This stunning and festive gingerbread cake recipe perfectly captures the essence of Christmas! The cake is soft, moist, and generously spiced with ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and molasses. Each layer is frosted with a luscious cinnamon cream cheese frosting that takes it over the top!
Want to save this recipe?
We'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Nothing says Christmas quite like the smell of gingerbread baking in the oven! This gingerbread cake is the perfect balance of spicy and sweet, with a dense, tender crumb and a dreamy cinnamon frosting that adds just the right touch of creaminess. Whether you’re hosting a holiday party or simply craving something festive, this cake is sure to be a crowd-pleaser!
Why We Love This Gingerbread Cake Recipe
- It’s a showstopper and looks so impressive, but is simple to make!
- The cake is incredibly moist, with a tender and dense crumb.
- A true crowd favorite, almost no one can resist a slice!
- The spiced flavor is perfectly balanced with the creamy frosting.
- Your house will smell *amazing* while this cake bakes!
Craving more gingerbread goodies? Check out my easy recipes for gingerbread pancakes, gingerbread muffins, and gingerbread man cookies!
Key Ingredients
No special trips to the store are needed for this gingerbread cake recipe. Everything here is a baking staple! Check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full ingredient list.
- All Purpose Flour: Make sure to spoon it into your measuring cup, then level it with the back of a knife. If you scoop the cup into the bag, you end up with packed flour.
- Ground Spices: Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves are what you’ll need. It’s very important to measure with care – there’s a perfect balance of warm spices here!
- Molasses: You can use any type of molasses you prefer, light, dark, and blackstrap. Light molasses is the lightest in color and has the most sugar, while blackstrap is the darkest and has the least sugar.
- Granulated Sugar: Light brown or dark brown sugar work too.
- Applesauce: Make sure it’s unsweetened.
- Vegetable Oil: Any neutral-flavored oil like canola will also work just fine.
- Milk: Whole milk is best for a good moist crumb texture, you can use half and half or evaporated milk instead for the same results. 2% milk will also work in a pinch.
- Cream Cheese: Full-fat cheese will make the creamiest cream cheese frosting.
- Pure Maple Syrup: While optional, we love the little hint of maple that a hearty dash of maple syrup adds to the frosting.
How to Make Gingerbread Cake
Here’s a quick tutorial showing you how to make this festive layered gingerbread cake recipe. Please scroll down to the recipe card for full instructions or to watch the recipe video.
- Whisk the dry ingredients: Whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.
- Mix the wet ingredients: Combine molasses, melted butter, and sugar. Add applesauce, egg, and vanilla.
- Make the batter: Combine the wet and dry ingredients, alternating with oil and milk. Pour the batter into two prepared cake pans.
- Bake: Bake for 35-30 minutes and let fully cool to room temperature prior to frosting.
- Make the cinnamon cream cheese frosting: Cream together the butter and cream cheese, then add maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon. Add powdered sugar (just 1 cup at a time) until light and fluffy.
- Assemble the cake: Layer the cooled gingerbread cake layers with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting in the middle. Add a crumb coat, freeze for just 10 minutes to harden, then add a final thick layer of frosting.
Chef’s Tips and Variations
- Watch the clock: Once the batter is ready, don’t let it sit in the bowl for more than 10-15 minutes without pouring it into the cake pan or baking. The longer it sits, the thicker it’ll become because the flour absorbs more moisture. This can make cakes less fluffy.
- Use add-ins: Stir 1/2-1 cup toasted shredded coconut, mini chocolate chips, dried cranberries, raisins, or chopped mini pretzels into the batter for more texture and flavor.
- Swap the frosting: Use your favorite vanilla, coffee, or caramel buttercream to frost the cake instead of a cream cheese frosting.
- Make cupcakes: Line a muffin tray with cupcake liners. Pour batter into them until 3/4s full. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Line the pans: Line the bottom and sides of the cake pans with parchment paper to prevent any sticking.
Make Ahead, Storing and Freezing
- Make Ahead: Bake the cake up to two days in advance. Wrap each layer tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. You can also prepare the frosting ahead and refrigerate it in an airtight container. Frost the cake the day of serving for the freshest taste. Allow the frosting to rest on the counter for one hour, then beat it with mixer to make it nice and fluffy again before frosting cake.
- Fridge: Store it in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Keep it away from strong-smelling foods like onions. For the best texture, set the cake on the counter for about 30 minutes, or up to an hour, before serving.
- Freeze: Double wrap individual slices in plastic wrap and then place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or on the counter for about 1 hour.
Yield: 12 servings
Gingerbread Cake
This festive Gingerbread Cake recipe is soft, moist, and generously spiced with ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and molasses. Each layer is frosted with a cinnamon cream cheese frosting that takes it over the top!
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cake
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup molasses
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup applesauce
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup whole milk
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 12 oz (1 1/2 packages) cream cheese, room temperature
- ¾ cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 6 cups powdered sugar
Want to save this recipe?
We’ll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch cake pans and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine molasses, melted butter, and sugar. Add applesauce, egg, and vanilla extract, beating until well combined.
- Beat in flour mixture alternating with oil and milk. Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cake layers to cool completely in baking pan before frosting!
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a stand mixer, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon.
