With mellow, warm spices and a super simple method, this easy Gingerbread Cake is perfectly seasonal and festive. Serve it with decorative sprinkles or add whipped cream or cream cheese frosting.
Gingerbread Cake
We’ve long loved Gingerbread Muffins as festive holiday muffins (or just as a spice muffins whenever the urge strikes), and this cake has many of the same flavors but is a smidge easier to make.
After mixing up the batter in one bowl, you simply pour it into a square pan and bake. It’s simple, delicious, and easy to dress up for a special meal or occasion as you like. It’s one of our very favorite cake recipes.
We usually top with gold decorating sugar for a little extra sparkle, but Cream Cheese Frosting is also a delicious pair for this snack cake.
This works well as a make-ahead Christmas breakfast or as an easy snack to share with the kids while playing (or making Salt Dough Ornaments). So versatile and so yummy.
Table of Contents
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Ingredients You Need
Here’s a look at the ingredients you need to make this recipe so you know what to have on hand. Scroll down to the end of the post for the full amounts and information.
- Plain whole-milk yogurt: Using yogurt in baked goods helps them to be super moist and delicious. It’s a nutritious way to add moisture without solely relying on oil or butter. I prefer to use full-fat plain yogurt in this recipe for maximum tenderness.
- Eggs: Eggs help the batter hold together nicely in this recipe. See the Notes for an egg-free option.
- Unsalted butter (melted and cooled slightly): A little butter adds richness to this recipe.
- Molasses: Backstrap, unsulfured molasses adds classic gingerbread flavor and mellow sweetness. It also makes the top of the cake ever so slightly sticky, which is a hallmark of gingerbread.
- Vanilla extract: A little vanilla extract rounds out the flavor notes in this snack cake.
- Whole wheat flour: I use whole wheat flour since it holds up well in the mix with the rest of the moist ingredients, but all-purpose can be used as well.
- Brown sugar (lightly packed): In combination with the molasses, this adds flavor and a hint of sweetness.
- Baking soda: Fresh, active baking soda helps the cake rise and bake through properly.
- Ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and allspice (or ground cloves): The combination of these spices adds the classic warmth you expect from gingerbread.
- Coarse or decorating sugar, or whipped cream or Cream Cheese Frosting (optional)
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at the steps involved in making this easy gingerbread so you know what to expect from the process. Scroll down to the end of the post for the full recipe with the specifics on timing and amounts.
- Whisk together the wet ingredients in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Gently fold the flour mixture into the yogurt mixture.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing to the edges with a spatula or spoon. I prefer to bake this in a parchment-lined pan so it’s easy to cut and serve, but you can also just grease the pan with nonstick spray.
- Sprinkle the top with coarse or decorating sugar, if using. (I like to use gold decorating sugar.) Bake until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ground ginger is typically added to gingerbread, or at least that’s the easiest way to add classic gingerbread flavor to this easy recipe.
Gingerbread has ginger plus molasses, allspice or cloves, cinnamon and more. Ginger cake may just have ginger for flavoring.
Gingerbread pairs nicely with Cream Cheese Frosting, chocolate, citrus, and berries.
How to Store
Once cooled, store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days. You can also store it in the fridge if you’d like, though it does firm up a little when cold.
To make ahead and freeze, let cool fully and freeze the entire cake in a gallon-size freezer bag or slice into bars and freeze in a freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature or in the fridge.
Best Tips for Success
- If you don’t have molasses, you can swap in honey. It will taste less like gingerbread, though.
- Serve topped with whipped cream or Cream Cheese Frosting.
- Dairy-free: Use vegetable or coconut oil in place of the butter and ¾ cup nondairy milk in place of the yogurt.
- Gluten-free: Use a 1:1 style-gluten-free flour blend such as the one from King Arthur Flour.
- Egg-Free: Omit the eggs. Add ½ cup milk and proceed with the recipe.
- You may also like my Olive Oil Cake.
Related Recipes
Muffins
Favorite Gingerbread Muffins
Desserts
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Desserts
Easy Gingerbread Cookies
Birthdays
Sweet Potato Baby Cake
I’d love to hear your feedback on this post, so please rate and comment below!
