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Wide shot of a plated slice of gingerbread cake with banana and cream sauce
Sarah

Gingerbread Cake

Warm, deeply spiced gingerbread cake with a soft crumb, topped with vanilla cream sauce, bananas, and whipped cream.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1 cup unsulphered molasses
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup very hot water
  • bananas, sliced, for topping
  • fresh whipped cream, for topping
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

Method
 

  1. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  2. Beat in the egg and molasses until smooth.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Add to the wet mixture and mix, then stir in the hot water until the batter is smooth (it will be thin, and that is normal).
  4. Pour the batter into a greased 9x13 inch pan and bake at 350F until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
  5. While the cake bakes, combine the sugar, butter, and heavy cream in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes, then remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
  6. Slice the warm cake and serve topped with sliced bananas, a generous pour of the warm vanilla cream sauce, and whipped cream.

Notes

  • Use full-flavor (unsulphured) molasses here, not blackstrap — blackstrap is more bitter and intense, so if that is all you have, cut back to about 3/4 cup.
  • The batter looks thin after you stir in the hot water. That is normal for this cake, not a mistake, and it bakes up into a soft, moist crumb.
  • Start checking for doneness around 40 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.