Gingerbread Cake

This easy Gingerbread Cake recipe is topped with homemade vanilla cream sauce, bananas, and whipped cream. It could be my favorite holiday cake ever!

Do you love gingerbread? Try our Gingerbread Waffles, Ginger Molasses Cookies, Build a Gingerbread House, or make Gingerbread Cookies!

Why I love this cake:

• Light – The texture of this easy gingerbread cake is perfectly light, fluffy, and moist. Plus, your house will smell of freshly baked gingerbread.
• The Toppings – You must add a drizzle of the vanilla cream sauce, with sliced bananas and whipped cream, to get the full experience!
• Family Favorite – My mom shared this recipe with me from one of her best friends (thanks Kristen!) and its been a highlight of our season ever since.

How to make Gingerbread Cake:

Mix Wet Ingredients: Cream the sugar and butter until smooth. Add the eggs and molasses then mix well.

Stir Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt. Combine the wet and dry ingredients then slowly pour in the hot water and stir until smooth.

Bake: Pour batter into a 9”x 13” pan. Bake gingerbread cake for 20-35 minutes.

Serve: This classic gingerbread cake recipe is delicious by itself (and totally acceptable to eat it as a stand-alone), but I just can’t resist the combination of fresh bananas, whipped cream, and the most amazing warm vanilla cream sauce drizzled on top. It’s outstanding!

Make Ahead, Storage, and Freezing Instructions:

To Make Ahead: The vanilla cream sauce can be made a few days in advance, stored in the fridge in an airtight container. Rewarm before serving.

To Store: The ginger cake recipe keeps well at room temperature for 2 days, or in the fridge for about a week.

To Freeze: Wrap the gingerbread cake in plastic wrap then aluminum foil, and place in a freezer safe bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 2 months. Let thaw overnight at room temperature before serving. If you’d like it warm, heat it in the microwave for a few seconds.

More Christmas Treats:

• Peppermint Brownies
• Chocolate Fudge
• Homemade Caramels
• Gingerbread Cookies
• Chocolate Peppermint Bundt Cake
• Red Velvet Bundt Cake
• Chocolate Peppermint Cake Roll
• Super Soft Sugar Cookies
• Chocolate Raspberry Cake

Recipe

4.97 from 1050 votes

Gingerbread Cake

Everyone loves this Gingerbread Cake recipe topped with vanilla cream sauce, bananas, and whipped cream, and it's just perfect for the holidays.

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Author Lauren Allen

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12

Calories 444

Cost 7

Prep 10 minutes mins

Cook 45 minutes mins

Total 55 minutes mins

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Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

Gingerbread Cake:

• ▢ 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1/2 cup butter
• ▢ 1 large egg , beaten
• ▢ 1 cup unsulphered molasses
• ▢ 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 cup very hot water
• ▢ bananas for topping
• ▢ fresh whipped cream , for topping

Vanilla Cream Sauce:

• ▢ 1 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
• ▢ 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13” pan with cooking spray.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream together sugar and butter until smooth and light. 
• Add the egg and molasses then mix well. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients together: flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. 
• Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir to combine. Slowly pour in the hot water and stir until smooth (batter will be thin). 
• Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 20-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. 
• Serve warm, topped with fresh sliced bananas, whipped cream, and vanilla cream sauce.

For the Vanilla Cream Sauce:

• Add sugar, butter and cream to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until butter has melted. 
• Bring mixture to a boil then boil, stirring frequently, for 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla. 
• Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving over cake. 

Notes

Make Ahead Instructions: The homemade vanilla cream sauce recipe can be made a few days in advance. Store in the fridge in an airtight container.

Storage Instructions: The gingerbread cake keeps well at room temperature for 2 days, or in the fridge for about a week.

Freezing Instructions: Wrap the cake in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and place in a freezer safe bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 2 months. Let thaw overnight at room temperature before serving. If you’d like it warm, heat it in the microwave for a few seconds.

Recipe given to me by a friend, as an adapted Lion House Recipe

Nutrition

Calories: 444kcalCarbohydrates: 67gProtein: 4gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 386mgPotassium: 480mgFiber: 1gSugar: 47gVitamin A: 568IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 93mgIron: 3mg

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*I originally shared this recipe November 2015. Updated December 2018 and December 2023.

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