This easy gingerbread cake is sure to be a crowd pleaser, and only takes ten minutes to mix up. This homemade ginger cake is topped with a maple cream cheese frosting and is the perfect any time cake.
Hi hi! Just popping in to share this super easy gingerbread cake recipe with you! This homemade gingerbread cake is quick to make (comes together in 10 minutes!), and is perfectly moist, so is great to make ahead. It has a rich molasses flavor and is perfectly spiced - I love it so much.
I love making homemade cake recipes, but they often require a lot of time or effort, which is why sheet cakes are the perfect compromise. They bake up as a single layer, and are really easy to transport in the pan that you made them in. My Devil's food cake and my Tiramisu cake are both easy sheet cakes that I make often.
I topped this ginger cake recipe with a super simple maple cream cheese frosting, although it would be delicious as is too! The recipe for this gingerbread cake comes from my friend Brooke Bell's book, “Cake: Layered, Frosted, Sliced and Shared”. I also made it in layer cake form in this gingerbread layer cake.
I hope you love this gingerbread cake! It is amazing any time of the year, but also makes a perfect holiday cake recipe.
How to make Gingerbread Cake
This gingerbread cake recipe is super easy - the cake itself is a one bowl gingerbread cake recipe, and because it is oil based, which makes it super moist, there is no need to warm up the butter before, so it comes together quickly.
- Prep your pan. I use a 9"x13" (20cm x 30cm) pan, and line it with parchment paper which sticks up a little up the sides of the pan to help with easy removal once cooled. If you are serving straight from the pan you could also just spray with some cooking spray or brush with butter.
- Combine dry ingredients. You can do this in a mixer or by hand - place them all into the mixer and mix until incorporated.
- Add wet ingredients. Make a well in the middle and add your wet ingredients - I like to break up the yolks of the egg with a fork.
- Mix to combine. It's almost too easy - mix all the ingredients together and you are good to go!
- Bake. Bake the gingerbread cake until a toothpick comes out clean - this should take 28-30 minutes.
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
I topped this homemade gingerbread cake with a maple cream cheese frosting, as I had some cream cheese that needed using up.
However, the gingerbread cake would be delicious just as is, served with a sprinkle of powdered sugar before serving.
If you wanted to make both components ahead, you could make the the maple cream cheese frosting a few days in advance and store in an airtight container in the fridge and assemble closer to serving.
How to Store Gingerbread
This gingerbread cake is best stored in an airtight container in the fridge because of the cream cheese frosting. If you are making it ahead and just storing the cake, it can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
For more sheet cake recipes, check out:
❤️ Made this recipe and love it? ❤️
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Answers to your baking questions
Over the years, many of you have asked me questions about:
- baking in grams
- adjusting oven temperatures
- what kind of salt to use
- and many more!
I've curated and answered them all for your easy reference in this frequently asked questions post!
One Bowl Gingerbread Sheet Cake
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 16 servings 1x
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This easy gingerbread cake is sure to be a crowd pleaser, and only takes ten minutes to mix up. This homemade ginger cake is topped with a maple cream cheese frosting and is the perfect any time cake.
Ingredients
Gingerbread Sheet Cake
- 320g All-Purpose Flour
- 200g Granulated Sugar
- 1 Tbsp ground ginger
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- 300g whole milk
- 170g unsulphured molasses
- 90g Canola oil
- 2 large eggs
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
- 170g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 335g cream cheese, cold from the fridge
- 670g icing sugar, sifted
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
- ¼ tsp salt
- 80g maple syrup
Instructions
GINGERBREAD SHEET CAKE
- Preheat the oven to 350°f / 180°c. Spray a 9” x 13” (20x30cm) baking dish with baking spray, or grease with butter. Line with a parchment paper sling.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and allspice. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture; add milk, molasses, oil, and eggs. Beat with a mixer at low speed until combined, about 1 minutes. Pour batter into prepared pan. Tap pan on counter twice to release air bubbles.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 28 minutes. Let cool completely in pan. Dust with icing sugar, or frost with maple cream cheese frosting (recipe follows)
MAPLE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese on high until pale and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add icing sugar, vanilla bean paste and salt, and mix on low to combine. Turn the mixer to high and beat for another 3-4 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add maple syrup, and beat until well combined.
- Scrape the frosting onto the cake, and spread with an offset spatula. Sprinkle with cinnamon if desired.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
Cake recipe reprinted with permission from “Cake: Layered, Frosted, Sliced and Shared”.
Comments
Libby says
This cake is delicious and oh so simple to make! The batter comes together before the oven even heats. It's that easy to pull together. I've been enjoying it during the thaw season here in Michigan because it's warm and cozy and brightens your day. Next holiday season I'm fully prepared to arrive at any and all gatherings with this cake in hand. It's officially one of my favorite sheet cakes.
Erin says
Ahhh you're finding all the gems in my archives hahaha I need to update all these recipes so they have the proper formatting!
Libby says
The leaves are turning and the days are getting crisp. Perfect timing to make this recipe again. Still so simple and so delicious. Without fail it gets incredible compliments. A crowd favorite for sure.
