Best Gingerbread Cake Recipe

This Gingerbread Cake Recipe is kissed with the warm spices of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. Dark rum and molasses are what give this moist cake its rich, robust flavor. A surprise treat is candied ginger bits that are scattered throughout the batter. A classic holiday dessert topped with cream cheese frosting that is sure to please your guests during Christmastime get-togethers. 

The Best Gingerbread Cake Recipe

At first glance, layered cakes can feel a little frightening but, the truth of the matter, they are way less complicated than you might initially think. Actually, they are quite simple if you know the tricks. I’ll take you through the journey of slicing, layering, and frosting this “easier-than-you-think” Gingerbread Cake. A few other really yummy layered cakes are Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake and a Pumpkin Spice Layer Cake. 

Ingredients for Gingerbread Cake

For the Gingerbread Cake

• Dark Rum. I’ve seen some recipes call for a stout Guinness which works just as well. 
• Fancy-Grade Molasses. Fancy-grade is milder molasses which is what you need in this recipe.
• Baking Soda. This is mixed with the heated rum and molasses. Be careful though, it can easily foam over the pan. 
• All-Purpose Flour.
• Baking Powder. This is a leavening agent that causes the batter to rise and lightens the texture of the cake.
• Ground Spices. Ginger, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Cardamom. The combination of these four spices is the perfect blending for a  true gingerbread batter. 
• Kosher Salt. Salt balances out the sweetness of baked goods and enhances the flavor of the other ingredients.
• Large Eggs. Eggs in cakes help build volume, thicken and emulsify the finished product.
• Buttermilk. This brings a slight tang in flavor and is a tenderizer that makes for a moist cake. 
• Sugars. Granulated White Sugar obviously provides the sweetness in this cake. Dark Brown Sugar creates a slight taste of toffee or caramel. 
• Canola Oil. Cakes made with oil (instead of butter) tend to bake up with more height and stay moist and tender for longer periods of time. 
• Candied Ginger. This is my secret ingredient that adds chewy little nuggets of strong yet sweet ginger flavor throughout the layers of cake. 

For Cream Cheese Frosting

• Cream Cheese. This adds a tinge of tanginess that balances out the sweetness of the powdered sugar. 
• Butter. The fats in the butter help to thicken the cream cheese frosting. It also adds a rich creamy taste. 
• Powdered Sugar. Powdered Sugar is great because it dissolves quickly and it produces a smooth consistency for the frosting. 
• Vanilla Extract. If at all possible, grab a bottle of “pour” vanilla extract. It is a little more expensive but the taste in this frosting is distinctly superior. 
• Nutmeg. Adding nutmeg to this frosting creates a nice complement to the spice in the gingerbread cake. You can use ground or fresh nutmeg.
• Gingersnap Cookies. These are purely optional as a garnishment but they do add a fun flair to the look of the finished cake. 

How to make Gingerbread Cake from Scratch

• Prepare the Round Cake Pans. Lay a round 9-inch cake pan on top of parchment paper. Use a marker to trace around the bottom of the pan onto the paper. Cut two round pieces to fit in the bottom of the cake pans. Spray the inside of each pan with cooking spray then lay the parchment paper in the bottom of the pans. 

• Heat the dark rum and molasses together in a medium saucepan. Bring these to a boil and remove the pan from the heat. Add baking soda slowly one teaspoon at a time and whisk quickly. Be careful though because the baking soda causes the liquids to foam up and can foam over the pan if it is added too quickly. Set the pan aside and cool to room temperature. 

• Combine the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt. 

• Whisk together the wet ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine room-temperature large eggs, room-temperature buttermilk, dark brown sugar and white sugar, along with the canola oil. Whisk until completely combined. Add the rum and molasses mixture and whisk until fully incorporated. 

• Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ones. Gradually and gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ones only until everything is combined. Be careful not to overmix. Fold in the chopped candied ginger. 

• Pour the batter into the prepared round cake pans. Fill the pans to 3/4 full instead of the normal 2/3 full. This gives you a really nice and tall layered cake when the baked cakes are horizontally sliced. If you are using 8-inch pans, you will have extra batter that can be made into cupcakes.

