Gingerbread Cake Recipe
This soft, moist, old-fashioned Gingerbread Cake recipe is packed with molasses, warm spices, and topped with cream cheese frosting. A simple 13x9 holiday favorite!
Servings: 24 servings
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup molasses
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
For the Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon allspice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13x9 baking dish with baking spray, or use my homemade cake release.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together applesauce, oil, vanilla extract, and molasses. Add in flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. Mix until fully combined.
- Pour batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake cake for 33-35 minutes, until edges begin to lightly brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool completely before adding the frosting.
- For the frosting, beat cream cheese with butter for at least 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add in vanilla, powdered sugar, and allspice. Beat for an additional 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy. Spreak frosting over cooled cake.
Notes
- Cover cake with plastic wrap and keep cake stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- Freeze cake for up to 3 months.
- Molasses- choose an unsulfured molasses. It has the smoothest flavor. I prefer Grandmas Original for best flavor.
- See blog post for more tips and tricks and pictures showing how to make the cake.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 210kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.05g | Sodium: 133mg | Potassium: 129mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 4IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1mg
