Easy spiced ginger cake recipe with ginger frosting, homemade with simple ingredients. Soft, moist and full of fresh ginger, ginger ale, cinnamon. There is no molasses! Great for Thanksgiving and Christmas parties and even birthdays.
*Thank you Canada Dry for sponsoring today's post so that I can share this recipe with all of you. As always, all opinions are mine.*
I love to use ginger in desserts, as you can see from these Easy Ginger Cookies or this Gingerbread House and even these Gingerbread Cupcakes. Today's dessert shows off the strong and bold ginger flavor that we all love this time of the year. Even though this cake is very soft, it's still firm enough to be made into a layer cake and filled with a very creamy frosting. Please note that this recipe is different than the classic Gingerbread Cake Recipe.
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Table of contents
Key ingredients
- Butter- Always use unsalted butter in baked goods.
- Granulated sugar- This is your typical table sugar that you likely have in your pantry.
- Eggs- Be sure they are large and at room temperature.
- Sour cream- This adds to the moisture of a cake.
- Ginger- Make sure it is fresh and not the powder form.
- Ginger ale- Typically a popular choice of refreshment but adds moisture and flavor to this recipe.
- Vanilla extract- Warm and subtle with the perfect amount of flavor.
- Flour- Use all-purpose flour as the base of the cake batter.
- Spices- Enjoy the aroma of cinnamon that fills your house and add optional nutmeg and cloves to the mix.
- Baking soda- A key rising agent for the cake.
- Baking powder- A versatile item that is also used in baking for leavening purposes.
- Shortening- This will be used along with butter in the frosting for stability.
- Powdered sugar- This will be used to sweeten and thicken the frosting.
Variations
Use crystallized ginger- Sprinkle finely chopped crystallized ginger between each layer, when you are assembling it. It tastes much better this way than adding it in the batter.
Sticky cake- The best way to get a sweet and sticky texture on a cake is with caramel. Use Caramel Sauce or Caramel Frosting at the end as a topping or filling.
Lemon version- Ginger and lemon is a classic flavor combination. That can be made by pairing with a Lemon Frosting or Lemon Glaze on top or even Lemon Curd within the cake layers.
Add chocolate- Frost this cake with spiced cinnamon chocolate frosting. Make my Easy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting and mix in 1-2 teaspoon cinnamon powder. The chocolate and ginger flavors compliment each other very well. Instead of chocolate frosting, you can also pour spiced cinnamon Chocolate Ganache over the cake. Just make a simple chocolate ganache and mix in 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder. You can also just stir in mini chocolate chips in the cake batter. There are so many possibilities!
Spice it up- This dessert should have aromatic warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and obviously lots of ginger. You can also add some allspice, if you like. Make sure you are using fresh spices that have not expired for best flavor and aroma.
Use other frostings- The recipe below uses ginger frosting but you can also use Maple Frosting or Ermine Frosting.
Frost the entire cake- I wanted to make modern cake and decided not to frost the sides but you can fully frost the sides of the cake, if you like.
Adjust- The amount of spices and ginger, based on your preference.
Add fruit- Add ½ cup finely diced pears or apples in the batter if you like fruits in your cakes. You can even use Apple Pie Filling between the layers, which is so delicious.
Make mini cakes- Use smaller cake pans to make smaller 3 inch or 4 inch individual cakes.
How to make easy fresh ginger cake recipe from scratch?
- Cream together- Butter and sugar.
- Mix in- Eggs, sour cream, ginger, ginger ale, and vanilla.
- Incorporate- Flour, spices, baking powder, and baking soda.
- Pour- Batter into pans.
- Bake- And allow to cool completely.
- Make- A layered cake with ginger frosting between each layer.
- Decorate- With cinnamon candies or crystallized ginger and you are done.
Tips and techniques
Use unsalted butter- To prevent the cake from becoming too salty.
All ingredients must be at room temperature- So they blend together evenly and smoothly.
Cinnamon candy balls- Can be found in the seasonal section at most grocery stores or in the candy aisle. If that's not available, you can decorate with chopped crystallized ginger or sprinkles.
