This fluffy gingerbread cake with velvety cream cheese frosting is a festive holiday dessert for all your gatherings. With just the right amount of spice, each tender bite is totally delicious.
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Why You’ll Love This Gingerbread Cake Recipe
We love making this moist and tender gingerbread cake around the holidays. The festive flavor profile makes it ideal for Thanksgiving and Christmas in particular!
- Ideal for Christmas: Gingerbread spice just screams “Merry Christmas”!
- Warmly spiced: There are hints of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves in every bite.
- Freezer-friendly: Beat the holiday craze by baking the cake layers in advance. Then frost your cake just before serving for a simple, yet impressive dessert.
What You’ll Need
Earthy cinnamon, nutmeg, and spicy cloves are perfect with the luscious cream cheese frosting in this cake. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact amounts.
For the Cake
- Dry ingredients: All-purpose flour, baking soda and kosher salt.
- Ground spices: Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.
- Molasses: Maple syrup is a good swap.
- Unsalted butter: Skip the salt in the rest of the recipe if you use salted butter.
- Granulated Sugar: Light brown or dark brown sugar work too.
- Applesauce: Make sure it’s unsweetened.
- Eggs: Preferably at room temperature.
- Vanilla extract
- Vegetable oil: Any neutral-flavored oil like corn or canola is fine.
- Milk: Whole milk is best, but low-fat works too. Avoid plant-based milk.
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream cheese: Full-fat cheese is easiest to whip up.
- Unsalted butter: Salted butter is okay as well. Avoid margarine.
- Pure maple syrup: Raw honey or agave nectar are good swaps.
- Vanilla extract
- Cinnamon
- Powdered Sugar: This is also called “confectioners’ sugar”.
Tips & 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 buttercream: 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.
Proper Storage
- Counter: Place it in a cake dome, away from direct heat, for up to 2 days. This method isn’t recommended if you live in a high-heat or high-humidity area.
- Fridge: Store it in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Keep it away from strong-smelling foods like onions. Set it on the counter for 10-15 minutes before serving.
- Freezer: This only works for the cake layers, not the buttercream. Wrap them in plastic wrap twice. Transfer to a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or on the counter for 1 hour.
More Gingerbread Desserts To Try
Yield: 12 servings
Gingerbread Cake
This tender gingerbread cake recipe with silky cream cheese frosting and warm spices is a festive dessert you'll love.
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 unsalted butter, melted
- ⅔ cup Dixie Crystals Extra Fine 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 cinnamon
- 6 cups Dixie Crystals Confectioners Powdered Sugar
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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 in the preheated oven, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan before serving.
- To prepare frosting, in a large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon. Add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high until frosting is smooth.
- Assemble 2 layers with a thick layer of frosting in between. Then apply a thin crumb coat of frosting on top and sides. Place in a freezer to harden for about 10 minutes.
- Apply one final thick and even layer around outside of cake. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
Storage Instructions
-
- Counter: Place it in a cake dome, away from direct heat, for up to 2 days.
- Fridge: Store it in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: This only works for the cake layers, not the buttercream. Wrap them in plastic wrap twice. Transfer to a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 slice, Calories: 842kcal, Carbohydrates: 119g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 40g, Saturated Fat: 20g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 97mg, Sodium: 348mg, Potassium: 532mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 97g, Vitamin A: 1031IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 122mg, Iron: 3mg
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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!
WOW, that is one gorgeous cake. Definitely perfect for the holidays and blowing people away!!
What a beautiful dessert for the holidays! Worthy of a restaurant, indeed!
This Gingerbread layer cake looks absolutely delicious! Yummy!