Emma says
Delicious combination, the cake is a fast cake to make on a weeknight when you run out of baking. And the cream cheese frosting is my go-to know, it doesn't melt off and make your cake look sad.
Amelia Martin says
This is the PERFECT cake. So so so easy and delicious. The combo of the cream cheese maple icing and soft gingerbread cake is to die for. Will be making this again and again!
Laura says
How would bake time and temp adjust if baking ing round cake pans to make a layered cake?
Erin Clarkson says
It depends on the size! I have a pan size calculator on my site that you can use, bake temp would be the same 🙂
Krystle says
This is the most incredible recipe, and especially if time isn’t on your side! It tastes amazing a real crowd pleaser.
Natalie says
I made this recipe into 24 cupcakes for my son’s birthday and they came out great! So tasty. I baked them for 22 minutes. Only used a little over half of the frosting but I’m a minimal frosting person…a 2 tbsp scoop on each cupcake. I just froze the rest to save for something else. I look forward to making the 9x13 cake next Christmas! The gingerbread flavor is delicious!
Libby says
You know that it's a fantastic recipe when you're on your third annual review. This is still by far may favorite cake to gift to people during the snowy months. It comes together so easily, leaves very few dishes, and is absolutely delicious. Arriving at someone's door with this cake in hand always put a smile on everyone's face. Have fun making it!
Julie says
Super yummy -- really better than a gingerbread cookie, because it has all the rich flavor of a gingerbread with the lovely crumb of a cake!
Totally guilty of altering the recipe a bit (intentionally and un-!) - leaving my notes here in case anyone is trying to do something similar:
I made these into cupcakes -- the recipe yielded about 20 "regular" cupcakes for me (filled the cupcake liners about 2/3 full with batter), beautifully domed, cooking time about 18 minutes in my oven.
I cut back on the powdered sugar by 270g for my frosting - so it was a bit more cream cheese forward, this was personal preference! I then totally forgot to add in the maple syrup at the end. I piped the frosting and had lots leftover, if you go my cupcake route you could likely 1/3 or half the recipe. No frosting was wasted -- I brought the "bonus" container of frosting to a gathering just in case anyone wanted more, and my brother-in-law happily used it to dip cookies into, and then gave up altogether and just started eating the frosting straight! Higher praise for a frosting recipe could not be found. 🙂
debbie says
Hi is it possible to halve this recipe to make small batch?, if so pls advise size of baking pan.
Thanks
Erin Clarkson says
Hi! Yep you can - I have a pan size calculator on my site 🙂
debbie says
is it possible to halve this recipe? will it work?
thanks 🙂
Madelene Dalton says
Is there anything I can use instead of molasses? Thanks
Erin Clarkson says
Hi! You can use treacle 🙂
nancy says
this was the bomb Erin 🙂 poor planning on my part left me no time to make a dessert - but this cake was absolutely perfect. Easy & quick to put together and was a big hit (I mean the cream cheese icing alone - yum!). Made it in 2 x 9" round cake pans (shortened the cooking time a bit) and sent one home with my son. Thank you Erin!
Maggie Davis says
This recipe worked wonderfully for me! Spice cakes are good, but they sometimes lack the depth of flavor that molasses gives. This cake was soft, moist, tasty, and perfectly sweet.
Naomi says
Hi there, could you subsitute the molasses for maple syrup and would it be the exact same measurements? Many thanks!
Erin Clarkson says
Hi no it won't be the same sorry!
Ann DT says
I was craving gingerbread (it's getting rainy and cold in California), and the first place I went for a recipe was here! Your gingerbread is so easy to make and frost--and the best thing was--it tasted exactly the way I wanted! Great spicy taste, great texture, and a keeper of a cream cheese-maple frosting! Thank you, Erin, for another great recipe.
James says
Great recipe, Erin, I made it last Christmas to give as gifts and it was loved by everyone, planning on adding it to my baked gifts again this year. I use treacle, and substitute some golden syrup to make it a little less bitter, and just use ginger and cinnamon, as I'm not a fan of nutmeg and all spice, and it still turns out delicious, a light, and sturdy cake, at the same time with a lovely sticky top. I also omit the frosting and use Biscoff cookie spread, and have been told it brings it to an 11/10, the cinnamon in the spread accentuates the flavour.
Cathy says
This is a truly delicious cake, and is so easy to make. I made it a few times a few years ago but then somehow forgot about it (and just how good it is).
Yesterday, we hosted a pre-Christmas gathering and it just popped into my head to make again - perfect for a festive spice hit, and less risky than fruit cake or mince pies, which not everyone likes. Anyway, it was so, so good - plush, moist, warmly spiced, and also looked beautiful, topped with a cloud of the most delicious icing.
I can’t recommend this recipe enough. Thank you Erin. It’s definitely back on my cake rotation now - for good!
G says
This recipe is a keeper! Love the cake and the frosting but it seems like I have more frosting than I needed. Maybe next time I will half the frosting.