This Old-Fashioned Gingerbread Cake has been a staple on Christmas tables for generations! It’s light, fluffy and warmly spiced for an easy dessert recipe that you can make in advance. With a dollop of whipped cream or a dusting of powdered sugar, this simple treat is a perfectly festive addition to any holiday spread.
You can’t beat the nostalgia or the taste of classic gingerbread cake! This seasonal flavor is loved around the world, and can be found in a variety of baked goods. Gingerbread can refer to anything from a crunchy cut-out cookie to a soft, moist cake. The holiday treat is typically flavored with ginger, cloves, cinnamon or nutmeg, and is sweetened with honey, sugar or molasses.
European settlers originally brought gingerbread to the Americas, and recipes in our country date back to at least 1796 when Amelia Simmons published seven different types of gingerbread in her cookbook, American Cookery (source).
How to make Gingerbread Cake without Molasses:
I love recipes that are native to our home state of Virginia, so I turned to The Colonial Williamsburg Tavern Cookbook when creating this old-fashioned recipe. I’ve kept the recipe almost exactly the same as the original, with the exception of a few tweaks to the seasoning (less ginger, adding cloves, a touch more salt). While gingerbread is often made with molasses, it can also be sweetened with sugar or honey. This traditional Williamsburg version is made without molasses, and instead is sweetened with dark brown sugar.
The end result is a Christmas gingerbread cake with all of the warm spices and flavor that you love, with a lighter, fluffier crumb. The super moist gingerbread cake is not as dense as other recipes that call for molasses, so I find that it’s the best of both worlds!
Ingredients:
- Butter
- Milk
- Dark brown sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda and baking powder
- Ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt
- Egg
The process for making this cake is very similar to making a quick bread: combine the wet ingredients in a saucepan, add them to the sifted dry ingredients in a large bowl, and then stir to combine.
Bake the cake in a 350 degree F oven for about 25-30 minutes, or just until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
How to serve Gingerbread Cake:
There are a variety of ways to top the gingerbread, so here are a few options to get you started:
- A dusting of powdered sugar
- A dollop of whipped cream (add grated lemon peel to the whipped cream for a bright, fresh touch)
- A lemon glaze made with powdered sugar, milk and fresh lemon juice
- Cream cheese frosting (we love this recipe)
- Lemon sauce (like the one in this recipe)
Cook’s Tips and Recipe Variations:
- Be careful not to over-mix the batter. Stir just until combined, but no more. Over-mixing the batter can cause the cake to become tough and dry.
- Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days.
- To extend the life of your cake, you can freeze the gingerbread (before adding any powdered sugar, whipped cream or glaze) for up to 3 months.
- Make sure that you allow the butter mixture to cool sufficiently before adding the egg (or you’ll end up with a scrambled egg!).
- I do not recommend substituting light brown sugar for the dark brown sugar in this recipe. While the two are normally interchangeable in most recipes, the dark brown sugar gives this gingerbread the classic color and rich taste that you expect (and it’s especially important since you’re not using molasses).
- This cake has a relatively mild ginger flavor. If you prefer a stronger, spicier cake, add up to 1 tablespoon of ground ginger.
More old-fashioned Christmas recipes that you might enjoy:
- Old-Fashioned Williamsburg Gingerbread Cookies
- 3-Ingredient Scottish Shortbread Cookies
- Virginia Oyster Stew
- Old-Fashioned Cranberry Apple Crisp
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Old-Fashioned Gingerbread Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger (or up to 1 tablespoon for a stronger flavor)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- Optional, for serving: powdered sugar; whipped cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch square cake pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper. Spray the parchment with cooking spray as well, and then set aside.
- In a small saucepan, combine the butter and milk. Heat over medium-high, just until the butter is melted and bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Whisk in the brown sugar until dissolved. Remove from the heat and cool.
- In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt.
- Stir the egg into the cooled butter mixture.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the butter mixture. Stir just until a smooth batter forms, being careful not to over-mix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing and serving.
