Old-Fashioned Gingerbread Cake Is The Most Searched Christmas Cake In The South

It’s a shame that when most people think of gingerbread, they picture a little house covered in rock hard icing and candy. Real gingerbread—the soft and sticky kind flavored with molasses, dark brown sugar, and just about every baking spice in your pantry—is a true delight to eat, unlike those stale little houses. Which is why our Old-Fashioned Gingerbread is the South’s favorite cake to make during the holiday season.

We know a thing or two about fancy Christmas cakes—they’ve been on the cover of the December issue of Southern Living for more than 30 years. While those impressively tall layer cakes may be centerpiece-worthy, there’s something to be said for a dessert that’s simple and sweet.

Why Old-Fashioned Gingerbread Is So Special

Baked in a 9-inch square pan, our Old-Fashioned Gingerbread Cake may look homey, but the aroma and flavor of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and black pepper packs more of a punch than any other Christmas cake you’ll find. Dark brown sugar and molasses give the cake a deep, caramelized sweetness that sets it apart from other spice cakes. We use butter instead of oil for a moist and tender crumb that still tastes rich.

How To Make Old-Fashioned Gingerbread

This cake is about as simple to make as it can be. You don’t even need a stand mixer.

• Whisk together the brown sugar, molasses, boiling water, and cubed butter in a medium bowl until butter melts.
• Then, whisk in the baking soda and salt.
• Set aside the molasses mixture until lukewarm, then whisk in an egg.
• After that, all you have to do is whisk in the rest of the dry ingredients, pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake.

The cake itself comes together in just about an hour (with just 20 minutes of hands-on cooking time), although it does require an additional hour of cooling time before you serve it.

Best Way To Serve Old-Fashioned Gingerbread

This cake needs nothing more than a sprinkle of powdered sugar on top, but if you want to dress it up a bit, our Brown Sugar-and-Ginger Whipped Cream is the perfect finishing touch. Or, serve the cake warm with scoops of vanilla ice cream on top.