Chill cakes- Once the cakes are baked and fully cool down, cover in saran wrap and chill in the fridge overnight. That holds all the moisture in and makes it even more soft. Chilling also make it easier to trim the sides of the cake with very few crumbs.
Ginger ale and sour cream are essential- I strongly believe that the addition of sour cream and bubbly ginger ale are key ingredients for adding moisture and should not be replaced/ substituted or omitted.
Don't replace fresh ginger with ginger powder- Because the flavor and aroma is just not strong enough.
Recipe FAQs
No, this is a layer cake with a very soft and moist texture. The bread has a firmer texture. They both have a similar spiced flavor profile though with a very prominent fresh ginger flavor.
The cakes were either over-baked or they have been sitting out in the open for too long without a cover.
Yes, it typically includes freshly grated ginger, along with some other other spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.
Since I am originally from Canada, I am a big fan of Canada Dry®. Sipping this ginger ale just reminds me of home and makes me so happy inside. I was so happy to finally make a cake with it. I used a combination of Regular Canada Dry® and Canada Dry TEN® but you can just use the regular one.
Storage
- Make ahead- You can make the cake and frosting 2-3 days ahead and store in sealed containers in the fridge until you are ready to decorate.
- Room temperature- I wouldn't leave this out more than 2-3 hours.
- Refrigerate- This can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freeze- Place unfrosted cake and frosting separately in airtight containers for up to 1 month. When you are ready to enjoy this cake, thaw and then decorate.
More Ginger Desserts
- Ginger Molasses Cookies
- Gingersnap Cookies (Cut Outs)
- Jumbo Gingerbread Men Cookies
- Easy Gingerbread Cookies (With Cake Mix)
- Homemade Gingerbread Latte
Recipe
Easy Ginger Cake (With Fresh Ginger)
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Ingredients
Cake
- ½ cup Butter Unsalted
- 1 cup Granulated sugar
- 2 Eggs Large
- ½ cup Sour cream Full fat
- 1 tablespoon Ginger Freshly grated
- ½ cup Ginger ale
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon powder
- ⅛ teaspoon Nutmeg powder Optional
- ⅛ teaspoon Cloves powder Optional
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon Baking powder
Ginger frosting
- 1 cup Shortening
- ½ cup Butter Unsalted
- 2 tablespoon Ginger Freshly grated
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon powder
- 1 tablespoon Meringue powder Optional-for stability
- ½ cup Ginger ale
- 6-8 cups Powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar.
- Add eggs and mix until just combined.
- Add sour cream, fresh ginger, ginger ale and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
- Finally, add flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, baking powder and mix until just combined.
- The batter will be thick. Don't over-mix or try to thin it out!
- Pour this batter into 3 greased/floured round cake pans (Dimensions: 8x2).
- Bake at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool completely.
- While the cakes are baking and cooling, prepare the frosting. In a large mixing bowl, add shortening and butter and mix until fluffy.
- Add fresh ginger, cinnamon, meringue powder, ginger ale and mix again.
- Start adding powdered sugar (1 cup at a time) while constantly mixing.
- After adding 6 cups of sugar, check to see if you are satisfied with the consistency. The frosting should be creamy but thick so that it can sufficiently hold the weight of this layered cake. If it's too soft, add more powdered sugar and mix again.
- Place one cake on a cake stand. Fill a piping bag with ginger ale frosting and attach Tip #4B. Hold the bag at a 90 degree angle and pipe little stars of frosting on top of the cake.
- Place the second cake on top of the frosting. Hold the piping bag at a 90 degree angle again. Pipe little stars of frosting on top of the cake.
- Place the third cake on top of the frosting.
- Hold the piping bag at a 90 degree angle again. Pipe little stars of frosting on top of the cake.
- Place white edible pearls and cinnamon candy balls on top of cake. Enjoy!
Notes
- Don't assemble a warm cake because the icing will melt from the heat and become messy.
- Adjust amount of spices and ginger based on your preference.
- Mix in ½ cup finely diced pears or apples in the batter, if you like.
- Use full fat sour cream for maximum richness.
- All ingredients should be at room temperature to allow even mixing.
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Read additional tips and variations above.
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
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