This Gingerbread Snack Cake recipe yields a moist gingerbread-spiced cake topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting. This cake stays moist for days and won’t dry out in the fridge, thanks to the oil-based batter. The festive decoration is reminiscent of a gingerbread house’s snowy shingled roof.
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This December, I developed this gingerbread cake recipe to feature in a video I made for Wholesome. I needed to highlight their dark brown sugar, and instantly thought of gingerbread. I love to decorate a gingerbread house, but I always wish the activity was a little more edible and took less time. An easy snack cake is the perfect low-effort, high reward way to achieve this. However, you could absolutely use 2 6-inch pans to make a layer cake.
This gingerbread snacking cake is also a great excuse to make my pepparkakor (Swedish gingersnaps) for garnish. Last year I included them in my Christmas cookie boxes, along with cranberry macarons.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- This cake is flavored with gingerbread spices AND fresh ginger.
- This recipe does not require a stand mixer.
- The shingled roof look for the frosting is super easy to achieve with a plain round piping tip.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour brings a tender crumb to the cake
- Vegetable oil provides moisture that lasts.
- Dark brown sugar sweetens the cake.
- Molasses brings color and flavor to the cake.
- The kosher salt and vanilla bean paste/extract balance the overall flavor profile.
- Eggs give structure to the cake.
- Sour cream gives moisture and richness to the cake.
- Powdered sugar sweetens the frosting.
- Baking powder gives rise to the cake.
- Lemon juice brings a tang to the frosting.
- Unsalted butter brings richness to the frosting
- Cream cheese brings flavor to the frosting.
- Gingerbread spice and fresh ginger flavor the cake.
I opted for dark brown sugar in lieu of light brown sugar for this spiced gingerbread cake to give it a deeper caramel-molasses flavor. Ground ginger in the gingerbread spice mix and fresh ginger give this cake the can't-miss ginger flavor that's reminiscent of gingerbread cookies.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and variations
Here’s how to customize this gingerbread snack cake to your liking:
- Coconut frosting — make the coconut frosting from my Coconut Snack Cake.
- Layers — this cake can be made in one layer or cut in two for filling in the middle.
- No sour cream — swap for greek yogurt.
- Just egg whites — this cake can be made with just egg whites, no yolks, if necessary.
- No gingerbread spice — make your own gingerbread spice.
- No piping bags or tips — use a spoon or an offset spatula to spread the frosting on.
- Whipped cream — sub the cream cheese buttercream for a whipped cream instead for a lighter frosting.
This recipe has not been tested with any substitutions or variations. If you try any, please let me know how it turned out by commenting below!
How to make gingerbread snack cake
Step 1: Grease and line a 8x8 baking dish (metal is preferable) with parchment paper with overhang (if you plan to remove the cake from the tin for serving). Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, combine the vegetable oil, granulated sugar and molasses and whisk until incorporated. Add the eggs one by one, mixing with beaters (or by hand) to fully incorporate before adding another then whisk for a full minute, until it’s light and creamy. Add the vanilla, sour cream and fresh ginger and whisk until incorporated. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, kosher salt, baking powder and gingerbread spice. Add the dry ingredients and fold into the batter with a rubber spatula until smooth.
Step 2: Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 48-52 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean and the top is golden brown. Let cool completely before frosting.
Step 3: Beat the cream cheese with beaters or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for 3 minutes or until there are no lumps. Remove to a small bowl. Place the room temperature butter in the stand mixer bowl or regular bowl that the cream cheese was just in. Beat on high for 3-4 minutes or until smooth and fluffy. Add the cream cheese to the butter and beat for 1-2 minutes or until thoroughly combined. Add the powdered sugar and beat until combined. Add salt, lemon juice and vanilla. Beat just until combined.
Step 4: Pipe or spoon on the cream cheese frosting. I piped mine on in a shingle design with a large round piping tip. Decorate with sprinkles or mini gingerbread men. I used my pepparkakor gingerbread men.
Hot tips
- If you don’t have gingerbread spice, you can make your own gingerbread spice.
- If the cream cheese frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar as desired.
- Using room temperature ingredients helps the batter come together easier, especially if mixing by hand.
Recipe FAQs
Most grocery stores carry gingerbread spice in the baking and spices aisle. If you can’t find it you can make your own.
Yes, just use 2 tablespoons more cake flour than what is called for in all-purpose.
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
More recipes you'll love
Lastly, if you make this Gingerbread Snack Cake recipe be sure to leave a comment or give it a rating. I love to see when people make my recipes, so please tag me @youthsweets on Instagram if you post!
📖 Recipe
Gingerbread Snack Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Gingerbread cake
- 1 cup vegetable oil (216g)
- 1 cup dark brown sugar (205g)
- ¼ cup molasses (73g)
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- ¾ cup sour cream room temperature (173g)
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger finely grated
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250g)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 teaspoon gingerbread spice
Cream cheese frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese room temperature
- ¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature (1½ sticks, 160g)
- 2 cups powdered sugar sifted (220g)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice freshly-squeezed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Do ahead
- Grease and line an 8x8 baking dish (metal is preferable) with parchment paper with overhang (if you plan to remove the cake from the tin for serving).
Make the cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, combine the vegetable oil, granulated sugar and molasses and whisk until incorporated.
- Add the eggs one by one, mixing to fully incorporate before adding another.
- Add the vanilla, sour cream and fresh ginger and whisk until incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, kosher salt, baking powder and gingerbread spice.
- Add the dry ingredients and fold into the batter with a rubber spatula until smooth. Pour into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 48-52 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean and the top is golden brown. Let cool completely before frosting.
Make the frosting
- Beat the cream cheese with beaters or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for 3 minutes or until there are no lumps. Remove to a small bowl.
- Place the room temperature butter in the stand mixer bowl or regular bowl that the cream cheese was just in. Beat on high for 3-4 minutes or until smooth and fluffy.
- Add the cream cheese to the butter and beat for 1-2 minutes or until thoroughly combined.
- Add the powdered sugar and beat until combined. Add salt, lemon juice and vanilla. Beat just until combined.
Assemble
- Pipe or spoon on the cream cheese frosting. I piped mine on in a shingle design with a large round piping tip. Decorate with sprinkles or mini gingerbread men. I used my pepparkakor gingerbread men.
