Gingerbread

A timeless, classic, traditional Gingerbread recipe that makes for a dense but soft, moist, and richly flavored cake, perfectly flavored with molasses, brown sugar, and lots of cozy spices! Be sure to check out the how-to video!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings large slices

Calories 383kcal

Author Sam Merritt

Equipment

Mixing bowls
9x9 baking pan

Ingredients

½ cup unsalted butter (preferably European-style butter, if you can find it) softened to room temperature (113g) (may substitute vegetable shortening)
½ cup dark brown sugar firmly packed (100g)
1 cup unsulphured molasses (235ml)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (312g)
1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cloves
¾ teaspoon salt
1 cup boiling water (235ml)
Whipped Cream for topping, optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and prepare a 9"x9" (23x23cm) metal baking pan by either generously greasing and flouring or by lining with parchment paper. Set aside.
Combine butter and brown sugar in a large bowl and use an electric mixer to beat until creamy.
Add molasses and stir until well combined.
Add egg and vanilla extract. Stir well.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, and salt.
Gradually add dry ingredients to wet until completely combined.
Carefully stir in boiling water until ingredients are smooth and well-combined.
Pour batter into prepared baking pan and bake in the center rack of 350F (175C) preheated oven for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Allow to cool before slicing and serving. This Gingerbread tastes best when topped with whipped cream!

Video

Notes

Toppings

My family always tops this recipe with a batch of my homemade whipped cream, but many people also enjoy it topped with warm lemon curd!

Storing

Store in an airtight container (or tightly covered in the pan it was baked in) at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Note: This recipe has been one my family has used since I was a child and has been closely adapted from Good Housekeeping (affiliate).

Nutrition