Raise your hand if you’re already dreaming about cozy holiday baking! This easy Gingerbread Cake recipe is about to become your new favorite. Light, moist and packing some serious gingery spice – it’s total old fashioned goodness.
What I Love About This Cake
Texture – So light and fluffy! Baking it makes your whole house smell magical.
Toppings – Don’t skip the warm vanilla cream sauce, whipped cream and bananas on top. It takes this cake over the top!
Family Fave – My mom got this recipe from her sweet friend Kristen and now it’s a holiday highlight every year.
How to Make This Fabulous Gingerbread
- Cream the butter, sugar, eggs and molasses until smooth
- Whisk together the dry ingredients – flour, baking soda, spices and salt
- Slowly add the dry mix into the wet ingredients, then pour in the hot water
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20-35 minutes. That’s it!
Serving Ideas
I love piling fresh banana slices, fluffy whipped cream and drizzled homemade vanilla sauce over this gingerbread. The flavors are just dreamy together.
It’s also delightful with a cup of coffee or hot cocoa. Talk about holiday hygge!
Make Ahead Tips
- The vanilla sauce can be made ahead and stored in the fridge
- Gingerbread cake keeps well for a week in the fridge or up to 2 months in the freezer
Let me know if this spiced cake recipe becomes your new favorite! Happy baking!
Gingerbread Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 cup molasses
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup very hot water
For the Vanilla Cream Sauce:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
For Serving:
- Sliced bananas
- Whipped cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13 baking pan.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Mix in egg and molasses.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt.
- Add dry ingredients to wet and mix well. Pour in hot water and stir until fully combined.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 20-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Meanwhile, make vanilla sauce by combining sugar, butter, cream in a saucepan. Heat, stirring frequently, until boiling. Boil 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
- Allow cake and sauce to cool slightly. Serve cake warm topped with whipped cream, bananas and drizzled vanilla sauce.
- Store leftover cake at room temperature up to 2 days or refrigerated up to 1 week. Sauce keeps refrigerated in airtight container.
