This cake has all of the holiday flavours you could think of and is genuinely a treat! With fresh ginger and ground spices, molasses for more signature gingerbread flavour aaaaaand chocolate. Top that with a silky cream cheese frosting that also has a bit of molasses and you have yourself a very merry Christmas!

This is the third time I’m making this cake! Based on a Martha Stewart recipe, I’d first seen it on Sally’s Baking Addiction, where she swaps oil for butter. A few years later I decided to update the photos and baked it as a loaf cake. This time, I decided to just revisit the original recipe and realised, I haven’t tried it with fresh ginger at all and that it was originally made with butter. I also brought back the cream cheese frosting and saw that adding molasses to it was something pretty commonly done and knew I had to try it.

With this version, I dug into a more flavourful cake that was still soft (but not as moist as the oil-based version in case you’re curious) and it was unmistakably gingerbread, with a hint of chocolate. Just the way it should be I think! The molasses in the frosting was a game changer, I’d never had anything like it. Keep in mind that you do need to really enjoy spices to enjoy this cake. You can reduce the quantities if you prefer, but the real flavour punch is when you leave them as is!

The frosting is a large amount and you can make about two-thirds of it if you prefer, it’s what I plan to do next time. The cake tastes best at room temperature though it needs a bit of chilling to let the frosting set. Once back at room temperature, the cake softens and the frosting comes back to a silky texture which is sooooo good.

Let’s baaaake!

Please read the recipe notes before beginning.

Soft spiced chocolate and ginger cake with tangy cream cheese frosting

Chocolate Gingerbread Cake

Soft spiced chocolate and ginger cake with tangy cream cheese molasses frosting

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 45

Total Time: 1 15

Makes: 8 large slices

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Ingredients

For the cake

115 gms butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup molasses (170 gms, see notes)
3/4 cup soft brown sugar (160 gms)
1/4 cup water (60 ml)
2 eggs (see notes)
1/4 cup whole milk (60 ml)
2 tsps finely grated fresh ginger (peeled before grating)
1 cup all-purpose flour (120 gms)
1/2 cup cocoa powder (42 gms)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt if using unsalted butter
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp cinnamon powder

For the frosting

100 gms unsalted butter, at room temperature
150 gms cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tbsp molasses
1 cup + 2 tbsps icing sugar (120 gms)

Instructions

To make the cake, combine the butter, molasses, brown sugar and water in a small saucepan. Heat on low till the butter has melted and the mixture is fairly smooth, stirring constantly. Pour into a mixing bowl and let this cool for 10 minutes.
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 160 C. Grease a 9 inch springform tin (a 9x5 loaf tin also works) and set aside.
Now to the butter and molasses mixture, add the eggs, milk and grated ginger, whisking gently to combine.
Sift in the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and spices. Fold very gently to combine. There will be lumps, and that's ok. Don't be tempted to use a hand mixer as this beats too much air into the batter. In runny batters such as this one, excess air can cause it to crack in the oven (speaking from experience!)
Pour the batter into the prepared tin. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Let the cake cool completely to room temperature. If you do find that the center is a little sunken, despite being fully cooked, don't worry. It can happen sometimes with liquidy batters. The frosting will fix it 🙂
To make the frosting, beat the butter and cream cheese together with a hand mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add the molasses and beat briefly to combine. Then add the sugar, beating again until light and smooth. Taste and add more sugar if you prefer. The frosting will be a little soft, so place it in the fridge for 30 minutes, or until firm enough to spread, but not hard.
Level off the top of the cake if needed, then spread the frosting all over it. Place the cake in the fridge for 20 minutes before slicing.
Store the cake for 4 to 5 days in the fridge, or frozen for a few weeks. Let individual slices come to room temperature before eating. Happy baking!

Notes

*Molasses gives this cake its signature gingerbread flavour. Substitutes like honey or maple syrup will work but the flavour will change. I use Grandma's Molasses but there are many Indian brands available including Dhampur and Urban Platter. Use plain unsulphured molasses, not blackstrap molasses.

*This cake tastes strongly of ginger, so if you're not big on spices, feel free to reduce the spices a bit, knowing that it will be less gingerbread-y.

*The frosting makes quite a bit, so you can also make two-thirds of the quantity for a thinner layer.

*Original recipe from Martha Stewart. You can also see the oil-based version from Sally's Baking Addiction that I made a few years ago.

*I have not tried this cake without eggs. However, I have a delicious eggless chocolate cake to which you can add ginger and cinnamon for a similar flavour profile. I would skip the chocolate chips. Please keep in mind that I haven't tried altering the recipe this way myself but if you do, let me know how it goes!

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