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!
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.
½ cup unsalted butter (preferably European-style butter, if you can find it), ½ cup dark brown sugar
Add molasses and stir until well combined.
1 cup unsulphured molasses
Add egg and vanilla extract. Stir well.
1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, and salt.
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground cloves, ¾ teaspoon salt
Gradually add dry ingredients to wet until completely combined.
Carefully stir in boiling water until ingredients are smooth and well-combined.
1 cup boiling water
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!
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).