Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 cups (254 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 3/4 cups (350 grams) light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup unsulphured molasses
- 2 sticks (227 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup (118 ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For the icing
- 12 ounces (340 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 sticks (170 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla paste (or extract)
- 2 1/2 cups (313 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
Directions
Make the cake:
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Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a 10-by-15-inch jellyroll pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, cloves, nutmeg, salt, and brown sugar.
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In a medium saucepan combine the butter, water, and molasses. Turn onto medium-high heat until the butter melts. Bring to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, remove from heat and add in the flour mixture. Let cool slightly. Add in the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla.
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Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through and the cake springs back when touched. Let cool.
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Cake can be made 2 days ahead of time. Cover and store at room temperature.
Make the icing:
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla on medium-high speed until completely smooth. On low speed gradually add in the sugar and beat until creamy.
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Spread all over cooled cake. Cut into squares and serve.
This was so easy and so good!! Everyone at worked loved it! My husband who “doesn’t really like cake” even love it too!
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
Hi Vanessa! As mentioned in the recipe instructions, this cake can be made up to two days in advance. Let us know what you think once you’ve given this cake a try! Happy baking! 🙂
This looks so good! What a great dessert to make for the holidays!
Very nice cake, good texture, and very easy to make, and nice flavour.
Ke
So happy to hear that you enjoyed this cake, John!!
Can leftovers be frozen?
Hi Gary! We haven’t tried that, but it should be fine! Cut your cake into slices and freeze the slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet for about 1 hour, or until solid, before transferring to an airtight container with parchment between each layer of slices. Defrost in the fridge overnight. I hope that helps!
Hi. First of all, thank you very much for sharing you wonderful recipes.
I made this gingerbread sheetcake and it turned out very well, even though I made two little changes on your original.
I used a little less light brown sugar (300g instead of 350g). I didn’t have buttermilk, so I tried with natural unsweetened yogurt.
The frosting is excellent.
Thank you very much.
So happy you loved this recipe!
I love this!! I used more of each spice, as well as adding a little bit of cardamom and just a pinch of black pepper. I didn’t have a jelly roll pan, but I cooked this in an 8 x 11 pyrex dish for 28 minutes at 375 and it was PERFECT! My family has been making gingerbread cake on Christmas for years and this is my new go to recipe. Great topped with some salted caramel too. Thanks for this beautiful cake!
Thanks for sharing the pan/timing you used! So glad you loved this recipe!
Can this be made into cupcakes??? If so how long should I cook it for? Thank you!
We haven’t tried that, so I can’t say for sure! Let us know how it goes if you give it a try 🙂
Oh, this is a keeper! The cake is so moist, spongy and full of holiday flavors! I replaced the buttermilk with sour cream because it’s what I had on hand. the frosting is just creamy and lovely, Thanks, Happy Holiday!
When making ahead of time, would I cover and store the cake without icing.. possibly waiting to make the icing until the day of? Thank you! The perfect cake to celebrate Jesus’ birthday! 🙂
Yes! You can follow the make ahead steps in the instructions of the recipe. Hope you love this cake!
Hello! I am looking forward to baking this cake for the holidays. I am curious; why does the cake bake at such a high temperature? I’ve never baked a cake this hot before, even other sheet cakes. Thanks so much for the insight!
Super simple and SUPER delicious. I have officially added this recipe to my list of holiday cooking.
Yay! Thanks so much!
Hi!!! Do you know if I try these recipe in a bunt tin or a small loaf, would it works? I do have to put it less time in the oven?
Honestly I was dubious looking at this recipe – I’ve never made a sheet cake before and also the only molasses available on this side of the pond is Blackstrap. BUT it came out sooo well, beautiful spongy cake with a delicate crumb, couldn’t believe I was able to achieve this texture without even using an electric mixer! I used a tablespoon of blackstrap molasses and the rest of the 1/4 cup maple-flavoured golden syrup. Seems to do the trick – gorgeous result with no hassle 🙂