Old-Fashioned Gingerbread Cake with Caramel Sauce
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- 1
Cream the butter and sugar
Preheat your oven to 325°F and grease a 9-inch square baking pan. In a large bowl, cream 9 tablespoons softened butter with the sugar until it's light and fluffy, a full 5 to 7 minutes. Don't rush this part! Those minutes of beating whip air into the butter, and that air is what keeps the cake from turning dense. You'll see the mixture lighten in color when it's ready.
- 2
Add the molasses and egg
Beat in the molasses and the room-temperature egg until well blended. A room-temp egg matters here, it blends in smoothly instead of seizing up the butter. Scrape down the bowl so everything comes together evenly.
- 3
Whisk the dry ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, ground cinnamon and salt. Whisking the dry ingredients first spreads the leavening and spices evenly so you don't get a bitter pocket of baking soda in one bite.
- 4
Combine, alternating with water
Add the dry mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with the 3/4 cup water, beginning and ending with the flour. Adding it in stages keeps the batter smooth and prevents it from splitting. Mix just until combined, overmixing now develops gluten and toughens the crumb.
- 5
Bake
Transfer the batter to your greased pan and bake at 325°F for 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If your oven runs hot, start checking at 30 minutes, gingerbread dries out fast when overbaked. Cool the pan on a wire rack.
- 6
Make the caramel sauce
In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar and cornstarch, then stir in 1 cup cold water until smooth. Starting with cold water and cornstarch dissolves the starch evenly so the sauce thickens without lumps. Bring to a boil, then cook and stir for 2 minutes until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the cubed 1/4 cup butter and the vanilla until glossy and smooth.
- 7
Serve
Cut the warm cake into squares and drizzle each piece generously with the warm caramel sauce. Add a dollop of whipped cream if you like. This one is best served warm, right when the whole kitchen still smells like ginger and molasses.
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Old-Fashioned Gingerbread Cake with Caramel Sauce
Created by: SugarAndButter
Ingredients
- 9 tbsp butter
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 cup molasses
- 1 egg
- 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Cream the butter and sugarPreheat your oven to 325°F and grease a 9-inch square baking pan. In a large bowl, cream 9 tablespoons softened butter with the sugar until it's light and fluffy, a full 5 to 7 minutes. Don't rush this part! Those minutes of beating whip air into the butter, and that air is what keeps the cake from turning dense. You'll see the mixture lighten in color when it's ready.
- Add the molasses and eggBeat in the molasses and the room-temperature egg until well blended. A room-temp egg matters here, it blends in smoothly instead of seizing up the butter. Scrape down the bowl so everything comes together evenly.
- Whisk the dry ingredientsIn a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, ground cinnamon and salt. Whisking the dry ingredients first spreads the leavening and spices evenly so you don't get a bitter pocket of baking soda in one bite.
- Combine, alternating with waterAdd the dry mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with the 3/4 cup water, beginning and ending with the flour. Adding it in stages keeps the batter smooth and prevents it from splitting. Mix just until combined, overmixing now develops gluten and toughens the crumb.
- BakeTransfer the batter to your greased pan and bake at 325°F for 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If your oven runs hot, start checking at 30 minutes, gingerbread dries out fast when overbaked. Cool the pan on a wire rack.
- Make the caramel sauceIn a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar and cornstarch, then stir in 1 cup cold water until smooth. Starting with cold water and cornstarch dissolves the starch evenly so the sauce thickens without lumps. Bring to a boil, then cook and stir for 2 minutes until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the cubed 1/4 cup butter and the vanilla until glossy and smooth.
- ServeCut the warm cake into squares and drizzle each piece generously with the warm caramel sauce. Add a dollop of whipped cream if you like. This one is best served warm, right when the whole kitchen still smells like ginger and molasses.