Name: Gingerbread Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 95 min
Ingredients: Cake:; 2 cups all purpose flour; 1 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1/4 tsp salt; 1/2 cup brown sugar; 1/2 cup mild molasses; 2 eggs (room temperature); 1 cup vegetable oil; 3/4 cup whole milk; 1 tsp cinnamon; 1 tsp ground ginger; 1/4 tsp ground cloves; Frosting:; 8 oz cream cheese (room temperature); 1 cup whipped topping (like COOL whip); 1 Tbsp mild molasses; 1 cup brown sugar; Toppings:; 1/2 cup pure maple syrup for topping of the cake; 2 Tbsp powdered sugar (to dust); 1 tsp ground cinnamon (to dust)

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Delicious and easy cake for this holidays season. This is a homemade gingerbread cake drizzled in pure maple syrup and frosted with smooth, light cream cheese frosting made with flavors to compliment the cake.

It’s gingerbread season! Well, you know, eggnog, peppermint and gingerbread season. I’m actually still coming off of peppermint overload from last winter, when I was writing my peppermint pamphlet, so I haven’t been in much of a peppermint mood. I have a feeling that I’ll be feeling this way about pumpkin next year. (If you don’t know, I’m working on a pumpkin cookbook. Lots and lots of tasty pumpkin creations have been made and eaten here lately.) And, since peppermint has been a bit much for me lately, I’ve been going on a bit of gingerbread binge.

I started with this delicious cake but I did not stop there. I made cookies (still to come), I made this Gingerbread Hot Chocolate (yum), and I’m planning some biscotti. To mix it up, I’m also going to play around with some eggnog recipes. First, I have to remember to actually pick some up next time I’m at the store and then, I want to make some treats. I’m thinking of starting with cheesecake and then we’ll see where the creative wind takes me. I enjoyed my Vanilla Bean Eggnog last year so I’ll have to whip something even more special this year.

This cake turned out perfect though, just as I planned it. I used my favorite cake recipe and turned it into gingerbread cake. Then, I wanted to add some maple syrup on top so I poked a bunch of small holes all over the top of freshly baked, warm cake (yes, yes, it’s kind of a poke cake) and drizzled some pure maple syrup over it. You wouldn’t believe the aroma! Finally, I let the cake cool completely and frosted it with cream cheese frosting made with whipped topping, molasses and brown sugar to compliment the cake. If you wish, you can dust this cake with a mixture of powder sugar and cinnamon like I did.

Gingerbread Cake

This is a homemade gingerbread cake drizzled in pure maple syrup and frosted with smooth, light cream cheese frosting made with flavors to compliment the cake.

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cake, Gingerbread

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Cool:: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

Servings:

Calories: 492kcal

Author: lyuba

Ingredients

Cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup mild molasses
2 eggs room temperature
1 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup whole milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
Frosting:
8 oz cream cheese room temperature
1 cup whipped topping like COOL whip
1 Tbsp mild molasses
1 cup brown sugar
Toppings:
1/2 cup pure maple syrup for topping of the cake
2 Tbsp powdered sugar to dust
1 tsp ground cinnamon to dust

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9x13 baking dish.
Combine milk, oil, molasses and brown sugar in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Heat up the ingredients but don't simmer, while stirring. After the liquids have heated through, take off heat. Let them cool a bit before whisking in eggs so that you don't cook the eggs.
Whisk eggs into liquid ingredients until all smooth.
In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon and ground cloves.
Whisk liquid ingredients into dry ingredients until all combined and smooth. Pour into prepared baking dish and make sure it is spread evenly. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Make sure to do a toothpick test before taking cake out of the oven.
Poke small holes all over the top of the cake, but not all the way through, and drizzle with pure maple syrup. (Now smell it...oh yea!)
While cake is cooling, prepare frosting.
Beat cream cheese, molasses and brown sugar with an electric mixer, on medium to high speed, for 2 minutes. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl and beat it for another 2 minutes.
Fold in whipped topping until all incorporated and smooth.
When cake is completely cooled, spread frosting evenly.
Optional: dust it with powder sugar/cinnamon mixture.