This soft gingerbread cake is full of spice and packed with a robust molasses flavor. It’s quick and easy to make and topped with a sweet molasses glaze.

Two slices of gingerbread cake with glaze on a white plate and plaid napkin.

This recipe is from Crosby’s Everyday Favourites Recipe E-book and what I love about it is not only is it incredibly delicious, but it’s also large enough to feed a crowd. It’s a great recipe to keep in mind, especially with the Canadian Thanksgiving coming up. This gingerbread cake would be perfect for any large gatherings, office parties, potlucks, and holiday entertaining. I added a simple molasses glaze to the cake to make it extra special and some pecans for crunch. A whole gingerbread cake with glaze in a white porcelain baking pan with a dark blue background.

How to make one-bowl gingerbread cake:

(the ingredient amounts are listed in the printable recipe card further below)

how to make gingerbread cake in 4 steps

  1. You start by beating your butter and sugar together.
  2. Next, you beat in your eggs and molasses. Then whisk in the hot water.
  3. Sprinkle in your flour, spices, baking soda and salt. Whisk again until smooth.
  4. Pour the batter into a greased 9×13″ baking pan and bake for about 45 minutes.

Expert tip:

Before measuring your molasses, grease your measuring cup or spoon with oil, butter or non-stick cooking spray and the molasses will come out with ease. For this recipe, I sprayed my measuring cup with non-stick cooking spray before pouring in the molasses.

What is the difference between fancy molasses, blackstrap molasses, and cooking molasses?

  • Fancy molasses is the highest grade of molasses available. It is pure sugarcane juice that has been condensed, inverted and purified. It is 100% natural, contains no additives, is unsulfured and non-GMO certified. Fancy molasses is gluten-free and paleo. It is also 35% less sweet than white sugar and contains 25% fewer carbs.
  • Blackstrap molasses is the highly concentrated, final by-product of the refined sugar manufacturing process. As the sugar crystallizes, the residual cane juice thickens into a dark mass and is separated out through a centrifuge. The resulting molasses is very dark with a robust, somewhat bitter flavour. Blackstrap molasses is often used as a natural colouring agent in foods. Some prefer the more robust flavour of blackstrap molasses when preparing foods like baked beans or gingerbread.
  • Cooking molasses is a blend of blackstrap and fancy molasses. It is thicker and darker than fancy molasses, less sweet, and with a more “full-flavoured” taste. It’s excellent in baked beans and a variety of sauces, such as barbeque and sweet-and-sour sauce.

You might also like:

A slice of glazed gingerbread cake with a piece missing on a white plate with a dark fork. This gingerbread cake has all the great taste of a gingerbread cookie, but is softer and there’s more of it to enjoy. It’s topped with a sweet flavourful glaze and crunchy pecans. And it’s also great for sharing with family and friends. 

Did you make this recipe? Please kindly leave a comment with your star rating below.

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One-Bowl Gingerbread Cake with Molasses Glaze

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Lily Ernst
  • Prep Time: 15 min
  • Cook Time: 35 min
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 20
  • Category: dessert
  • Method: bake
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

This soft gingerbread cake is full of spice and packed with a robust molasses flavor. It’s quick and easy to make and topped with a sweet molasses glaze.

Ingredients

Cake

  • 1/2 cup (114g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup (250ml) Crosby’s Fancy Molasses
  • 1 cup (250ml) boiling water
  • 2 1/2 cups (315g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Glaze

  • 2 cups (250g) powdered sugar
  • 3–4 tbsp cream or milk
  • 1 tbsp Crosby’s Fancy Molasses
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9×13″ baking pan.
  2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together. Beat in the eggs, then molasses. Carefully whisk in the hot water.
  3. Sprinkle over the flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, and salt. Whisk everything together until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
  4. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let cake cool completely before glazing.
  5. To make the glaze; whisk together the powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons of cream or milk, and molasses until smooth. If it seems too thick to spread, add another tablespoon of cream or milk. Spread on cooled cake and sprinkle with the chopped pecans. Let it set for 15 minutes before slicing.

Notes

Leftover cake can be stored covered with saran wrap at room temperature for up to 5 days.

You can make this cake a day in advance as the flavor is even better the next day.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 272
  • Sugar: 35.8 g
  • Sodium: 108.3 mg
  • Fat: 8.1 g
  • Carbohydrates: 48.5 g
  • Protein: 2.6 g
  • Cholesterol: 34.2 mg