• Bake at 350°F on the middle rack of the oven for 40-45 minutes. Because oven temperatures vary, it is best to test the doneness by inserting a toothpick in the middle. If it comes out clean with a few crumbs hanging on, the cakes are ready to remove from the oven. 
• Let the cakes sit in the pans for 10 minutes before removing. Run a butter knife or an offset spatula around the rim of the cakes to loosen them from the edges. Cover the cake with a wire baking rack and carefully turn it over to remove it from the pan. Remove the parchment paper and let the cakes completely cool before cutting horizontally. 

How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting

• Beat softened cream cheese and butter together until light and fluffy. 
• Add the powdered sugar. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar, two cups at a time until smooth.
• Add the vanilla and nutmeg and continue beating until everything is combined. 

How to Assemble the Cake Layers

• Slice the baked cakes horizontally. First slice the dome from the cake with a long serrated knife. Discard the dome tops. Measure up from the bottom of each cake to find the middle then slice horizontally around until you have two halves. If you have a lazy Susan, it helps so much to turn the cake while slicing. 

• Frost between the layers. Layer one of the bottom sections onto a cake platter and frost with about one cup of frosting. Continue adding and frosting each layer except the top one. Turn the second “bottom” layer upside down to make the top of the cake. 

• Create a crumb barrier. When you get to the fourth layer, frost the entire cake with a thin layer of frosting. Set the cake in the freezer for 20 minutes. 

• Remove from the freezer and frost both the top and the sides of the layered cake. I garnished the Gingerbread cake with store-bought Gingersnap cookies.

Tips for this Ginger Cake Recipe

• Use fancy or unsulfured molasse instead of the blackstrap kind. Blackstrap is too stout and will overpower the other ingredients. 
• Start with room-temperature buttermilk and eggs. Pull these two ingredients out of the fridge about 30 minutes before starting. 
• If you do not have buttermilk, you can make your own. Add one tablespoon of vinegar into a cup measurer. Fill the cup with whole milk and gently stir. Let it set for 10 minutes. Another substitute is 3/4 cup of sour cream mixed with 1/4 cup of whole milk. 
• Be careful to not overmix the batter otherwise it can create a tough and gummy cake. 
• Avoid overbaking. When the cake is done it will begin to pull away from the sides. Keep a close eye on it when coming to the end of its baking time and check every couple of minutes. It is done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean with a few crumbs hanging on. 
• These can be made into cupcakes. The baking time will be much shorter, anywhere from 18-21 minutes. Frost them with the same frosting recipe. 
• A lazy Susan works great to horizontally slice the layers. Use a long serrated knife and saw back and forth while turning the turn-table. A lazy susan works great when you are frosting the cake as well. 
• Make sure and use softened cream cheese and butter for the frosting. This alleviates lumps in the frosting. 
• Use pieces of parchment paper under the cake when frosting it. Lay three triangle strips of parchment paper to cover a cake plate. Then place the cake layers on top as you frost the cake. When finished, pull each piece of paper out. This will ensure a nice clean cake plate. 
• An offset spatula is one of the best tools for frosting a cake. It creates a nice smooth finish.

Can this ginger cake be made ahead of time?

Yes and actually the flavors of cake intensify a day or two after you make it. Bake and slice the cake layers. Wrap each one with plastic wrap and then again with foil. They will stay fresh at room temperature. Make the frosting a day or two ahead and store it in the refrigerator. When ready to frost the ginger cake, beat the frosting again until it is light and fluffy. 

How to Store Gingerbread Cake

Because of the cream cheese frosting, this layered gingerbread cake will need to be refrigerated. It will last for up to five days. After that, it will begin to dry out. You can also freeze the cake whole or as individual pieces. Place in the freezer for about an hour until it is nice and frozen. Wrap in plastic wrap and then again in foil. This will store in the freezer for three months. 

I love this festive layered gingerbread cake because it is exactly what my Christmas table needs to add some extra holiday cheer this year. 

More Holiday Dessert Recipes

Puff Pastry Apple Galette

Pumpkin Spice Layered Cake

Chocolate Raspberry Layered Cake

Peanut Butter Cookies

Cherry Cheesecake

Pumpkin Cake Roll

Classic Creme Brulee

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