A few friends have asked for my soft gingerbread cake recipe, so I thought it would be easiest to share it here. I first baked it to use in this amazing Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle, but it was so great by itself that I’ll have to make it again.

And again.

Oh, and you should try that pumpkin trifle recipe this Thanksgiving— it’s fabulous. It’s good using the gingerbread mix called for in the recipe. But it is positively awesome using half a pan of this gingerbread.

Happy Baking!

Old Fashioned Gingerbread Recipe

  • 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/4 Tablespoons ground ginger
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup solid shortening
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1/3 cup molasses
  • 1 cup room temperature water

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. Spray a 9″ X 13″ baking pan with vegetable spray.
  3. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger and cinnamon. Set aside.
  4. In a large bowl of a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat together the shortening and sugar until fluffy.
  5. Scrape sides of bowl. Add the egg and mix again, then the molasses, scraping if necessary.
  6. On low speed, add dry ingredients, alternating with water until the batter is smooth. Scrape sides of bowl one more time.
  7. Pour into prepared pan and bake for approximately 45 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean. Cool on wire rack, and serve warm, by itself or topped with whipped cream and caramel sauce.

**Note: This is not the kind of gingerbread that can be rolled out for cookies. It’s a fluid batter that results in soft cake.