- Dust cooled cake with powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream, if desired.
Notes
- Be careful not to over-mix the batter. Stir just until combined, but no more. Over-mixing the batter can cause the cake to become tough and dry.
- Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days.
- To extend the life of your cake, you can freeze the gingerbread (before adding any powdered sugar, whipped cream or glaze) for up to 3 months.
- Make sure that you allow the butter mixture to cool sufficiently before adding the egg (or you’ll end up with a scrambled egg!).
- I do not recommend substituting light brown sugar for the dark brown sugar in this recipe. While the two are normally interchangeable in most recipes, the brown sugar gives this gingerbread the classic color and rich taste that you expect (and it’s especially important since you’re not using molasses).
- This cake has a relatively mild ginger flavor. If you prefer a stronger, spicier cake, add up to 1 tablespoon of ground ginger.
- Top the gingerbread with any of the following delicious options:
- A dusting of powdered sugar
- A dollop of whipped cream (add grated lemon peel to the whipped cream for a bright, fresh touch)
- A lemon glaze made with powdered sugar, milk and fresh lemon juice
- Cream cheese frosting (we love this recipe)
- Lemon sauce (like the one in this recipe)
Nutrition
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First of all, thank you for sharing this recipe. After trying it, I can safely say that this cake will be a Christmas day dessert for many years to come!
Second, I made a few substitutions that I think some might find helpful.
1. I used light brown sugar, instead of dark, BUT I added a tablespoon of honey to the butter and milk mixture.
2. I used 1/2 tsp of nutmeg and 1/2 tsp of allspice instead of cloves.
3. I also bumped up the cinnamon to 2 tsp and the ginger to 2 1/2 tsp.
I have bought cloves and dark brown sugar maybe once each in the last 10 years, and I really didn’t want more pantry items that had to have a chopped moment because they rarely get used.
Also, thank you for this site and it’s incredible collection.
That’s awesome, Christopher! I’m so glad that you made the recipe work with the ingredients that you had on hand. Thanks for taking the time to leave the helpful note! 🙂
As I cannot edit my post I must clarify that I added they honey along with the light brown sugar after the butter and milk had been melted together.
This recipe was crazy delicious!! Really moist, fluffy and tasty.
I served it with some homemade butterscotch sauce and a dollop of whipped cream. I added a lot more ginger (freshly grated, 1.5 tablespoon), 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of cloves. IMO this was the perfect combination of spices.
Your version sounds perfect, Divya! I’m so glad that you made it your own and enjoyed it. 🙂
Thank you for this! I paired it with cream cheese frosting and it’s everything!
Thanks, Dianne! I’m sure it was absolutely delicious with the frosting! 🙂
Hey!
I was a little sceptical after seeing the amount of baking soda used (thanks to my tragic experiences with it) but I put my faith in you and it turned out WONDERFUL!
In fact, I substituted the brown sugar with white sugar once and still it turned out well. The only issue is that my cake takes 35-40 minutes to make, at the same temperature.
But the is recipe is delicious, beautiful and super easy. Thank you❤
Thanks, Tanya! I’m glad that you enjoyed it! 🙂
Good Day,
Would this work baked in a small, glass anchor loaf pan that measures 5 x 9 and is 1.5 quarts?
Hi, Rhonda! I’m honestly not sure. I typically use an 8-inch square pan that’s 2 quarts, so there might be too much batter for the small loaf pan. Worst case scenario, you could use any extra batter to make a muffin or two! 🙂
I’m new to baking and I’m confused by the amount of baking soda since there doesn’t seem to be much acid in the recipe. The dark brown sugar contains some molasses which is acidic. I noticed that the original recipe called for molasses instead of dark brown sugar. What amount of molasses would you substitute for the dark sugar?
