Our Family Favorite German Gingerbread Cake

This German Gingerbread cake recipe is an old family favorite, I hope you will enjoy it as much as we do during the holiday season! I usually double the recipe to create a layered Gingerbread cake…double the yum! Use two different sized cake pans to create a layered tiered cake. Just be sure to reduce the baking time for smaller cake pan sizes. Enjoy!

German Gingerbread Cake

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off with back edge of knife
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
2/3 cup mild-flavored molasses, such as Grandma’s Original (not Robust or Blackstrap)
2/3 cup boiling water
1 large egg

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-in pan  with nonstick cooking spray. Add a few tablespoons of flour to the pan; shake and turn pan until bottom and sides are evenly evenly coated.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cloves.
In a large bowl, combine, butter, dark brown sugar, molasses and boiling water. Whisk until butter is melted. When mixture is luke warm, whisk in egg.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and whisk until just combined and there are no more lumps. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for about 35 minutes, or until the edges look dark and the middle feels firm to the touch. Set pan on a rack to cool slightly. Frost after the cake has completely cooled.

Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting:

2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup milk

Combine butter and sugar, mix on medium/high speed for several minutes until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and mix for an additional three minutes.

 

I hope you will try making this delicious Gingerbread cake, and be sure to let me know how yours turns out! I always love adding fresh flowers to my cakes but they taste just as wonderful without the added blooms…

xoxo…

Janice