Gingerbread Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream is a moist cake full of flavors from molasses, ginger, and cinnamon and topped with a salted caramel buttercream frosting. Try my Soft Ginger Cookie for another treat full of ginger and cinnamon spice.

Fork with Bite of Gingerbread Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting
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Gingerbread Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream

Yes, gingerbread desserts and treats are usually reserved for the holidays, but why limit yourself to enjoying this moist and flavorful cake? The frosting complements the spice cake perfectly and is enough to pile plenty high on this cake. Or, use some of it on these Chocolate Cupcakes!

Half Frosted Gingerbread Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting

Gingerbread Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream Ingredients

Molasses: The molasses in the cake is unsulphured molasses. Unsulphured molasses (regular molasses) is richer, thicker, and sweeter than sulphured. It is made with fewer preservatives because it is made with more mature sugarcane. Sulphured molasses has added sulfur dioxide to the younger sugarcane, which can alter the flavor of the recipe.

There is also a variety of molasses called blackstrap. Do not substitute molasses in a recipe (including this one) for blackstrap unless the recipe is very specific about using it. 

Room Temperature Ingredients: For best results, have all ingredients (especially butter, eggs, and milk) at room temperature. To be specific, room temperature ingredients should be 65-70ยฐF.

Pan with Gingerbread Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting

How to Store Leftover Frosting

When ready, cover the cooled gingerbread cake with the frosting. This recipe makes A LOT of frosting, so you may have extra. (Or, if you love a thick layer of frosting, use it all!) But, it’s easy to save. Store it in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Fork Taking a Bite of Gingerbread Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting

More Popular Cakes

4.75 from 8 votes

Gingerbread Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Gingerbread Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream is a moist cake full of flavors from molasses, ginger, and cinnamon and topped with a salted caramel buttercream frosting.

Ingredients

Gingerbread Cake

  • 9 tablespoons (127.5 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • โ…“ cup (67 g) granulated sugar
  • ยพ cup (253 g) molasses, unsulphured
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 2 ยผ cups (281 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ยผ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ยพ cup (177 g) water, room temperature

Caramel Sauce

Salted Caramel Buttercream

Instructions

Gingerbread Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 325ยฐF. Spray a 9×9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  • Add the molasses and egg. Beat until smooth.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and salt.
  • Add about โ…“ of the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture, mixing until just combined (don't overmix). Add half the water, followed by another third of the dry ingredients. Pour in the remaining water and add the final third of the dry ingredients. Mix until combined.
  • Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Bake 45-50 minutes. (Check the cake after about 30 minutes; cover with aluminum foil if the edges are getting too dark.) The cake is done when an inserted toothpick comes out with a few crumbs, but no wet batter. Remove from the oven and let cool as you make the Salted Caramel Buttercream.

Caramel Sauce

  • Melt the caramels, butter, and milk in a microwave-safe glass or ceramic bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring after each melting. Set aside.

Salted Caramel Buttercream

  • Combine the butter, sugar, salt, and caramel sauce in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. (You can reserve some of the caramel sauce to use as a caramel drizzle.)
  • Start mixing on low speed until the sugar is incorporated with the butter. Increase the mixing speed to high and beat until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
  • Adjust the consistency with milk as needed.
  • Spread the buttercream over the cooled gingerbread cake.
  • Store unused buttercream in the refrigerator in an airtight container and bring it back to room temperature before using it to pipe or frost.

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The Gingerbread Cake was inspired by Taste of Home’s Granny’s Gingerbread Cake.

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Meet Amanda Rettke

Amanda Rettke is the creator of I Am Baker, and the bestselling author of Surprise Inside Cakes: Amazing Cakes for Every Occasion โ€“ With a Little Something Extra Inside.Over the course of her 15+ year blogging adventure, she has been featured in and collaborated with the Food Network, New York Times, LA Times, Country Living Magazine, People Magazine, Epicurious, Brides, Romantic Homes, life:beautiful, Publishers Weekly, The Daily Mail, Star Tribune, The Globe and Mail, DailyCandy, YumSugar, The Knot, The Kitchn, and Parade, to name a few.

Reader Comments

  1. Hi Amanda, thanks for sharing another delicious recipe FOR FREE!
    How on earth do you cope with the often rude, critical comments? It must be very disheartening at times for you, and I feel like people need to remember that great saying: Before you speak, ask yourself: Is it kind, is it necessary, is it true, does it improve upon the silence?
    I love following your page – being in New Zealand, I canโ€™t buy some ingredients you use but hey not a biggie. I really appreciate your generosity.

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