4.95 from 74 votes

Gingerbread Layer Cake

By Sam MerrittPublished Nov 21, 2022

133 Comments

Servings: 12 servings

1 hr 3 mins

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My Gingerbread Layer Cake is so cozy and festive! It comes together in just over an hour and is topped with sugared cranberries for a stunning finish. Recipe includes a how-to video!

Slice of gingerbread cake cut from a three layer cake in the background.

The Perfect Christmas Cake

If you could take all the festive, wintery elements of the holiday season and bake them into a cake, you’d end up with this gingerbread layer cake. With its warm, spiced gingerbread cake layers, luscious brown sugar frosting, and sparkling sugared cranberry garnish, this is a stunning holiday dessert!

This cake is a fun and pretty twist on classic gingerbread. And yes, it’s a true gingerbread cake; we’re using both molasses and gingerbread spices in the batter. It pairs beautifully with a brown sugar version of my cream cheese frosting–yum.

This is an easy recipe made with a nod to the reverse creaming method, similar to the method I used for my yellow cake. You don’t even need a mixer for the batter! You’ll get three layers that are perfect for stacking (these are slightly less fluffy/more dense than my gingerbread cupcakes to keep them from falling apart on your fork). Scroll down to take a peek at the inside!

What You Need

Overhead view of ingredients including brown sugar, molasses, ginger, and more. — Gingerbread cake ingredients

Overhead view of ingredients including brown sugar, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and more. — Gingerbread cake ingredients

Let’s go over a few key ingredients you’ll need to make this gingerbread layer cake:

Molasses. You cannot have gingerbread cake without molasses–it’s as essential as ginger! Use unsulphered molasses and DO NOT use blackstrap molasses.
Spices. Including ginger (of course!), nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, and cloves. Cloves and molasses are what really set the gingerbread flavor apart from pumpkin spice and give this cake a more wintry, true-gingerbread flavor than my spice cake or carrot cake.
Sour cream. Sour cream is our secret weapon for ultimate moisture, tenderness, and flavor. It creates the perfect soft cake crumb. And no, you won’t be able to actually taste the sour cream in the final product! Full-fat, plain greek yogurt would also work here.
Sugar. I recommend using light brown sugar in both the cake and the frosting. Dark brown would be overpowering and a tad too rich.
Cream cheese. Use full-fat, brick-style cream cheese in your frosting. Do not use the low-fat or spreadable kind!

SAM’S TIP: A bit of hot water helps to bloom the spices and develop the flavor, and it also lightens the crumb of this gingerbread cake. This is very similar to blooming cocoa powder!

Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!

How to Make Gingerbread Cake

Collage of four photos showing cake batter being prepared, poured into pans, and baked.

Whisk together the sugar and dry ingredients until combined, then stir in the butter and oil.
Add the eggs, vanilla, and sour cream, then stir in the hot water.
Divide the batter between two prepared pans and bake for 28 minutes.
Let the cakes cool in their pans for 10-15 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Collage of four photos showing icing being prepared, smoothed over cake, and piped.

Cream together all ingredients except powdered sugar until smooth.
Gradually add the powdered sugar until the desired consistency is achieved.
Level and frost the cake layers, adding more frosting on the layers and a thinner coating on the exterior.
Decorate as desired.

SAM’S TIP: Sugared cranberries are a fun, colorful addition for decorating the top of the this gingerbread layer cake. They may look complicated, but they’re actually very easy to make–check out my sugared cranberries post for a how-to video!

Two slices of cake cut from a three layer gingerbread cake.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between gingerbread and gingerbread cake?

First and foremost, gingerbread is typically a frosting-less, one-layer cake. It’s a bit denser and darker than this recipe, and it is prepared a bit differently than this gingerbread layer cake. Gingerbread is typically served plain or topped with a dollop of whipped cream or warm lemon curd.

Can I use a different frosting?

I really love pairing this gingerbread layer cake with the frosting I’m sharing here, but you could also use a classic vanilla frosting, stabilized whipped cream frosting, or even lemon frosting.

What’s the best way to store a gingerbread cake?

You’ll want to store your cake in an airtight container, either in the fridge or at room temperature. At room temperature, your cake will last for one day. In the fridge, it will keep for 4-5 days.

Cross section of a three layer cake topped with sugared cranberries and evergreen sprigs.

I know Christmas baking is still a few weeks away, but I just couldn’t resist sharing this one a bit early 😊

Enjoy!

Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook

I originally shared this gingerbread cake recipe in 2015 but it was giving some readers some issues. As of November 2022 I’ve updated the recipe to be as foolproof as possible and have modified the frosting from a bourbon frosting to a brown sugar cream cheese one, which I think suits the recipe better.