- Add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, and beat on low speed until combined. Then beat on high speed, until frosting is smooth, light and fluffy.
- Assemble the two layers of gingerbread cake with a thick layer of frosting in between. Optional: Then apply a thin crumb coat of frosting on the top and sides of the cake. Place cake in a freezer to harden frosting for about 10 minutes. A 'crumb coat' is a thin layer of frosting that helps to prevent any crumbs from showing up in the final icing layer.
- Apply one final thick and even layer around the outside of cake. Decorate as desired, then slice and serve cake immediately or store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Video
Notes
Store: Store the cake, or layers of cake, in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Before serving, allow the cake to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, or up to an hour, for the best texture.
Freeze: Wrap individual slices in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.
Make-Ahead: Bake the cake up to two days in advance. Wrap each layer tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. You can also prepare the frosting ahead and refrigerate it in an airtight container. Frost the cake the day of serving for the freshest taste. Allow the frosting to rest on the counter for one hour, then beat it with mixer to make it nice and fluffy again before frosting cake.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 slice, Calories: 845kcal, Carbohydrates: 119g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 40g, Saturated Fat: 20g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 98mg, Sodium: 348mg, Potassium: 532mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 97g, Vitamin A: 1041IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 122mg, Iron: 3mg
More Christmas Cake Recipes To Try
Post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
I just want to take a moment to thank you for this fantastic recipe. I have been saving this recipe for some time and decided to make it for Christmas dinner this year. It was a huge hit! I’m not a big baker so taking on something like this is quite a project, but was totally happy with the outcome and the decorations made me look like a pro. Everyone loved the flavor and the cake was moist too.
Hi Patty! It’s gorgeous! I’m so glad you all enjoyed it and hopefully had a very Merry Christmas!
I made this cake last Christmas and again this year. It’s our new Christmas cake!
Love the gingerbread decorations — too cute! So glad you enjoyed it as much as we do!
Hi, is it possible to swap the Apple sauce with something else? My daughter is allergic to apples. If so could you please give me suggestions. Many Thanks ☺️
Hi Helen! You can use all vegetable oil instead! The applesauce is a trick to use less oil in a cake, but using 1 cup (instead of 1/2 cup applesauce and 1/2 oil) will work just fine!
I turned it into a trifle because the cake was not staying together (I had almost a cup of molasses and almost a half cup of applesauce so I had to pivot) I added apple pie filling to the layers and it tasted amazing. The icing looks orange because of the lighting.
Can this be baked in a bundt pan? And iced as one as well
Hi Rachel, I have not tried baking it in a bundt pan, but it should work out ok! I would tent the bundt pan lightly with foil halfway through baking to make sure it doesn’t get too dark. Please let us all know what happens if you try it out!
Loved it/ it was a hit this Christmas! The flavor is strong, but got lots of compliments.
Can the cakes be made ahead of time and frozen
Hi Kallie! Yes, I’d recommend freezing the individual layers wrapped tightly in Saran Wrap and then a layer of foil. Thaw them overnight in the fridge and then frost as desired!
This was a huge hit at our family party, even from the people that don’t normally go for cake!! I didn’t have the ultra fine ingredient, so I ran the sugar through a food processor and sifted the confectioners sugar and was still great!
The flavors are great, but the cake is so light it seemed like a package cake rather than homemade. I followed recipe for the frosting, which is delicious but it was too great a quantity and the cake actually cracked in two, from the weight I think. I’ve never had that happen before and I bake a cake every week. I’ll try again adding another egg in the cake and perhaps reduce the amount of icing.
Is that rosemary? Does it leave the scent and taste on the cake?
It’s absolutely beautiful!
No, it didn’t, I only lightly laid the rosemary on top for the photos and removed it for serving!
Thanks so much. My daughter and I plan to make this for Thanksgiving!
Hi! This cake looks gorgeous AND scrumptious! Do you know how long it will last in the fridge before serving? Would 3 days be too long? (Thank you, I can’t wait to try this recipe!)
It will last 3 days if left whole! It will be best that second day, but will still be good on day 3. Just make sure to wrap it or store it in an airtight container.
Thanks for this great recipe. Loved by everyone. I added some roasted pecans for a crunch layer
I received so many compliments on this delicious cake. It will definitely be made again. It turned out beautiful.
If you don’t have pure maple syrup is it ok to use maple syrup? I also have maple extract.
Yes you can substitute it, but I would add a little maple extract (like 1/4 teaspoon max) to help boost the flavor!
Has anyone tried with gluten free flour??
You should try it and let us know. Wouldn’t it be nice to discover things yourself?
I made this tonight and it was a hit! Highly recommend. Delicious.
Looks wonderful! Sounds delicious and with just some of your decorating ideas, a lovely holiday addition. Thanks for sharing
Be advised: This is a very strong-tasting cake. Took a while for the taste to leave my mouth. Not so good. It was actually too much for my wife and me.
This recipe absolutely ROCKS! Thank you for all the hard work you put into it. It was really delicious. Perfect recipe to make during quarantine.
Not only does this sound delish and look delicious, you garnished your gingerbread cake in such a way as to make it a piece of art. So pretty! I can’t wait to make it.
This is so gorgeous! Such a perfect cake for any time of the year!
This cake is everything! Everyone in my family loved it!