (120 g) whipping or heavy cream
- ½ tsp vanilla essence/extract
- ⅛ tsp ginger powder
- ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter - cold, cut into cubes
Instructions
Gingerbread Cake
- Preheat oven to 160 °C (320°F) with the fan on (see note 3 if you don't have a fan function) and grease a 9x13 inch cake pan. I use my homemade cake release to grease the pan, and I also line the pan longways with a bit of parchment paper hanging over the sides to make it easier to take out once it's done.
- Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Using a whisk or fork, mix until well combined. Set aside for now.
- In a large bowl combine light brown sugar, melted butter, vegetable oil, blackstrap molasses, egg and vanilla. Using a whisk mix until well combined and smooth.
- Add dry ingredients into the wet mixture, and using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold until just combined. The batter will be very thick.
- Finish off by adding in hot water, and using a whisk, mix until well combined and smooth. Do not overmix.
- Distribute the batter into the prepared cake pan. Drop the cake tin lightly on the counter to remove large airbubbles and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes, before using the parchment paper on the edges to lift the cake out of the cake tin. You can also serve the cake from the cake pan if you prefer. The cake is best served slightly warm with butterscotch sauce. A side of whipped cream works amazingly too!
Butterscotch Sauce
- Prepare the butterscotch sauce while the cake is baking.
- Place saucepan over a medium heat and add in light brown sugar, cream, vanilla, ginger and cinnamon. Mix and allow the mixture to come to a boil. Allow it to boil for a few minutes while frequently mixing.
- Take the saucepan off the heat and add in the cold butter. Stir until the butter is completely melted and the sauce is smooth. Pour the sauce into a heatproof bowl. Allow it to cool slightly before serving over slices of warm gingerbread.
Video
Notes
Note 1. If using measuring cups for this recipe, then you want to firmly pack your soft brown sugar. To do this, pack your measuring cup with sugar and using the back of a spoon, press the sugar into the cup with a little bit of pressure (not too much) and then fill the remaining cup with more sugar.
Note 2. You can use light molasses for this recipe, it'll just make your cake slightly sweeter, and less deep in flavor.
Note 3. In this recipe I use an oven with the fan function turned on. The fan forced function cooks cakes/cupcakes faster, so if your oven doesn't have a fan option, then you will need to increase the baking temperature to 175°C (347°F) so that the cake bakes at the same rate as mine 🙂
Nutrition
Calories: 272kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 172mg | Potassium: 205mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 270IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
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