Old Fashioned Gingerbread Cake

Gingerbread cake is the ultimate cozy dessert that fills your kitchen with the most incredible warm spices! This easy to make cake has a tender crumb, deep molasses flavor, and just the right amount of ginger and cinnamon to make every bite feel like a warm hug. Whether you’re serving it for the holidays or just because, this classic cake never disappoints.

Love More Gingerbread Recipes? Try My Gingerbread Truffles or this Gingerbread cheesecake cookies next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Warm spices, rich molasses, and a tender crumb make this Gingerbread Cake a cozy holiday favorite. Each bite is full of comforting sweetness and festive flavor. Perfect with a dusting of powdered sugar or a dollop of whipped cream.

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Ingredient List

For the Cake

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• ⅔ cup unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1¼ teaspoons baking soda
• 1¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1¼ teaspoons ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ⅔ cup hot brewed coffee (or hot water)

For Serving

• Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Optional Toppings

• Whipped cream
• Butter-based hard sauce (often with lemon flavoring)
• Applesauce

Substitution Notes: If you don’t have coffee on hand, hot water works perfectly fine! The liquid helps create that incredibly moist texture. For the molasses, make sure you’re using unsulphured—blackstrap molasses is too bitter for this recipe.

Why These Ingredients Work

The softened butter creates a tender crumb and helps trap air when creamed with the sugars, giving the cake a light texture despite its dense, moist nature. The combination of granulated and brown sugar adds sweetness while the brown sugar contributes moisture and a subtle caramel note.

Unsulphured molasses is the star here—it provides that signature gingerbread flavor with deep, rich sweetness and keeps the cake incredibly moist for days. The blend of warm spices (cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and cloves) creates that classic gingerbread taste without any single spice overpowering the others.

Here’s the secret: hot coffee intensifies the chocolate-like depth of the molasses and makes the batter thinner, which results in an incredibly moist, tender cake. The baking soda reacts with the acidic molasses to help the cake rise beautifully.

Essential Tools and Equipment

• 9-inch square baking pan
• Parchment paper
• Electric mixer (hand or stand mixer)
• Two mixing bowls (one large, one medium)
• Whisk
• Rubber spatula or wooden spoon
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Toothpick for testing doneness

How To Make Gingerbread Cake

Preheat and Prep

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper, letting it hang over the edges for easy removal later. This makes cleanup a breeze and ensures your cake won’t stick!

Cream Butter and Sugars

In your mixing bowl, cream the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes. You want it creamy, smooth, and noticeably lighter in color. Beat in the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated, then add the molasses and mix until everything is beautifully combined.

Combine Dry Ingredients

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, allspice, and cloves. Make sure these spices are evenly distributed—this is what gives every bite consistent flavor!

Mix Dry into Wet

Add your dry ingredients to the wet mixture in two increments, mixing gently after each addition until just combined. Don’t overmix! You want to see no dry streaks, but stop as soon as everything comes together.

Add Hot Coffee

Heat your brewed coffee until it’s steaming hot. Now here’s the trick: start by stirring the hot coffee into the batter with a wooden spoon or spatula to avoid splashes, then switch to your electric mixer once it’s incorporated. The batter will become quite thin—this is exactly what you want! Mix until everything is evenly combined.

Bake

Pour the gingerbread batter into your prepared pan and smooth out the top with a spatula. Pop it onto the middle rack of your oven and bake for 35-40 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.

Cool and Serve

Let the gingerbread cool completely in the pan before slicing. Once cooled, dust generously with confectioners’ sugar for a beautiful finish. Cut into 9 squares and serve!

You Must Know

Room temperature matters: Your butter and eggs should be at room temperature before you start. Cold butter won’t cream properly, and cold eggs can cause the batter to separate. Take them out of the fridge about an hour before baking.

Don’t skip the hot coffee: I know it sounds unusual, but the hot liquid is crucial for creating that incredibly moist, tender crumb. Hot water works too, but coffee adds an extra layer of depth that makes this cake special.

Personal Secret: I always make this cake a day ahead. Gingerbread actually gets better as it sits, the spices meld together and the texture becomes even more tender and moist. Just wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

Use a light hand when mixing once you add the flour. Overmixing develops gluten and makes the cake tough instead of tender. Mix until you just don’t see any white streaks.

Line your pan with parchment paper that overhangs the edges—this creates “handles” that make lifting the cake out foolproof. No more broken corners or stuck edges!

Check your spices before baking. Old spices lose their potency, and fresh ground spices make a world of difference in gingerbread. If your spices are more than a year old, it’s time to replace them.

