Come Christmas—or any particularly chilly evening—nothing captures the cozy mood of sweater weather like gingerbread cake.

Gingerbread Cake Recipe: 4 Tips for Making Gingerbread Cake

Gingerbread cake is a variation of butter cake, featuring gingerbread’s signature flavors, including ground and fresh ginger, [molasses](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/a-guide-to-cooking-with-molasses), and baking spices. Bakers can frost or serve the cake on its own, similar to a quick bread. A Yorkshire variation on gingerbread cake made with oatmeal is known as parkin. 

[Gingerbread](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/gingerbread-cookies-recipe) and gingerbread cake share the same gingery, spiced DNA, but while one denotes a whole realm of desserts, the other refers to a specific cake recipe.
Here are a few elements to consider when making gingerbread cake:

1. __Choosing the baking pan__. Gingerbread cake lends itself to many different formats, depending on how you’d like to present and serve it: Bake it in a square pan, a loaf pan, an ornate Bundt pan, or a standard cake pan for layer cakes.
2. __Mixing the batter__. Gingerbread cake batter is wetter than most because of the molasses, but avoid the temptation of overmixing to thicken it. Overmixing will lead to a dense crumb, so only mix in dry ingredients until the floury streaks disappear. 
3. __Serving with accompaniments__. Gingerbread cake is moist and flavorful enough to serve on its own, alongside a cup of coffee or tea. It also pairs incredibly well with a layer of [buttercream](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/buttercream-frosting-recipe) or cream cheese frosting, a drizzle of lemony custard sauce, or salted caramel sauce for a more traditional dessert. 
4. __Storing__. To keep gingerbread cake from drying out, keep it tightly wrapped in plastic wrap or an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Come Christmas—or any particularly chilly evening—nothing captures the cozy mood of sweater weather like gingerbread cake.

Gingerbread cake is a variation of butter cake, featuring gingerbread’s signature flavors, including ground and fresh ginger, <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/a-guide-to-cooking-with-molasses' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/a-guide-to-cooking-with-molasses","linkCopy":"molasses","category":null}'>molasses</a>, and baking spices. Bakers can frost or serve the cake on its own, similar to a quick bread. A Yorkshire variation on gingerbread cake made with oatmeal is known as parkin. <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/gingerbread-cookies-recipe' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/gingerbread-cookies-recipe","linkCopy":"Gingerbread","category":null}'>Gingerbread</a> and gingerbread cake share the same gingery, spiced DNA, but while one denotes a whole realm of desserts, the other refers to a specific cake recipe.

What Is Gingerbread Cake?

Here are a few elements to consider when making gingerbread cake:<ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Choosing the baking pan. Gingerbread cake lends itself to many different formats, depending on how you’d like to present and serve it: Bake it in a square pan, a loaf pan, an ornate Bundt pan, or a standard cake pan for layer cakes. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Mixing the batter. Gingerbread cake batter is wetter than most because of the molasses, but avoid the temptation of overmixing to thicken it. Overmixing will lead to a dense crumb, so only mix in dry ingredients until the floury streaks disappear. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Serving with accompaniments. Gingerbread cake is moist and flavorful enough to serve on its own, alongside a cup of coffee or tea. It also pairs incredibly well with a layer of <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/buttercream-frosting-recipe' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/buttercream-frosting-recipe","linkCopy":"buttercream","category":null}'>buttercream</a> or cream cheese frosting, a drizzle of lemony custard sauce, or salted caramel sauce for a more traditional dessert. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 4. Storing. To keep gingerbread cake from drying out, keep it tightly wrapped in plastic wrap or an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. </li></ol>

4 Tips for Making Gingerbread Cake

Gingerbread Cake Recipe

Come Christmas—or any particularly chilly evening—nothing captures the cozy mood of sweater weather like gingerbread cake.

Come Christmas—or any particularly chilly evening—nothing captures the cozy mood of sweater weather like gingerbread cake.
