Gingerbread Cake Recipe (with Caramel Sauce!)

This gingerbread cake recipe is so yummy!  This moist cake is the perfect dessert for the holiday season or anytime!!! 

If you’ve never made a gingerbread recipe you are going to be so surprised just how easy it is to make!  This is the kind of cake your family will absolutely love!  It’s a great recipe to keep in your back pocket the next time you’re looking for a last minute dessert idea!!

The perfect pairing for this yummy cake is caramel sauce.  A little whipped cream or vanilla ice cream pairs well also!

When I think about Christmas baking I think about making treats as a little girl with my mom.  I’d be standing on a chair next to the pulled out bread board where she mixed up the dough.  There was always a dough made with molasses.  And she always let me have a little taste of sweet, dark molasses as we made gingerbread houses, gingerbread men and gingerbread cookies, even gingerbread cupcakes with swirls of cream cheese frosting. 

There’s something about the taste and smell of gingerbread that always transports me back to the Christmas season when I was a little girl and baking with my mom!  Gosh, I miss her…

Post contains affiliate links and we earn commissions if you shop through the links on this page. For more information please read the disclaimer on the Privacy Policy page.

Ingredients in the Gingerbread Recipe

I’m willing to bet you have most of the ingredients for this recipe already in your pantry!

The only ingredient that you may not have on hand is molasses.  You’ll need ½ cup of molasses for this delicious dessert. 

I like to use Brer Rabbit full flavor molasses in my baking.  It’ll say unsulfured molasses on the label too.  It’s probably because this is the molasses I remember my mom using.  But mild flavor molasses would work great too, and there are several different brands of molasses you could try. 

What is molasses? 

Molasses is a very thick, flavorful syrup that can be used as a sweetener. Molasses is much thicker than maple syrup.  Have you ever heard the phrase “slower than molasses”?  When you pour it to measure you’ll know where this phrase comes from.  It is thick!

It is a byproduct of the sugar-making process, coming from crushed sugar cane or sugar beets.

During the first step of the sugar-making process manufacturers crush sugar cane or sugar beets to extract the juice. They then boil down the juice to form sugar crystals. Molasses is the thick, brown syrup left over after they remove the crystals from the juice. 

Manufacturers repeat this process several times, and each time, a different type of molasses is produced. 

Basically there are three different types of molasses:  light, dark, and blackstrap molasses.  The different types of molasses vary in flavor, consistency, color, and the amount of sugar they contain.

Light Molasses

This is the thick syrup by-product produced during first boiling stage of making sugar. Of the three types of molasses it is lightest in color and sweetest in taste. Light Molasses a most common type of molasses used in baking.

Dark Molasses

This thick syrup by-product is produced during the second boiling stage of making sugar. It is thicker, darker, a bit less sweet and with a stronger flavor than light molasses. It is used in baking, but because of its richer flavor and darkness it lends foods a distinct color and flavor. 

Personally, dark molasses is my preferred type of molasses to bake with.  I love this robust molasses with its rich flavor and beautiful dark sheen.  I think it’s the perfect molasses to use in gingerbread recipes!!

Blackstrap Molasses

This thick syrup by-product is produced during the third boiling stage of making refined sugar. It is the thickest and darkest type of molasses, and it tends to have a bitter taste.    It has a more bitter taste than light molasses or dark molasses.  You’ll find it on grocery store shelves too, but only use it if you already know the type of flavor you want your baking to produce.

All the other ingredients…

You’ll need 6 tablespoon unsalted butter softened to room temperature, 2/3 cup brown sugar, 1 egg, ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract, and 2/3 cup boiling hot water.

The dry ingredients in this easy recipe include 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg. 

If you don’t already have these common spices in your spice rack you’ll want to purchase them. I use the spices all the time!!

Mixing and Baking the Gingerbread Cake

The prep time to make this yummy cake is only about 10 minutes or so.  It’s super quick to mix together!

If you like bundt cakes you can double the recipe and use a bundt pan for this one!  Otherwise, use an 8-inch square baking pan.  Either way, you’ll need to grease the pan to prepare it for the gingerbread batter! 

I like to use a little shortening to grease the pan with, but you could also use vegetable oil or non-stick cooking spray.

Another alternative to prepare the pan would be to line it with parchment paper.  This way you could lift out the entire cake and transfer it to the cutting board when you’re ready to cut it.

Preheat the oven to 325° F. and place the wire rack in the center of the oven.

In a medium bowl add in the dry ingredients.  Use a fork to combine this flour mixture.  Set this separate bowl of the dry mixture aside.

• 

• 

In a large bowl place the softened butter and brown sugar.  Stir these two ingredients together until they’re all creamy and dreamy!

• 

• 

Stir in the molasses.

• 

• 

Add the egg and the vanilla to the creamy molasses mixture.  Stir this wet mixture together until it’s combined well. 

• 

• 

If you’re using an electric mixer rather than stirring by hand you’ll want to use the high speed to get all the ingredients mixed together well.

Then, either stirring by hand or using the low speed on the mixer, add in the dry ingredients about 1/3 at a time.  Make sure to use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl as you’re mixing.

• 

• 

Slowly add boiling hot water about 1/3 at a time, stirring in well after each addition.

• 

• 

Bake the Cake

Pour batter into prepared pan. 

Bake cake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven, just until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  You want to make sure you don’t overbake it or you’ll end up with a dry cake!

Serve warm with caramel sauce, whipped cream, or your favorite tangy cream cheese frosting on top of the cake!

If your family doesn’t eat the whole thing, and you want to store leftovers for the next day, store the cake in the pan covered with plastic wrap.  You can also remove the cake from the pan and store it in an airtight container.

Caramel Sauce

The caramel sauce is super easy to make, and adds just the perfect amount of sweetness to finish off this dessert!!

To make the caramel sauce you’ll need a small saucepan and some simple ingredients. 

This recipe calls for 1 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup heavy cream, a pinch of salt, and 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract.  Place all ingredients in the saucepan.

Over medium heat melt all the ingredients together, stirring.  Once the mixture begins to bubble up reduce the temperature to low heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. 

That’s it!  This is such an easy caramel sauce recipe you’re sure to get great results every time!!

Pour caramel sauce over warm cake and serve!  Don’t be afraid to add a dollop of whipped cream to the very tip top!!

This gingerbread cake dessert pairs well as a finishing touch to any meal. Try it paired with Chicken Lombardy or Pork Chops and Gravy!

Enjoy!!!