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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
- Super Soft Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate Raspberry Cake
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Recipe
Gingerbread Cake
Ingredients
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
Nutrition
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*I originally shared this recipe November 2015. Updated December 2018 and December 2023.
Do you have suggestions for a dairy free substitution for the heavy whipping cream in the sauce? Maybe soy milk? Thanks!
Soy milk would be too thin for this sauce. you need something with more fat to get that rich, creamy texture. Your best bet is coconut cream (the thick stuff from the top of a can of full-fat coconut milk) or a store-bought dairy-free heavy cream like Silk or So Delicious. Those will thicken up nicely when you boil them with the sugar. Just keep in mind you’ll also need to swap the butter for a dairy-free version!
I think the cook time is a little low
Can this recipe be made in mini muffin tins?
Yes, you can bake it in mini muffin tins. Just reduce the baking time and start checking around 10 minutes since they’ll cook fast.
Is there a gluten free flour that would work for this cake?
We recommend king arthur 1:1!
Can this be made in a Bundt pan?
Yes, you can use a Bundt pan! Bake at 350°F for about 35-45 minutes since Bundt pans are deeper than a 9×13″ pan. Check with a toothpick at 35 minutes. Let it cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before inverting onto a plate. The vanilla cream sauce would be perfect drizzled over the top!
I rarely moan when I eat a dessert but good god almighty this gingerbread cake made me moan 😍 I HIGHLY suggest not skipping the vanilla cream and whipped cream. It’s still good without it, but you’re missing out on even better. Thank you for this delicious recipe 🙏🏼
This is the BEST gingerbread I’ve ever had! When I had guests for dinner, this was the dessert I made and everyone loved it!
Type of molasses REALLY matters. Learned like Blackstrap ain’t it. I made a really pretty baked beans sauce 🙁
We are so sorry it didn’t work out for you! We recommend the Grandma’s Molasses brand. We hope it works better for you next time!
Best cake! Quick and delicious! My family can’t get enough of it and I’ve already made three batches in last week.
Can I use half and half instead of whipping cream in the sauce?