Hi, Bobby! I haven’t tested this recipe with molasses, so I don’t know exactly how it will turn out (or what the substitute should be). Molasses has such a different texture than brown sugar, so it will impact the texture of the cake. I would stick with the dark brown sugar as listed, or just experiment with a similar amount of molasses. I just can’t promise the same result, since I haven’t tried that myself. 🙂
This was excellent! I upped the ginger and cinnamon, as suggested, but I like a lot of spice. I used light brown sugar and added about a tablespoon of molasses, which worked really well. I also used dairy-free “butter” with no issues. Thank you for this!
Sounds perfect, Kate. Thank you!
NIce sponge added fresh ginger to liven it up!!
Thank you, Jeanette!
I‘M looking forward to trying this recipe. In the country I live in, we cannot get dark brown sugar. I can get ground piloncillo though, also known as Mexican brown sugar. Do you think that would work or could I use light brown sugar?
We think that would work! Or, you can turn your light brown sugar into dark brown sugar by adding molasses if you can get that. Hope this helps!
I’m so glad I found this recipe, because it’s a winner! Double the spices and follow the recipe step by step for a delicate, lightly moist and flavorful treat. I will gladly share this recipe with many baker friends and family.
We’re so glad you found it, too! Thank you for the feedback and for sharing the recipe, Laura. We hope you continue to enjoy others on the site!
I had my doubts about this recipe. Softened butter when it’s going to be melted didn’t make sense to me. BUT, this recipe absolutely came out beautifully! I used regular brown sugar and only about 3/4c, a tbsp of ginger and used half n half cuz that’s what I had. I also baked it in a 9×5 load pan. While it took much longer to bake, around 45min, it still came out fluffy, moist and very flavorful. I could have cut the sugar in half though. The crispy edges and the fluffy middle is delicious!! Thank you!!
Thanks, Renee. I’m so glad that it was a hit. I appreciate you taking the time to leave me a note!
Made it following the recipe but I used organic brown sugar, and I didn’t allow the butter/milk/brown sugar mixture to cool down enough because of time constraints so I tempered the egg and added it back into the mixture.
The cake was a bit dry and crumbly. My oven is ‘special’ so I always start at the lowest time. I baked the cake 25 minutes, but with my oven that was too long. But the flavor was very nice. Mild, but pleasant. We served with warm sweetened cream on top and let it soak into the cake for a few minutes. This is just something my family does after having gingerbread cake at an event where the whipped cream on top melted because the cake was still warm.
I used measuring cups/spoons for everything except the flour, which I measured 180grams for those that are curious.
This morning I made the cake again. This time I used the brown sugar that has the molasses added. I let the butter/sugar/brown sugar mixture cool. I had it on a cooling rack, but it was taking a long time. I have heavy saucepans. So, I put about an inch of cool water in my sink, put the pan in there and stirred the mixture until cooled, but didn’t firm. I beat an egg into a separate bowl and then whisked it into the sugar mixture.
I mixed the dry ingredients, but doubled the ginger, cinnamon and cloves.
I used a folding method for mixing so that I didn’t over mix the batter. The first time I’d used a whisk and I think that might have overbeat the batter.
I baked it at 22 minutes, but it was still not done in the center so I checked it at 1 minute intervals until it was done, total 24 minutes.
I then let it cool for 10 minutes in the pan, removed it from the pan and let it cool on a cooling rack.
The second time worked like a charm. It is moist, very flavorful and has that holiday spice you expect from gingerbread, but it is not overwhelming.
I used grass fed butter, and Fairlife filtered whole milk, which I have found works so much better in recipes.
The first time, the organic brown sugar didn’t have the moisture content that the cheaper variety does.
I do want to make it again using Okinawan sugar because it’s sugar in its purist form with the natural molasses still present. If I do, i will review those results.
If you follow the instructions, double the spices and check it at 24 minutes, you will probably have wonderful results.
But even with the mistakes I made the first time, the cake was still delicious.
Oh, did I mention that I do not like cake? Gingerbread is one of the few cakes I actually enjoy and this recipe was simple with a lovely outcome. But definitely follow the instructions.
Thank you for such helpful feedback, Debbi. I’m so glad that you enjoyed the cake — even as a non-cake lover! 🙂