Old Fashioned Gingerbread Cake

Gingerbread is one of those festive flavours we associate with Christmas. It's warm, spicy, inviting and delicious so today I have an Old Fashioned Gingerbread Cake recipe to share with you!

The warm and inviting smell of gingerbread often brings back childhood memories of festive family gatherings, carols playing on the record player, laughter, connection and togetherness. 

It's an inviting and evocative aroma, especially during the holiday season, combining the spicy scents of cinnamon, cloves, ginger and molasses. To me it smells like Christmas with my grandparents.

Today I thought I'd share an Old Fashioned Gingerbread Cake recipe which will fill your home with comforting and inviting fragrances as we begin planning for the Christmas season.

This recipe is a family favorite and served warm from the oven with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and sliced banana's it's a delightful festive dessert. It can be served on its own with a sprinkling of icing sugar and it makes a lovely treat to have with tea or coffee.

It's perfectly light, fluffy and moist and the molasses adds a rich, sweet note to the spices making it a highlight of every Christmas season. It flavors the cake perfectly and results in a soft crumb.

Molasses can be thick, sticky and hard to mix into a batter, but boiling water will loosen the consistency and assist in making a thinner cake batter. It produces a dense cake that is moist, soft and delicious.

Molasses is available in different depths - light for a mild flavour, medium and rich for a robust flavour - so choose which works best for your family. 

It's sweet, has a slight smoky flavour, a light bitterness with a touch of savory and a hint of spice.

If you're looking for a substitute then perhaps try maple syrup, honey, golden syrup or malt barley syrup. I've not tried any of these, but the ratio required for the recipe would be the same. It will change the flavour but that may be exactly what you're looking for.

This Old Fashioned Gingerbread Cake recipe is also freezer friendly, and it will last up to three months, so you could prepare your cake in advance and tick this off your Christmas menu list.

Ensure you wrap the squares firmly in cling wrap to prevent any moisture getting into the cake, and then place it in a ziplock bag or freezer container.

Simply defrost on the countertop and reheat when necessary.

I cook this cake in an 8" square pan and cut it into squares, but you could also bake it in a spring form round pan and serve slices. You could also top it with cream cheese frosting, but sometimes simple is best!

If you would like to try this Old Fashioned Gingerbread Cake recipe, simply click the link to download and print the recipe card or right click on the photo below and save it to your computer:

I hope you enjoy this Old Fashioned Gingerbread Cake recipe. It will fill your home with delicious inviting scents and it's one you can prepare ahead of time, leaving you free to enjoy the magic of the season.

Enjoy!

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Happy Christmas baking :)