Gingerbread Cake

5 from 2 votes

This flavorful homemade gingerbread cake combines warm spices along with the irresistible taste of molasses before being iced with a made-from-scratch cream cheese frosting.

Prep Time15

Cook Time28

Chill Time30

Total Time1 13

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Gingerbread Cake, Gingerbread Cake Recipe

Servings:

Calories: 1010kcal

Ingredients

Cake

2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon allspice
1 ¼ cups sour cream
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
½ cup canola oil
½ cup molasses
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ cup very hot water

Frosting

12 ounces block style cream cheese, room temperature
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
7 to 8 cups powdered sugar, sifted (start with 7 cups, adding more as needed for desired consistency)
2 - to teaspoons heavy cream, start with 2 teaspoons then add the additional 1 teaspoon if needed for smooth and fluffy consistency
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

Cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick baker’s spray, line with parchment paper and set aside.
Sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground cloves and allspice in a medium bowl. Set aside.
To a large mixing bowl add the sour cream, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, unsalted butter, canola oil, molasses, eggs, and vanilla extract. Using a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, beat the wet ingredients together until fully combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients, mix on medium-low speed just until combined.
With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the hot water mixing just until fully incorporated and the batter is smooth.
Divide the batter evenly between the three prepared 8-inch cake pans.
Bake in the center of the preheated oven for 28 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or just a couple moist crumbs.
Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 8 to 10 minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack. Remove the parchment paper from the bottoms of the cakes and allow them to cool completely. Once the cakes are completely cooled, use a serrated knife to level the tops if needed before frosting.

Frosting

To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the cream cheese, unsalted butter, light brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and salt. Beat for 1 to 2 minutes or until light, fluffy and no lumps remain. Scrape down the bowl and paddle as needed to ensure all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly add 7 cups powdered sugar until fully incorporated. Add 2 teaspoons of heavy cream and vanilla extract, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat for another 2-3 minutes or until the frosting is light and fluffy. If your frosting is too loose, you can add additional powdered sugar, ¼ cup at a time until thick enough to hold its shape if piped. If the frosting is too thick, you can loosen it by adding an additional 1 teaspoon of heavy cream to the mixture. Be sure to beat the frosting after each addition until smooth and fluffy, scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed to ensure all the ingredients are well incorporated.
Place the first cake layer onto a large serving plate. Add approximately ½ to ¾ cup frosting to the layer and smooth to the edges.
Add the second cake layer, add approximately ½ to ¾ cup frosting, and smooth to the edges, then place the third cake layer on top. Add a thin coat of frosting to the top and sides of the cake.
Refrigerate the cake for 30 to 40 minutes to firm up the frosting layers. Once the frosting is chilled enough to hold its place on the cake layers, frost the sides and top of the cake with the remaining frosting. If adding additional piped frosting to decorate the top of the cake, you can do so prior to slicing and serving.

Notes

This recipe makes enough frosting to frost an 8-inch round, 3-layer cake. If you want to pipe on decorative dollops around the edges of the cake, you may want to increase the recipe by half. This will yield more than enough to frost and decorate your cake.
If your cake layers are slightly domed after baking, use a long serrated knife to carefully level the tops of each cake layer if needed before stacking and frosting. This will ensure nice even layers when frosting and slicing your cake.

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