Moist Gingerbread Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting & Lemon Curd Filling

• Flour — all-purpose flour (bleached or unbleached works)
• Spices — ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground allspice, ground cloves
• Leavening — baking soda (helps with rise, colour, and flavour)
• Fats — unsalted butter and a little canola oil for moisture and a tender texture
• Sugar — dark brown sugar to deepen the molasses character
• Eggs — large eggs at room temperature for better incorporation
• Salt — fine kosher or table salt (reduce table salt by half if substituting)
• Molasses — use Fancy (light) molasses, not blackstrap
• Milk — whole milk (3.25%); avoid fat-free for best texture
• Toppings (optional) — white chocolate cream cheese frosting, lemon curd, classic cream cheese frosting, salted caramel, or lightly sweetened whipped cream

Step 1 — Combine molasses, dark brown sugar, butter, and canola oil in a small saucepan. Warm gently over medium-low heat just until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Do not boil; you only want enough heat to blend the ingredients.

Note: Avoid boiling, which can change the texture and concentration of the syrup.

Step 2 — In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the salt to loosen them. Add the warm (not hot) molasses-butter mixture and the milk, then whisk until evenly combined.

Step 3 — Whisk the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl so the spices are evenly distributed. Sift or sprinkle them over the wet mixture, then whisk gently to form a smooth, fluid batter. The baking soda will react and the mixture may bubble slightly — this is normal.

Step 4 — Pour the batter into a prepared 9×9-inch (23 cm) square pan and bake until set. A cake tester inserted in the centre should come out clean and the edges will begin to pull away from the pan.

Baking soda reacts in the slightly acidic batter to help the cake rise, contributes to a tender crumb, and deepens the brown colour typical of gingerbread. Higher amounts also influence the flavour; some recipes use more for a darker, more pronounced profile.

This recipe uses a moderate amount of baking soda to balance rise, texture, colour, and flavour. Reducing it will change those aspects and may require swapping in baking powder or testing to get comparable results.

If unfrosted, the cake stores fine at room temperature for a day or overnight. If topped with a perishable frosting (cream cheese, for example), refrigerate after a day. Bring the cake back to room temperature before serving for best texture.

• 190 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 7.5 mL ground cinnamon
• 7.5 mL ground ginger
• 3.75 mL baking soda
• 2.5 mL ground nutmeg
• 1.25 mL ground allspice
• 1.25 mL ground cloves
• 255 grams Fancy molasses
• 100 grams dark brown sugar
• 80 grams unsalted butter room temperature
• 45 mL canola oil
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 1.25 mL fine kosher salt
• 250 mL whole milk (3.25% fat) I don’t recommend fat free

Suggested toppings and garnishes (optional)

• 1 batch white chocolate cream cheese frosting
• 125 mL lemon curd

• Preheat oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Grease and flour a 9-inch (23 cm) square metal pan and line the bottom with parchment. Set aside.
• Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and set aside.
• In a small saucepan, combine molasses, dark brown sugar, butter, and oil. Warm over medium-low until the butter melts and the mixture is well combined. Do not boil. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
• In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the salt. Add the warm molasses-butter mixture and the milk, and whisk until well combined.
• Sift or sprinkle the dry ingredients over the wet mixture, whisk to combine. The batter will be fluid and may bubble a little from the baking soda; a few small lumps are acceptable.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean and the edges pull away slightly.
• Cool the cake completely in the pan before removing and serving. Top with frosting or lemon curd if desired.

• The cake is lovely on its own, but pairing it with lemon curd and a white chocolate cream cheese frosting creates a great balance of flavours. Salted caramel or whipped cream are also tasty alternatives.
• If your pan is non-stick, you can skip the flouring step after greasing, but lining the bottom with parchment makes unmolding much easier.
• Adjust the spice levels to taste. Adding a pinch of black or white pepper can enhance the warmth if you like a spicier finish.
• If substituting molasses with honey or maple syrup, expect a different colour and flavor profile.
• If using table salt instead of kosher, reduce the amount by about half to avoid oversalting.