Common mistake to avoid: Using blackstrap molasses. It’s too bitter and strong for this recipe. Always use unsulphured molasses (sometimes labeled as “mild” or “original”).

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

Orange Gingerbread: Add 1 tablespoon of orange zest to the batter and replace ⅓ cup of the coffee with fresh orange juice for a bright, citrusy twist.

Chocolate Gingerbread: Fold in ½ cup of chocolate chips after adding the coffee. The chocolate complements the spices beautifully!

Crystallized Ginger: Chop up 2-3 tablespoons of crystallized ginger and fold it into the batter for extra ginger punch and chewy texture.

Nutty Gingerbread: Toast ½ cup of chopped pecans or walnuts and fold them into the batter for added crunch.

Cream Cheese Frosting: Skip the confectioners’ sugar and top with a tangy cream cheese frosting for an extra-special presentation.

Make-Ahead Options

This gingerbread is perfect for making ahead! In fact, it’s one of those magical cakes that actually improves with time. Bake it up to 2 days in advance, let it cool completely, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature. The flavors deepen and the texture becomes even more tender.

To freeze, wrap the cooled cake (whole or sliced) in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature for a few hours before serving.

If you want to dust it with confectioners’ sugar, wait until just before serving—the sugar will absorb moisture if added too early.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

The batter will be quite thin after adding the hot coffee—don’t worry! This thin batter is what creates the incredibly moist texture. A thick batter would result in a dry, dense cake.

This cake is best served at room temperature or slightly warm. If you want to serve it warm, pop individual slices in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds.

The edges will be slightly darker and more set than the center, which is normal. The center should still have a bit of give when you gently press it—that’s what keeps it moist!

Serving Suggestions

This gingerbread cake is wonderful on its own with just a dusting of confectioners’ sugar, but it truly shines with the right accompaniments. A big dollop of fresh whipped cream is my go-to—the light, airy cream balances the rich, spiced cake perfectly.

For a more traditional approach, serve it with lemon-flavored hard sauce. The bright citrus cuts through the molasses sweetness beautifully. Warm applesauce on the side is another classic pairing that adds fruity sweetness without being too heavy.

Serve it as an afternoon treat with hot tea or coffee, or make it the star of your holiday dessert table. It’s also perfect for brunch—cut into smaller squares and arrange on a platter with other breakfast treats.

How to Store Your Gingerbread Cake

Store the cooled gingerbread cake at room temperature, covered tightly with plastic wrap or in an airtight container, for up to 4 days. The cake stays incredibly moist and actually tastes better on day two!

For longer storage, refrigerate for up to 1 week. Just bring it back to room temperature before serving for the best texture and flavor.

To freeze, wrap individual slices or the whole cake tightly in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for 2-3 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

If you’ve added whipped cream or frosting, store in the refrigerator and consume within 3 days.

Allergy Information

Contains: Dairy (butter), eggs, gluten (wheat flour)

Dairy-free option: Replace the butter with equal amounts of coconut oil or dairy-free butter. The texture will be slightly different but still delicious!

Egg-free option: Use flax eggs (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water per egg, let sit for 5 minutes). The cake will be slightly denser.

Gluten-free option: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend with xanthan gum. Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur work great. Add an extra 2 tablespoons of liquid if the batter seems too thick.

Nut-free: This recipe is naturally nut-free unless you add optional toppings or variations.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Can I use blackstrap molasses instead of regular molasses?

I don’t recommend it! Blackstrap molasses is much more bitter and intense. It’ll overpower the other flavors and make your cake taste almost medicinal. Stick with unsulphured (mild) molasses for the best results.

Why is my gingerbread cake dry?

This usually happens from overbaking or using too much flour. Make sure you’re measuring your flour correctly—spoon it into the measuring cup and level it off, don’t pack it down. Also, check your cake at 35 minutes. Ovens vary, and yours might run hot!

Do I have to use coffee? I don’t drink it!

Not at all! Hot water works perfectly fine. The coffee just adds a subtle depth that enhances the molasses and spices, but you won’t miss it if you use water instead. The cake will still be absolutely delicious.

My cake sank in the middle—what happened?

This usually means the oven temperature was too low or the cake wasn’t baked long enough. Make sure your oven is fully preheated to 350°F (use an oven thermometer to verify!), and don’t open the oven door during the first 30 minutes of baking.

💬 Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below! I’d love to hear how your gingerbread cake turned out and what toppings you loved best.