Gingerbread Cake is perfect for the winter holidays. Easy to make with warming spices. Topped with homemade Butter Rum Toffee sauce!
Gingerbread is a classic for Christmastime. Warm, rich flavors that only surface in the winter and around the holidays.
Though normally thought of in the form of little, simply shaped ‘men’, Gingerbread Cake is a wonderful dessert addition to the season’s sweets!
Drizzle on some Butter Rum Toffee Sauce and it tastes like the spirit of the season.
I love this dessert. It’s easy to make and feels straight out of Charles Dickens to me.
Gingerbread Cake
I found this recipe in a recipe file I had in college. Candidly I have no memory of it but the writing on the recipe card IS mine!
Not sure if I made it prior, copied it down from a friend or from whence it came.
Wherever it came from I’m glad I had it (and think you will be too)!
What is Gingerbread Cake?
This Gingerbread Cake is moist and soul-stirring with flavors not often found in current day cakes.
The molasses provides a deep, rich flavor, complementing the ginger and cinnamon.
Gingerbread cake tastes like other forms of gingerbread, just in a cake form.

What are the Ingredients in Gingerbread Cake?
Basic cake ingredients are also included in Gingerbread Cake. The key ingredients that provide the deep gingery flavor are the molasses, cinnamon and ginger.
Gingerbread spices can be a combination of a number of different warming spices we think of in fall and winter desserts.
- Shortening
- Granulated Sugar
- Egg
- Molasses
- Water
- All-Purpose Flour (gluten free or regular)
- Baking Soda
- Kosher Salt
- ground Ginger
- ground Cinnamon
Make it Gluten-Free or with Gluten!
The flour used will determine whether the cake will be gluten-free or with gluten.
For gluten-free bakers: I suggest using your favorite cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend.
Butter Rum Toffee Sauce
The Gingerbread Cake is delicious on its own (would be great with some eggnog ice cream on top too).
However, I have my grandmother’s recipe for Butter Rum Toffee Sauce that seemed a perfect pairing.
My grandmother’s sauce calls for melting rum toffee candies as the base flavor which did not seem difficult until I started hunting for rum toffees…..and hunting, and hunting.
Clearly not a modern-day favorite or even mass produced any longer.
I recreated the toffee flavors through sugar and use of rum and the sauce is heavenly!
How to Store Gingerbread Cake & How Long Will Gingerbread Cake Last?
Store extra gingerbread cake in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 5-7 days. The flavor will even improve over the first few days!
How to Store Butter Rum Toffee sauce? How Long Will It Last?
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Can you Freeze Gingerbread Cake?
Yes! Wrap the cake with multiple layers of plastic wrap followed by foil to ensure it is airtight. Store up to 6 months in the freezer.
How to Make Gingerbread Cake – Step by Step:
This is an easy cake to bake! Here are the steps; refer to the recipe card below for detailed instructions.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Prepare a 9 x 9 pan by lining with parchment paper and spraying with cooking spray.
- Mix together shortening, sugar and egg until combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine boiling water and molasses; stirring to dissolve molasses. Pour into shortening mixture and mix to combine.
- In another separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger and cinnamon. Stir together.
- Slowly add to the batter, beating slowly to fully combine. Pour into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes until the sides of the cake are pulling away from the pan and the top of the cake is firm to the touch.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool on a cooling rack.
More Holiday Dessert Recipes You’ll Love:
- Eggnog Magic Cake
- Holiday Pavlova with Raspberries, Pomegranate, Kiwi and Mint
- Peppermint Candy Cane Ice Cream Pie with Chocolate Ganache
- Sparkling Sugar Plums
If you’ve made this Gingerbread Cake recipe please RATE THE RECIPE below!
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Recipe

Gingerbread Cake with Butter Rum Toffee Sauce
Ingredients
For the Gingerbread Cake:
- ½ cup soft Shortening (E.g. Crisco shortening or equivalent)
- 2 tablespoons granulated Sugar
- 1 Egg , room temperature
- 1 cup Molasses
- 1 cup boiling Water
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose Flour (gluten free or regular)
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon ground Ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
For the Butter Rum Toffee Sauce:
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted Butter
- ¼ cup granulated Sugar
- ¼ cup Light Brown Sugar
- ¼ cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- ¼ cup Rum
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons Cornstarch
Instructions
Instructions for Gingerbread Cake:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare a 9 x 9 pan with parchment paper. Spray with cooking spray.
- In the bowl of a free standing mixer* mix together shortening, sugar and egg until combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine boiling water and molasses; stirring to dissolve molasses. Pour into shortening mixture and mix to combine.
- In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger and cinnamon. Stir together. Slowly add to the batter, beating slowly to fully combine.
- Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the sides of the cake are pulling away from the pan and the top of the cake is firm to the touch. Remove from heat and allow to cool on a cooling rack.
Instructions for Butter Rum Toffee Sauce:
- Combine butter and sugars in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat; allow butter to melt and sugar to dissolve. Stir constantly until butter begins to turn light brown (around 5 minutes).
- Whisk in the cream, rum, vanilla and cornstarch. Whisk constantly allowing sauce to thicken (about 15 minutes). Note: sauce will continue to thicken when removed from heat so it may not seem as thick as it will be in the end.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool and thicken. Can be stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container for 2 weeks and rewarmed when using.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published: December 20, 2012
phil says
One of the best cakes I’ve ever tasted! I’ve made it with rum and bourbon…can’t decide which I like better:)
Joleen says
This recipe is AMAZING!!! Thank you!
marla says
Such a delicious looking cake!
Toni Dash says
Thanks Marla! It really was delicious and perfect for the season. Happy Holidays to you and your family!
Laura Dembowski says
Gingerbread is one of my favorite treats year round, but especially so at the holidays. Yours looks so rich and moist. I love that you made toffee sauce to go with it.
Lacy says
Gingerbread like this is a holiday staple in my family. My mom always serves it with a tart lemon sauce, which is my dad’s preference, or with my great grandmother’s “hard sauce,” which is probably similar to your rum sauce.
For more decadence? Sometimes my mom will split the squares of gingerbread and fill with whipped and lightly sweetened cream cheese, THEN top with lemon sauce. Oh my. Heaven on a plate!
john@kitchenriffs says
Gingerbread and Butter Rum Toffee Sauce? Sounds like a wonderful combination. My mom used to bake a gingerbread cake when I was a kid – it had such great flavor. In fact it looks a lot like your cake – I should go look up the recipe and compare! Anyway, super recipes, and wonderful pictures (as always). Thanks so much.
claudia @Whats Cookin ITalian Cuisine says
Just adorable love the presentation Merry Christmas!
Toni Dash says
Thanks Claudia! It’s such a Christmas-y dish. Happy Holidays to you!
Dulcie says
You had me at “butter rum toffee sauce”!
Toni Dash says
Exactly why I’ve had the recipe card sitting out for almost a year and have tirelessly seached for ‘rum toffee’! Wishing you a wonderful, warm holiday Dulcie!
Cindy O'Keeffe says
I adore gingerbread and can’t wait to try this! The recipe I currently use is from our preschool’s cookbook! It’s awesome and ancient – handed down numerous generations, but slightly flawed. Looking forward to seeing how this new one compares. Thanks and happy holidays.
Toni Dash says
Oh gosh. Hope you won’t find this recipe ‘flawed’ even slightly! We really loved it! It’s serious Gingerbread! Happy Holidays to you too Cindy!
Robin Bennett says
Butter toffee – my favorite!
Toni Dash says
So yummy!