Gingerbread Sheet Cake

pieces of gingerbread cake with molasses frosting

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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.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 233kcal

Author: Julie Clark

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

US Customary - Metric

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 , 1/4 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 10x15" 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.

Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.

The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 24 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.*

Nutrition