Last Updated on November 14, 2020 by Sweet and Savoury Pursuits
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This Classic Gingerbread Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is so flavourful, incredibly moist and so easy to make, you'll likely find yourself making this more than once during the holiday season!
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This classic gingerbread cake with cream cheese frosting is amazing. I love everything about it. It's easy to make, incredibly moist, and the spices make it so flavourful.
This gingerbread cake is delicious on its own but topping it with a lemony cream cheese icing and a bit of chopped crystallized ginger takes it to another level and makes this simple gingerbread cake extra special!
I adapted the cake portion of this dessert from this Fine Cooking gingerbread recipe. Rather than use plain water as they do, I opted for chai tea since the spices in the tea are a perfect match for the spices in the cake.
I also wanted to dress this cake up a bit so I made a lemony cream cheese icing to frost the cake with. I also sprinkled some chopped crystallized ginger onto the frosted cake, it's entirely optional but I found it delicious.
How to Store it:
Store any leftover frosted gingerbread cake in the refrigerator. It will keep up to a week if you can resist it for that long.
This classic gingerbread cake is the perfect treat for the holiday season. I know I'll definitely be making it again before the season is over. If you love gingerbread recipes as much as I do, you might also want to try this Espresso Gingerbread Bundt Cake, it's simply amazing!
Enjoy!
If you make this recipe let me know how it went for you in the comment section below. I'd love to know if you made any variations to the recipe and how it worked out. And if you take a picture, share it with me on Instagram by tagging #sweetandsavourypursuits, I love to see your photos!
Classic Gingerbread Cake with Lemony Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the Classic Gingerbread Cake
- 1-¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1-½ tsp. baking soda
- 2 ¼ tsp. ground ginger
- ¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. ground cloves
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ¼ cup plus 1 Tbs. unsalted butter softened at room temperature
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup dark molasses To easily get the molasses out of the measuring cup, rub a drop of oil in your measuring cup before filing it with molasses, the molasses will slide right down the measuring cup.
- ¾ cup cold chai tea
For the Lemony Cream Cheese Frosting:
- ½ oz package regular cream cheese softened
- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 2 tsp. lemon juice
- 2 tsp. lemon zest
- ¼ tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups icing sugar
Garnish:
- 2 tbsp. chopped crystallized ginger
Instructions
For the Classic Gingerbread Cake
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
- Slightly butter an 8x8-inch cake pan and line it with parchment paper leaving an overhang on two opposite sides, this will make it easier to lift the cake out. Butter the paper slightly.
- In a glass measuring cup, combine ¾ cup of boiling water with 1 chai tea bag, set to steep and cool in the refrigerator.
- Into a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your mixer, beat the butter until smooth.
- Add the brown sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg. Beat until well combined.
- Keep beating and slowly add in the molasses.
- Add in half of the sifted dry ingredients and mix just until well combined.
- Scrape down the sides of your bowl again and then add the remaining dry ingredients.
- Slowly add the cooled chai tea and stir until well combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.
- Let cool for 10 min before lifting the paper and cake out of pan.
- Let cool on rack (with paper).
- Once cake has cooled remove paper and place on serving dish.
For the Lemony Cream Cheese Frosting:
- In the bowl of your mixer, on medium-high speed, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth.
- Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract, beat for 1 more minute.
- With the mixer on the lowest speed, add one cup of icing sugar at a time until you have the desired consistency, I used 2 ½ cups of icing sugar.
- Frost the cooled cake and if desired top with the chopped crystallized ginger.
Notes
- To make it easier to get the molasses out of the measuring cup rub a drop of oil in your measuring cup before filing it with molasses, the molasses will slide right down the measuring cup.
Nutrition
Alex says
Tried this recipe, it was delicious
Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says
That's excellent, happy to hear that you enjoyed it. Thanks for letting me know!
teagan geneviene says
What a wonderful combination! Hugs! 🙂
Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says
Thank you, it's really quite delicious!
Stephanie Leduc says
Wow, this looks so good! I have to agree, as a fellow Canadian, I am LOVING the weather as well 🙂 But I am hoping to have snow on christmas day!
Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says
Thanks! Yes, I agree snow on Christmas day is a must!
HapaNomNom says
So glad you're enjoying the warmer weather 🙂 I'm loving the combination of flavors you've got going on here! These would make wonderful Christmas gifts.
Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says
You know I hadn't thought of gifting them but you're absolutely right!
Louise Crosby says
Gingerbread and the holidays, they go together. This cake looks delicious!
Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says
I agree! I always make some type of gingerbread cake or cookie during the holidays 🙂
nancyc says
What a perfect cake for this time of year! I love your photos, too! 🙂
Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says
Thanks so much Nancy! I just love gingerbread so much 🙂
apuginthekitchen says
Another one to add to my list, love your baked goods. This coming week the biscotti are getting made, got all the dried fruits today.
Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says
Yay, that's wonderful Suzanne! I'm glad you like this recipe as well, it's really delicious!