This simple gingerbread cake is an easy win – it’s incredibly quick to make, comes together in one bowl and it is so moist and tender it will knock your socks off. If you’re looking for something to serve to impromptu holiday guests, it can be mixed and out of the oven in about 40 minutes.
It’s also got all of those incredible warm spice flavours – and you can make it without added molasses! I am incredibly happy with how this cake turned out and it’s something that I know I’ll make again and again – hopefully you like it as much as I do, too!
How to Make Ginger Cake Without Using Molasses
You need one bowl, one pan and no other special equipment to make this cake – not even an electric mixer!
Start by preheating your oven 180°C/350°F and greasing your square baking tin and lining it with overlapping pieces of parchment.
Now, add some dark brown sugar (which does have molasses content in it, so you still get those deep flavours), a bit of maple syrup and some eggs to a large mixing bowl.
Whisk these vigorously until they’re frothy and well-combined.
Then, add in a bit of buttermilk and some neutral oil. Whisk this until combined. The buttermilk does more than add flavour to the cake – the acidity is also necessary in activating the baking soda that will be added later.
Don’t just swap regular milk if you don’t have buttermilk – it would be better to do the classic sub of adding a touch of vinegar to some milk, as you really need the acidity here.
To the bowl, add in some flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda. The cocoa powder is there, much like in my gingerbread cookie recipe, to add a dark colour rather than any chocolate flavour.
Because we’re not incorporating any added molasses, the resulting cake would be relatively pale in comparison.
Also, add in all of your warm spices. I like to put in ground ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, allspice and black pepper. Then, whisk all of this together until everything is just combined and no dry spots remain.
Scrape the batter into the prepared baking tin and smooth out the top. Move it to the oven and bake it for about 20-30 minutes – your house will start to smell amazing while it bakes!
You’ll know the cake is done when it’s puffed, springs back when touched and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Let the cake cool completely (completely!!) in the tin before unmoulding. Now, you can just serve it plain or with a dusting of icing sugar and call it a day. But, if you want to dress it up a bit more, go ahead and make a quick glaze.
All you need to do is add some icing sugar, buttermilk (or you can swap regular milk here), maple syrup and a pinch of salt to a small bowl. Whisk together so there are no lumps and it has a viscous, pourable consistency.
Make sure that the cake is completely cooled (the glaze will melt off of it otherwise) and pour the glaze over the cake, allowing it to drip off the sides. Let it set for about 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
If you want to elevate this cake even more, you could also make a cream cheese frosting to go on top – you can use the same one that I have in my carrot cake recipe if this sounds like something you’d like to do.
Gingerbread Cake without Molasses
Equipment
Ingredients
- 100 g (½ cup) dark brown sugar
- 75 g (¼ cup) maple syrup
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 100 g (½ cup) buttermilk
- 100 g (½ cup) neutral oil
- 190 g (1 ½ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 5 g (1 tbsp) cocoa powder (see note 1)
- 3 g salt (see note 2)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking/bi-carb soda
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp black pepper freshly ground
Maple Buttermilk Glaze
- 100 g (1 cup) icing sugar
- 1-2 tbsp buttermilk
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Grease a 20cm (8in) square (see note 2) baking tin and line it with parchment.
- In a large bowl, add the brown sugar, maple syrup and eggs. Whisk vigorously until light and frothy – about 30 seconds. Add in the buttermilk and oil and whisk to combine.
- Add in the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, bi-carb, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, allspice and black pepper. Whisk until just combined and no dry spots remain.
- Scrape into the prepared baking tin and smooth out the top. Move to the oven and bake until puffed, fragrant and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean – about 20-30 minutes. Allow to cool completely before removing from the pan.
- Once the cake is completely cooled, make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the icing sugar, 1 tbsp of the buttermilk, the maple syrup, and the salt until no lumps remain. Add more buttermilk if needed to reach a pourable consistency.
- Pour the glaze over the cake, ensuring it's evenly covered. Allow to set for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- The cocoa powder is included here solely to achieve the dark colour associated with gingerbread. It does not impart any kind of chocolatey flavour. If this is not something you have on hand, it can be omitted; just note the finished cake will look relatively pale.
- Use the weight measurement of salt if at all possible, as the salinity in volumetric measurement can vary from brand to brand.
- The cake can also be baked in a 23cm (9in) round cake pan with no adjustments to baking time. It can also be baked in a standard 23 x 13cm (9 x 5in) loaf pan. Increase the bake time to about 40-45 minutes. Cut the ingredients for the glaze in half.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
As you can see, this cake is about as quick and easy as it gets. It’s absolutely perfect if you want to throw together a quick holiday dessert – or a special sweet treat just for yourself!
Are you after an easy ginger cake? Have any questions? Let me know in the comments!