Easy Gingerbread Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (melted and cooled slightly)
- ¼ cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1¼ cups whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup brown sugar (lightly packed)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon allspice (or cloves)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Coarse or decorating sugar, or whipped cream or Cream Cheese Frosting (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper or grease with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, eggs, butter, molasses, and vanilla.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ground ginger, allspice, and salt.
- Gently fold the flour mixture into the yogurt mixture.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top with coarse or decorating sugar, if using. (I like to use gold decorating sugar.)
- Bake for 20-24 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out cleanly. Cool pan on a wire rack. (If you lined the pan with parchment paper, lift it out and onto a wire rack to cool.)
- Serve or top with whipped cream or Cream Cheese Frosting, as desired.
Notes
- Once cooled, store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days. You can also store in the fridge if you’d like, though it does firm up a little when cold.
- If you don’t have molasses, you can swap in honey. The cake will taste less like gingerbread, though.
- Serve topped with whipped cream or Cream Cheese Frosting.
- Dairy-free: Use vegetable or coconut oil in place of the butter and ¾ cup nondairy milk in place of the yogurt.
- Gluten-free: Use a 1:1-style gluten-free flour blend such as the one from King Arthur Flour.
- Egg-free: Omit the eggs. Add ½ cup milk and proceed with the recipe.
Has anyone tried these with All-Purpose flour instead of whole wheat? I’d love to make these but only have AP on hand.
It should work just fine. It may take an extra two minutes to bake. Enjoy!
Just made a DF / GF version of this today and it was so good! Toddler loved it too. For anyone else who is gluten and/or dairy free we followed the recipe as is and just used an unsweetened plain dairy free yogurt, vegan butter (Miyokos brand) & 1:1 GF flour and it still worked perfectly! Thank you!
Thanks for sharing that!
I love all your recipes and can’t wait to try this one! Can I use a loaf pan and also can I use whole milk Greek yogurt?
If you use Greek yogurt, I would add 2 tbsp milk. For a standard size loaf pan, I’d bake at 350 F for about 50-55 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out cleanly.
Really easy to make and super moist and tasty. I didn’t have enough butter and topped up the butter with some vegetable oil and it still turned out fine. Serving with cream cheese frosting is a must. Thanks!
Will there be a different baking time/temp for a glass 8×8 dish?
For glass, I’d bake as directed, then cover with foil and bake for about 10 additional minutes to set the center.
Loved this! So easy, wet plus dry and bake! I subbed milk for the yogurt, and honey for the molasses, also used dark brown sugar, and in 20 minutes, it made the house smell like Christmas. And I added a quick lemon glaze to top it off (powdered sugar, milk and lemon juice). Am definitely making this again soon!
Smells delicious! I am 10 minutes over on cook time; middle is still soupy! ???
The brown sugar did clump while mixing with flour… tips?
If the middle was raw, the most likely explanation is that the baking soda wasn’t fresh/active. Hopefully it resolved!
Tasty, moist, and easy! Thought about trying to freeze some but I don’t think we’ll have any trouble polishing this off quickly!
Just made it, and I’ll be making it again – it was easy to put together and it turned out so well. Really fluffy and yummy!
Delicious, moist, and perfectly spiced. So good to snack on for everyone in my family. Felt like a pro baker when it came out!
This was easy to make and the spices were prominent in it with less sugar in it. I prefer less sugar in baking now and this helped me live the less is more concept!
I also liked the moistness of it. I made it without butter (coconut oil instead) and didn’t use cupcake liners. The coconut oil I added to each cup before pouring in the mixture worked out great, each came out without an issue.
Thank you so much for this recipe Amy!!
This was easy to make and the spices were prominent in it with less sugar in it. I prefer less sugar in baking now and this helped me live the less is more concept!
I also liked the moistness of it. I made it without butter (coconut oil instead) and didn’t use cupcake liners. The coconut oil I added to each cup before pouring in the mixture worked out great, each came out without an issue.
Thank you so much for this recipe Amy!!
You’re so welcome and I’m glad to hear this!
This was easy to make and the spices were prominent in it with less sugar in it. I prefer less sugar in baking now and this helped me live the less is more concept!
Thank you so much for this recipe Amy!!
Made this tonight exactly as written. Really quick to throw together, then made dinner while it was baking. Mom, dad, and two year old approved 🙂
So good !