Gingerbread Cake

Nov 6, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Baking Cakes cupcakes Easy

A soft, moist loaf made by the melting method with black treacle, golden syrup and dark brown sugar, spiced with plenty of ground ginger and studded with chewy crystallized ginger. It develops a sticky top and deepens in flavor a day after baking. Makes 10 servings in about 27 hr 25 min.

Prep 15 min

Cook 65 min

Cooling 25 hr

Total 27 hr 25 min

Servings 10

Ingredients

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servings

½ cup (115 g)unsalted butter
½ cup (115 g)dark brown sugar, packed
⅓ cup (115 g)black treacle, or dark unsulphured molasses
⅓ cup (115 g)golden syrup
1 ¾ cups (225 g)all-purpose flour
2 ½ tsp (6 g)ground ginger, 1 tbsp
¾ tsp (2 g)ground cinnamon, 1 tsp
½ tsp (1 g)ground allspice, 1/2 tsp
1 tsp (5 g)baking soda, 1 tsp
1 pinchsalt
⅔ cup (150 ml)whole milk
2 (100 g)eggs, large, beaten
7 tbsp (50 g)crystallized ginger, finely chopped

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Instructions

Heat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Butter the loaf pan and line it with parchment that hangs over the long sides.
Warm the unsalted butter, dark brown sugar, black treacle and golden syrup in a saucepan over low heat, stirring, until melted and smooth, 4 to 5 minutes; do not let it boil. Take off the heat and stir in the whole milk to cool it.
Whisk the all-purpose flour, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground allspice, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
Pour the treacle mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth, then whisk in the eggs to make a thin, glossy batter. Stir in the crystallized ginger.
Pour into the pan and bake until well risen, springy in the center and a skewer comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. Cover loosely with foil after 45 minutes if the top darkens too much.
Cool completely in the pan on a rack, about 1 hour, then lift out and cut into 10 slices. For a stickier top, wrap the cooled loaf and leave it a day before slicing.

Tips

The batter is meant to be very runny; that is what gives the moist, close crumb.
Line the pan well: treacle batters stick and can catch at the edges.
Toss the crystallized ginger in a spoonful of the flour first so it does not sink.
Good with assam tea with milk.

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Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make gingerbread cake?

Plan on 15 minutes of prep and 1 hour 5 minutes of cooking, plus 26 hours 5 minutes to rise and rest. The recipe makes 10 servings.

How should I store gingerbread cake?

Wrap well and keep in an airtight tin at room temperature up to 1 week; it gets stickier each day. Freezes up to 2 months.

Can I make gingerbread cake ahead?

It is at its best the day it is made; prepare it a few hours before serving.

Serve it with assam tea with milk.

Variations

Individual portions: bake in a 12-cup muffin pan lined with papers for 20 to 22 minutes.
Orange-zest version: add 1 tbsp (5 g) finely grated orange zest with the eggs and top the cooled loaf with 100 g (3/4 cup) powdered sugar mixed with 15 ml (1 tbsp) orange juice.
Lemon-iced gingerbread: drizzle the cold loaf with 100 g (3/4 cup) powdered sugar mixed with 15 ml (1 tbsp) lemon juice.
Tray bake: bake in an 8-inch (20 cm) square pan for 40 to 45 minutes and cut 16 squares.

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 10 servings this recipe makes.

320 Calories / serving

11.4g Fat

50.9g Carbs

4.7g Protein

30.1g Sugar

Whole recipe (10 servings): ~3200 cal · 114g fat · 509g carbs · 47g protein · 301g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.