Gingerbread Cake

This Gingerbread Cake is rich and moist with layers of tangy cream cheese frosting. Sweet and spicy, it's festive enough for any holiday party.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 35

Total Time 55

Servings

Calories 703kcal

Author Dina

Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cloves
3 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 Tbsp ground ginger
1 1/2 cup golden brown sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter melted
3 eggs
1 3/4 cups molasses
2 cups buttermilk
16 oz cream cheese softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
2 tsp vanilla extract
5 cups powdered sugar

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Start off by sifting the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, sift 4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground cloves, 3 tsp ground cinnamon, and 1 1/2 Tbsp ground ginger. Then set it aside for later.
In a separate bowl, mix 1 1/2 cups golden brown sugar and 3/4 cup unsalted melted butter using a large whisk. Then mix in 3 eggs, 1 3/4 cups unsulfured molasses, and 2 cups buttermilk. Whisk Thoroughly.
Now whisk in the dry ingredients and mix just until you don’t see anymore patches of flour visible.
Now, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 3 (9-inch) baking pans with parchment paper and coat them with nonstick spray. Then split the cake between the greased baking pans and bake for about 30-35 minutes. Or until a toothpick comes out clean after inserting it in the center.
Remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
In the meantime, make the cream cheese frosting. In a large bowl, add 16 oz of room temperature cream cheese along with 1/2 cup unsalted softened butter. Use an electric hand mixer to beat the cream cheese until whipped and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes).
Now add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and 5 cups of powdered sugar. You may need a little less or more depending on how sweet you want your frosting to be. Now mix the cream cheese frosting on low speed until everything is well incorporated and smooth.
Once the cakes have fully cooled, begin assembling the cake by frosting in between each layer leaving enough to frost the exterior of the cake as well. Serve chilled.

Notes

For the frosting: Start with 4 cups of powdered sugar and add more according to how sweet you like it. I found the 5 cups was perfect for me.

TIP: This cake can be made a day ahead of time and served the next day. The cake layers and frosting can be made 2 days ahead of time (unfrosted). Just make sure to keep them tightly wrapped to preserve freshness. Keep the cake layers at room temperature and frosting in the fridge.

Nutrition