Gingerbread
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Loved by kids and adults alike, this old-fashioned gingerbread is the perfect treat to keep on hand during the holidays.
Old-fashioned gingerbread is the perfect treat to keep on hand during the holidays. There are many variations—from dark, dense cakes made with robust molasses and stout beer to light, delicate cakes flavored only with brown sugar and a hint of ginger. This recipe, adapted from Cooking with Memories by Lora Brody, strikes a happy medium. It’s dark and gingery enough to please even the most serious gingerbread aficionados yet also mild enough for young children. Plus, it’s wonderfully simple to make. The batter is mixed by hand and comes together in 10 minutes. For serving, a simple dusting of powdered sugar, a dollop of sweetened whipped cream, or a scoop of classic vanilla ice cream is all you need to do the trick!
As I mentioned, this is really simple to throw together. If you’re looking for more of a holiday or snow day project, these gingerbread cookies are adorable, fun to make, and they taste as good as they look!
“Absolutely terrific recipe…This is exactly like the gingerbread I ate as a kid and it brought back lovely memories!”
What You’ll Need To Make GingerBread
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides the structure for the cake, balancing the moisture from the wet ingredients. To ensure accuracy, measure the flour by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off.
- Baking Soda: Acts as a leavening agent, helping the gingerbread rise and become light and fluffy.
- Salt: Enhances the flavors of the spices and sweet ingredients, balancing the overall taste.
- Ground Ginger, Cinnamon, And Cloves: The warming spices that define gingerbread, adding depth and a distinct, aromatic flavor to the cake.
- Butter: Adds richness and moisture, ensuring the cake stays tender.
- Dark Brown Sugar: Contributes sweetness and a caramel-like flavor, while also adding moisture. When measuring brown sugar, always pack it tightly to eliminate air pockets.
- Molasses: A key ingredient in gingerbread, providing the signature deep, robust flavor and dark color. I use Grandma’s Original unsulphured molasses but any brand will work. Just make sure not to purchase blackstrap molasses; it’s quite bitter and would have a significant impact on the flavor of the cake.
- Egg: Binds the ingredients together, adding structure and contributing to a soft texture.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Begin by combining the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cloves in a large bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.
Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl.
Whisk in the brown sugar, molasses, and boiling water. When the mixture is lukewarm, whisk in the egg. (If the mixture is too hot, it will cook the egg.)
Add the dry ingredients.
Whisk until there are no more lumps.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for about 35 minutes.
Let cool slightly, then slice and serve warm with a sprinkling of powdered sugar, sweetened whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.
Freezer-Friendly Instructions
The gingerbread can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, double-wrap it securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place it in a sealable freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.
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Gingerbread
Loved by kids and adults alike, this old-fashioned gingerbread is the perfect treat to keep on hand during the holidays.
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off with back edge of knife
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ⅔ cup packed dark brown sugar
- ⅔ cup mild-flavored molasses, such as Grandma's Original (not Robust or Blackstrap)
- ⅔ cup boiling water
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-in square metal cake pan with nonstick cooking spray with flour, such as Baker's Joy. (Alternatively, grease the pan with butter and lightly coat with flour.)
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cloves. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, molasses, and boiling water. When the mixture is luke warm, whisk in the egg.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until just combined and there are no more lumps. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the edges look dark and the middle feels firm to the touch. Set the pan on a rack to cool slightly, then cut into squares and serve. This cake is best served warm out of the oven or reheated.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The gingerbread can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, double-wrap it securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place it in heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (16 servings)
- Serving size: 1 square
- Calories: 138
- Fat: 3 g
- Saturated fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 26 g
- Sugar: 16 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Sodium: 163 mg
- Cholesterol: 19 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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is the gingerbread going to be dry or Little moist? if its going to be dry how can i get it a little moist?
Hi Alexis, I think you’ll find the gingerbread to be plenty moist. Hope you enjoy!
its in the oven right now i am also making it for Christmas!! this is my first homemade baking!!! i am 15. i hope i did ok
Hi there, looking to try this recipe today. Is the oven temperature in Fahrenheit or Celsius.
Hi Mikayla, The temperature is Fahrenheit. If you need the metric conversions for this recipe, just let me know and I can add them. Hope you enjoy the gingerbread!
Looks great! I’d like to do this in a 9×6 loaf pan. Would I have extra or need to make more? How long should it bake?
Hi Tina, you may have a little extra batter with that sized pan. It will take a bit longer to bake– I’d start checking it at about an hour.
Loved this! Very moist, full of flavor, and still perfect several days later. If I remember correctly, the pan was about 2/3 full, likely less. I took it out of the oven at about the 45 minute mark. The center was still a little soft, but the sides were springy. Very delicious. Thank you!
This recipe has the two things required of any recipe in order for it to be followed in my house. It’s very easy and very tasty! Thanks for another blue ribbon recipe Jennifer!
I might have missed it, but what temperature should the oven be?
Hi Pat, the oven should be set to 350 degrees. Enjoy the gingerbread!
Hi My mom gave me a silicone pan with 6small houses. I want to use it to bake individual houses for each guest at her Christmas Eve dinner using your recipe. Do I need to adjust the baking temp or time for this style pan?
Hi Jennifer, I think that should work. Because I don’t know the exact size of the houses, it’s hard to say how long they’ll take, but I’d start checking them at about 15 minutes. I’d love to hear how they turn out!
The 3D gingerbread silicone mold idea was a flop they baked unevenly. So I remade it in in a cake pan this time and it came out perfect. Btw even the flops were tasty. Thank you for the recipe and the prompt responses you provide. I will be visiting your site often in the future.
Hi, I want to make this into 3 x 5 loaf pans. 1. approximately how many pans would 1 recipe make and 2. how would I have to adjust the baking?
Thanks!
Hi Margie, I suspect this would make about 3 loaves, but not positive. I’d start checking them about 25 minutes. Would love to hear how they turn out!
Thanks! I’ll let you know how it goes.
Wonderful recipe! I made it yesterday, and ate it today, held up nice. Just what I was craving!
Hello , can I replace molasses with honey ?
Hi Gita, Technically it will work with honey, but it won’t have that typical gingerbread flavor.
Hi Jenn,
I’d like to try this cake for Christmas and I’d like to make it in a vintage hexagon tube pan that I recently acquired. The dimensions are 11 x 10 x 2 1/4. Will I need to shorten the bake time? Thank you. I’ve tried several of your recipes and love them!
Hi Ann, I think you’d actually need to double the recipe in order to have enough batter. (You may not use all of it, so you may have some leftover batter.) Because you’ll have more batter, it will take longer to bake. I’d start checking it at about 55 – 60 minutes.
Sounds good Jenn. Thanks so much.
The gingerbread was excellent. I doubled the recipe as you suggested (and used all of the batter). It was done at 50 minutes. Everyone loved it.