Classic Gingerbread Cake Recipe
I positively love the flavor of ginger. Whether it’s pickled ginger with sushi, ginger ale (mint ginger ale is a favorite variety of mine), candied ginger or ultimate ginger cookies, if it has ginger in it, there’s a 99.9% chance I’m going to love it. Which is why it’s so shocking (and wrong) that up until this week, I had never made a proper gingerbread cake for the holidays. Molasses, ginger, beer, and spice – what’s not to love?! Turns out, absolutely nothing. This cake rises beautifully, is soft and moist, and most importantly – packed with boatloads of flavor. Christmas needs gingerbread, I’ve decided. I’ve seriously missed out until now!
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I’ve been eating this plain, straight from the plate (breakfast of champions!) but I also think that a dollop of sweetened whipped cream would be a nice touch to the cake.
An extra tip: If you wrap it well in plastic wrap and let it sit overnight before serving, it becomes even moister and the flavor really bursts, I highly recommend it!
One year ago: 30 Favorite Christmas Cookies & Recipes
Two years ago: Homemade Food Gift Ideas
Classic Gingerbread Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (172.5 ml) stout, recommended: Guinness
- ½ teaspoons (0.5 teaspoons) baking soda
- ⅔ cup (224.67 ml) molasses
- ¾ cup (165 g) light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1½ cups (187.5 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) finely ground black pepper
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup (72.67 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8-inch square baking pan.
- Bring the stout to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and stir in the baking soda (mixture will foam up). When foaming subsides, stir in molasses, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until dissolved; set mixture aside.
- Whisk the flour, ground ginger, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and pepper together in a large bowl; set aside.
- Transfer the stout mixture to a large bowl. Whisk in the eggs, oil, and grated ginger until combined. Whisk the wet mixture into the flour mixture in thirds, stirring vigorously until completely smooth after each addition.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and gently tap the pan against the counter 3 or 4 times to pop any large air bubbles. Bake until the the of the cake is just firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 1½ hours. Cut into squares and serve warm or at room temperature. Store leftovers at room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 2 days.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
A fond childhood memory is warm gingerbread dripping with fresh, warm lemon sauce, and topped with a dollop of whipped cream. Heaven itself! I’ve been thinking about this memory for months now, and this recipe looks positively delicious to try!
Delicious looking cake! I love gingerbread cake too!
Beautiful. This is perfect for my husband, Adam, he loves Gingerbread! A must make!
Thanks!
Joanne
This cake looks wonderful, I like the ones that have spicies, makes me feel I’m on grandma’s.
This is a yummy treat for Christmas, I should try to make this for the holidays.
Oh wow – i’ve never attempted to make a ginger cake before – but your recipe looks incredible. Love the guinness.
I love the taste of ginger too and since I think I manage better with cake than cookies, I am all over your recipe. So perfect for the season!
Beer. I never heard of beer in ginger bread but I love things made with Guiness so I’ll be trying this for sure.
I’m going to have to give this a try!
The first time I tried gingerbread cake was at Christmas two years ago. I can’t believe I waited that long because I love it…with ample amounts of whipped cream! ;)
This looks so moist and yummy. I bet it smells really incredible as it’s cooking. I have to try this one.
mint ginger ale? Is this something you make? I need to know more…. I love all things mint!
Hi Carolin, I don’t make it, it’s made by a brand called Tom Tucker. I have only ever found it here in the Pittsburgh area, nowhere else! It’s delicious though and they only thing I crave when I’m sick!
I’m totally a ginger fiend also…in fact, I’ve been known to borrow people’s pickled ginger off their sushi plate for my own eating purposes. (And by borrow…I might mean steal.) This looks like a delicious recipe! Gingery enough for my psycho palate!
this looks like a fantastic recipe…i made molasses & ginger cookies today (bakesale betty’s recipe)…& they are very good!
my holiday baking reads like a BEB medley!
I am now a fan on facebook! Love your blog!
Well, you’re not alone! I’ve never even tasted gingerbread cake, although I’m absolutely positive I would love it. Sounds heavenly!
Buzzed :)
This made my day! Ditto to everything you said about ginger. Thinking about all the different reasons I could/should make this cake. Thank you.
We used to have gingerbread once every year in December when some family friends made it. I’m pretty sure they used a box mix, but the flavor was spot on & it’ll always be what I base the taste of gingerbread on. Thanks for the memory trip & the recipe. The color of yours is just like what I remember.
This is an absolute must try for me soon. I’ve made a basic gingerbread but never one with beer and all the extras. Totally in love. I don’t blame you one bit for eating it straight from the plate!
LOVE gingerbread! Nothing beats the smell :)
This looks great. I love gingerbread. Have you seen Nigella Lawson’s version? She cuts it up and covers it in retro reindeer and pine tree decorations, then lots of icing sugar to make a Bavarian snow scene. It’s ridiculous. In a good way.
Looks delicious. Don’t you just love the aroma when this is baking!
I have not sure I have ever tried anything more than a gingerbread man cookie before, and those are not high on my list of favs. But I love ginger and spices. This cake sounds like it would be amazing. Perfect with coffee or tea for an afternoon snack too!
that looks great, but I don’t know if I could wait over night, I would be at it before it cooled.
What a great recipe! My friend asked me to make her Gingerbread as a X-mas gift, I think I’ll make her this cake!!
I love gingerbread and absolutely have to have some around Christmastime. That is a great tip about wrapping it in saran wrap. I like to put lemon sauce on my gingerbread. I will have to try this recipe this year!
This sounds so yummy! Can’t wait to try this yummy cake. I love ginger anything too!
I absolutely love ginger cake, this looks wonderfully moist and delicious!
This looks beautiful – sweet, dark and spiced. What a perfect recipe to cook in tin cans (as I recently posted about) and gift to friends over this holiday season :)
what size tin can do you suggest. i like the idea of gifting this cake and the cans would make an easy,unique presentation.
Hi Patti! I have used the large cans (in NZ they’re 700g) and the small cans (350g) and both work well :) I’ve posted about it here (www.delacasa.wordpress.com/2011/11/29/how-to-little-tin-can-cakes/) but just give it a go!
Thanks Christina~ I will have to give the tin cans a try…I used small bread loaf “paper cup liner” type things to make small loafs for gifting at Christmas. They worked okay but the cakes came out kind of funny! but still tasted great! The tins would give them shape that wouldn’t get wonky. The flavor is fantastic with these cakes/bread.
Good choice! I was going to make gingerbread soon too- maybe i’ll use this recipe ; )
This looks beautiful! This just might be my Christmas Day dessert!! Thank you!!