Julie Clark
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Gingerbread Sheet Cake
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Start the holiday season with this delicious molasses-rich gingerbread sheet cake. It’s an easy homemade cake frosted with a cream cheese molasses frosting.
This gingerbread sheet cake has all the cozy holiday flavors. With ¾ cup of molasses, you get that old-fashioned flavor, balanced by cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. The batter includes buttermilk and sour cream, so the cake turns out tender every time. And since it bakes in a 10×15-inch sheet pan, it’s perfect for feeding a crowd.
The Gingerbread Sheet Cake Everyone’s Making This Holiday
There’s one flavor that my family craves as soon as cold weather hits. Gingerbread. We’ve made gingerbread houses (using this gingerbread cookie recipe) with friends for the past 18 years, make molasses Christmas cookies and enjoy gingerbread pancakes during the holiday season.
I perfected our better-than-Starbucks gingerbread loaf, and then turned to making this Gingerbread Sheet Cake. It’s a rich molasses cake that is soft and tender. And the molasses cream cheese frosting on top will melt in your mouth.
This gingerbread cake is perfect for your holidays because it feeds a crowd, is easier than a layer cake and is filled with Christmas spices.
Try it for your next holiday party!
Enjoy! -Julie
What kind of molasses is best for baking?
The darker molasses products, such as blackstrap molasses, are bitter in flavor. I purchase unsulphured molasses. Grandma’s molasses is easy to find, but if you have a bulk foods store near you, try Golden Barrel molasses. Either one of these are best for this gingerbread sheet cake.
Gingerbread Sheet Cake
Start the holiday season with this delicious molasses-rich gingerbread sheet cake. It's an easy homemade cake frosted with a cream cheese molasses frosting.
Servings 24
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¾ cup molasses
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1/4 cup salted butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º Fahrenheit. Spray an 10×15” baking pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
- Cream together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract. ½ cup salted butter , 1 cup light brown sugar, 2 large eggs, ¼ cup sour cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl add in flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- In another bowl whisk together molasses and buttermilk until completely incorporated. ¾ cup molasses, 1 cup buttermilk
- Mix half of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, alternating with half of the molasses, mixing after each addition until all the ingredients are incorporated together. Do not overmix.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the cake springs back when you touch the center. (Or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.) Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack.
- In a large bowl, cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add the vanilla and molasses. Mix well. 4 ounces cream cheese , ¼ cup salted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons molasses
- Add in 1 ½ cups of powdered sugar and mix well until combined. Then add the remaining ½ cup of powdered sugar until the frosting is a good spreading consistency. 2 cups powdered sugar
- Spread the frosting using an offset spatula over the cooled cake. Sprinkle with cinnamon if desired. Slice into 24 squares and serve.
Notes
- With a 10×15″ pan, the cake will fully fill the pan. Use an 11×17″ sheet cake pan if you are concerned about the cake overflowing. It will be slightly thinner this way and may cook a few minutes faster.
- Line the bottom of the sheet cake pan with parchment paper if you’d like to remove it easily.
- Store any extra cake in an airtight container at room temperature. The cake freezes well also.
Nutrition
Calories: 233kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 179mg | Potassium: 243mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 295IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 1mg
