Homemade gingerbread is full of cozy flavors and fragrant holiday aromas!

This gingerbread recipe is light and moist, made with warm spices and just a touch of baked-in molasses.

Homemade Gingerbread with whipped cream

Start a New Family Tradition With This Homemade Gingerbread…

  • This gingerbread recipe is a holiday classic.
  • It’s my go-to for breakfast, snacking, or gifting.
  • It can be frozen and thawed for last-minute guests. Freeze the whole cake or freeze it in slices to sneak a piece whenever a craving strikes!
ingredients to make Homemade Gingerbread

What’s in Gingerbread?

Molasses: Choose medium or dark molasses over light for the deepest, richest molasses flavor. I would avoid using blackstrap molasses as it can overpower the flavors in the cake and won’t produce as moist of results.

Spices: Just like other spice cakes, fresh is best, so check the expiration dates on all of the ingredients for the best results.

Have a Little Fun With It!

  • Mix festive dried fruits like cranberries, raisins, or currants into the batter.
  • Sweeten it up even more by adding a handful of mini chocolate, butterscotch, or peanut butter chips.
  • Top with sprinkles, orange zest, or a drizzle of royal icing to turn this cake into a decadent dessert!

How to Make Gingerbread

  1. Mix eggs with sugar, molasses, and spices.
  2. Add the remaining ingredients (full recipe below).
  3. Pour batter into a prepared pan and bake.

Cool and serve with whipped cream and a dusting of icing sugar.

baked, decorated and cut Homemade Gingerbread

Keeping Gingerbread Fresh

  • Keep leftover gingerbread cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or up to a week in the fridge.
  • Freeze portions wrapped in plastic wrap and in a zippered bag for up to 6 months and thaw in the refrigerator or at 30-second intervals in the microwave before serving.

Heavenly Holiday Treats

Did you make this Gingerbread for your family? Leave a comment and a rating below! 

image of Everyday Comfort cookbook by Holly Nilsson of Spend With Pennies plus text
Homemade Gingerbread on a plate
4.94 from 73 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
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Gingerbread

This recipe for homemade gingerbread produces a moist and tender cake flavored with a pleasant bite of ginger spice.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 16 slices
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Ingredients  

  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup molasses
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 tablespoons warm water
  • 1 cup boiling water

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13 cake pan or line with parchment paper.
  • Mix eggs, sugar, molasses, spices, and oil with a hand mixer until well combined. Sift in flour.
  • Combine baking soda and 2 tablespoons water. Add to the batter and mix well. Stir in boiling water until fully combined.
  • Pour the batter (it will seem thin) into the prepared pan.
  • Bake 40- 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely and serve with whipped cream.

Notes

The batter will seem thin but will bake into the perfect cake.
When measuring flour for this recipe, measure first then sift.
Keep leftovers in the refrigerator for 4 days and in the freezer for 6 months. 
4.94 from 73 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 177 | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 133mg | Potassium: 353mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 105IU | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Cake, Dessert
Cuisine American
baked Homemade Gingerbread cake with icing sugar and writing
Homemade Gingerbread with icing sugar and a slice on a plate with a title
Homemade Gingerbread cake on a plate with a title
Homemade Gingerbread cake with whipped cream and writing

Recipe adaptation Mackasey, Joan. “Gingerbread”. Recipe. Among Friends Vol II. Calgary, AB, 1989. 203. Print.

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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
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4.94 from 73 votes (61 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. I wish I had known before that the black strap molasses would produce a stronger taste. I would have omitted the clover.

  2. I use this gingerbread recipe to make an apple gingerbread cobbler. It’s easy. Butter a 9×13 pan. Spread 2 cans of apple pie filling over the bottom. Top with gingerbread. Bake as directed. This is served with a homemade whipped cream garnish.5 stars

  3. yum!! had treacle so used that instead of molasses and left cloves out and increased ginger. it is a keeper!

  4. hi penny if you can’t get molasses is there something else you could use in the gingerbread cake please. I was thinking brown sugar if so how much please

    1. Hi Lisa, I have only made this recipe as listed so I can’t say for sure. Maybe another reader has tried and can offer some advice.

  5. love love love this recipe. not too sweet, just enough of it. Question for you. Every time I back it the center always drop. am I doing something wrong?5 stars

    1. Sorry it didn’t turn out quite as expected. What size of pan did you use? We find using a 9×13 cake pan provides the best results with no sinking in the middle.

  6. I agree with the review that the molasses flavor was very overpowering but the cake texture itself turned out very good, light and fluffy but it smelled like it was burning in the oven. Reading a similar recipe on ‘ once upon a chef,’ Jen, the chef said not to use blackstrap molasses since it has a bitter taste, so I checked my molasses bottle and lo and behold it says blackstrap on the back of bottle in the ingredient section but not on the front ! Soooo lesson learned – of course beginner cooks would not know the difference – how many times do we use molasses In a year ? Lol4 stars

    1. Sorry about the molasses flavor, Roberta! Your cake’s texture sounds amazing though, so maybe a switch to regular molasses will make it a total win next time!

  7. The cake turned out well but I found that the molasses dominated the flavor profile to such an extent that you couldn’t taste the yummy spices that are in the recipe.4 stars

  8. I just polished off a big piece of this cake. I’m 67 …. sitting here remembering my Mama because the last time I had gingerbread, she made it. Good memories. I forgot to mix the baking soda with water. Was really mad at myself for that, but it was still delicious and turned out fine. Yes, I used a 9×13 pan, nothing boiled over, but it did sink a little in the middle. Who cares? Not me! So thank you Holly, for another good one!5 stars

  9. The batter bubbled over my pans. Smoked filled the house. Not good. Oven is a mess and will need to be cleaned. More time wasted.

  10. This was absolutely delicious, though I was a bit surprised at how high it rose–I was using a convection oven and had to shield the top, as it began to scorch. However, it didn’t affect the taste, and it was so moist and light. However, if you like a really dense, heavy gingerbread, this isn’t it.

    I will definitely make it again, but I will increase the spices. I think I’d go with at least 2 teaspoons of ginger and cinnamon, and maybe use a heaping teaspoon of cloves. It was a little on the timid side for us.5 stars

    1. Glad you enjoyed it, Michael! Sorry, it didn’t turn out quite as expected. What size of pan did you use? We find using a 9×13 cake pan provides the best results with no sinking in the middle.

    2. Mine rose incredibly high, as I noted in the comment. In fact, it even split, and I had to cover it to keep it from scorching. So your experience surprises me. I’d try again.

  11. Can I give this 10 stars? I made this to take for my coworkers the last day of school. I made a cream cheese frosting to top it with. Every person who had a piece raved about it. It was so moist and just yummy. Even the one who doesn’t usually like gingerbread thought it was delicious and several people asked for a link to the recipe. I’ve been asked to make it again in January to celebrate New Years! Thanks so much for this recipe!5 stars

    1. Oh no Leslie, I’m not sure what happened. Did you heat your oven to 350°F? What type of pan are you using?

    1. I agree that it is not very sweet, even though the sugar and molasses seem like they would make it very sweet. Something is missing… I used dark molasses and I think it overpowered the recipe and the ginger doesn’t come through well enough. I might increase the dry ginger or add some fresh or chopped candied ginger as well as a lighter molasses. I baked it in what turned out to be a 9×11 glass dish so it took a bit longer.4 stars

      1. You will have to let us know what you think when you add extra ginger or candied ginger!