Perfect Gingerbread Cake
This spiced gingerbread cake is rich with molasses and warm spices like ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg, perfect for the holiday season. Its tender, moist texture makes it a comforting treat, ideal with a dusting of powdered sugar. Easy to make, this cake brings festive flavors to your table with minimal effort.
Gingerbread is a classic baked good known for its warm, spiced flavor, traditionally associated with the holiday season. It gets its name from its key ingredient, ginger, which has been used for centuries in baking and cooking. Gingerbread can refer to a variety of treats, from soft, cake-like loaves and chewy cookies to intricately decorated gingerbread houses.
Gingerbread is typically made with molasses, which gives it a rich, dark flavor and moist texture. Spices like ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves add warmth and depth to the flavor profile. Sweeteners like brown sugar and sometimes honey or treacle are also used to balance the spiciness with a caramel-like sweetness.
Why this Spiced Gingerbread Loaf Cake recipe stands out
- Moist and Tender Texture: The combination of oil and molasses keeps the loaf incredibly moist and rich, ensuring it stays soft for days.
- Perfectly Balanced Spices: The warm blend of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg provides a perfect spice balance, offering a cozy and flavorful bite without being overpowering.
- Easy to Make: With a simple method of combining wet and dry ingredients, this recipe is beginner-friendly, yet delivers bakery-quality results with minimal effort.
- Classic Holiday Flavor: The classic gingerbread spices and molasses create an authentic holiday flavor that makes this loaf ideal for festive gatherings or cozy winter days.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Molasses: Adds a rich, deep sweetness. You can also substitute with dark corn syrup or maple syrup, though the flavor will be milder.
- Vegetable Oil: Keeps the cake moist. You can also substitute with melted butter or coconut oil for a slightly different flavor.
- Brown Sugar: Provides a caramel-like sweetness. You can also substitute with white sugar or coconut sugar, though the loaf may lose some of its depth of flavor.
- Ground Cinnamon, Ginger, and Nutmeg: These spices create the warm, spiced flavor. If needed, you can also use pumpkin pie spice as a substitute for the combination.
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides structure. You can also use whole wheat flour for a denser loaf or a gluten-free blend for a gluten-free version.
Step-by-step: Spiced Gingerbread Cake
- Prepare the molasses mixture: Combine hot water, molasses, and baking soda in a bowl. Stir and let the mixture cool.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground nutmeg. Set aside.
- Wet ingredients: In a large bowl, beat egg and brown sugar until light and creamy. Gradually add the vegetable oil to the egg mixture, then the cooled molasses-water mixture.
- Incorporate dry ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until just combined.
- Bake: Pour the batter into a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool and serve: Let the loaf cool completely in the pan before removing. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Tips for success
- Cool the Molasses Mixture: Allow the hot water and molasses mixture to cool completely before adding to the batter. This ensures the egg doesn’t cook prematurely when mixed in.
- Do Not Overmix: Once you combine the wet and dry ingredients, mix just until incorporated. Overmixing can result in a dense loaf instead of a light, tender texture.
- Use Room Temperature Egg: This helps the batter mix more evenly, resulting in a smoother cake texture.
- Check for Doneness: Insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf to check if it’s fully baked. It should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. If it’s too wet, bake for an additional 5-10 minutes.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes! This gingerbread loaf actually tastes better the next day as the flavors develop. You can store it at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 2 months.
Yes. Freeze wrapped well in cling/plastic wrap, followed by parchment paper, and then aluminum foil. Then thaw, wrapped, in the fridge for 24 hours so the condensation stays on the papers, not the cake.
Yes, simply substitute the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. The texture may vary slightly, but it will still be delicious.
If you don’t want to make a gingerbread loaf like this,
you can also use the batter to make 2 x 6-inch round cakes. And, make a Classic Gingerbread layer Cake, frosted with vanilla buttercream and chocolate ganache.
Also, you can double this recipe to make a 7 x 9 rectangular sheet cake.
You can also pour the batter into a well-greased and dusted 6-inch bundt pan for a gingerbread bundt cake.
Absolutely! You can add chopped nuts, raisins, or even a handful of chocolate chips for added texture and flavor. Orange zest or a splash of vanilla extract also complements the spices beautifully.
Spiced Gingerbread Loaf Cake Recipe
Enjoy a slice of soft, moist, light and airy gingerbread cake this fall with this simple, easy and effortless recipe for a spiced gingerbread loaf cake. Spiced with ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg this cake makes perfect holiday treat or gifts for family and friends. This step by step video recipe shows just how easy this recipe can be.
Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup (120 ml) Hot water
- ½ cup (120 ml) Molasses
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 1½ cups (190 g) All-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- ½ tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Ground ginger
- ½ tsp Ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp Freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 large Egg
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) Cooking oil
- ½ cup (110 g) Light Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
Method
- Prepare the molasses mixture: Combine hot water, molasses, and baking soda in a bowl. Stir and let the mixture cool.½ cup Hot water, ½ cup Molasses, 1 tsp Baking soda
- Mix dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground nutmeg. Set aside.1½ cups All-purpose flour, 1 tsp Baking powder, ½ tsp Salt, 2 tsp Ground ginger, ½ tsp Ground cinnamon, ½ tsp Freshly grated nutmeg
- Wet ingredients: In a large bowl, beat egg and brown sugar until light and creamy. Gradually add vegetable oil to the egg mixture, followed by the cooled molasses water mixture and vanilla extract.1 large Egg, ⅓ cup Cooking oil, ½ cup Light Brown Sugar, 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- Incorporate dry ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until just combined.
- Bake: Pour the batter into a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool and serve: Let the loaf cool completely in the pan before removing. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
- Cool the Molasses Mixture: Allow the hot water and molasses mixture to cool completely before adding to the batter. This ensures the egg doesn’t cook prematurely when mixed in.
- Do Not Overmix: Once you combine the wet and dry ingredients, mix just until incorporated. Overmixing can result in a dense loaf instead of a light, tender texture.
- Use Room Temperature Egg: This helps the batter mix more evenly, creating a smoother texture in the cake.
- Check for Doneness: Insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf to check if it’s fully baked. It should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. If it’s too wet, bake for an additional 5-10 minutes.
Equipment you will need
Nutrition
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Does this updated recipe work as a layer cake like the old recipe did, which I am sure included buttermilk in the recipe?
You can make a layer cake with this recipe as well. I found that hot water gives the cake a better texture, so I am using hot water in this recipe instead of buttermilk. Thanks
Hi Veena..
May I know the size of the loaf pan… would love to bake this today.
Hey Sharon. I used a 9 x 3 1/2 pyrex glass loaf pan. But around that size should be ok.
Thank you… I’m trying it right now .. too excited…
Let me know how it was.
I love ginger cake – with all those spices this would be perfect for bonfire night.
Absolutely, Helen. Perfect for bonfire night.
I can just imagine our kitchen smelling so wonderful with this in the oven! It’s so perfect for fall and the holidays. Does this freeze well?
Yes, Jolina. The aroma in the house with gingerbread is amazing.