Gingerbread Cake with Molasses Frosting
This gingerbread cake with molasses frosting is a moist and delicious cake recipe that has all the classic flavors of the holiday. The rich and creamy frosting has just the right amount of sweetness that complements the flavor of the cake.
Servings: 9 Servings
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cake
- 1 ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ cup butter cold and cut into small pieces
- ½ cup molasses
- ½ cup corn syrup
- ½ cup dark brown sugar packed
- 9 ounce milk
- 1 large egg
Molasses Frosting
- 4 ounce cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup butter softened
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoon molasses
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° and spray an 8 x 8 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Gingerbread Cake
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice together. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, heat milk and brown sugar together just until sugar is melted and mixture is lukewarm.
- In another small saucepan, heat molasses and corn syrup until lukewarm.
- While both pans are cooling, cut cold butter into flour mixture using a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly.
- Once both pans have cooled a bit, add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir until blended. Then add molasses mixture and stir.
- Add egg and whisk until well combined.
- Pour into prepared baking dish and bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let cool completely in pan.
Molasses Frosting
- In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and butter together until creamy.
- Add vanilla and cinnamon, mix well.
- Gradually add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
- Mix molasses into mixture and blend well.
- Once cake has completely cooled, frost top of cake.
Notes
- Avoid overmixing. Mix your cake batter until combined and no further. Overmixing will make a tough cake.
- Soften ahead of time. Fully soften your cream cheese and butter to avoid a lumpy frosting. Pull it out about 30 minutes before your ready to start mixing.
- Cool the cake. Fully cool your cake before frosting to ensure the frosting doesn't melt.
- Decorating ideas. For a festive flair, top the frosted cake with gingerbread men or sugared cranberries. Chopped nuts and sprinkle are simple upgrades that don't require any extra work.
- Storing tips. Refrigerate this cake in an airtight container for up to 4 days. For longer storage, wrap it in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil, and freeze it for up to a month if it's been frosted or two months without the frosting.