Day 2 of all things Gingerbread and I bring you the most delicious and moist Gingerbread cake you will ever have!

Gingerbread Cake is a nostalgic dessert that reminds me of dinners at my Grandparents house as a kid. Because we lived only 10 minutes away from my grandparents, we often went over on Sunday’s for dinner with them. I have many memories of my grandmother concluding the meal with a warm piece of homemade Gingerbread Cake with Whipped Cream.

About 10 years ago I went to my Grandmother asking her for her secret Sunday dinner Gingerbread Cake recipe. She just looked at me and laughed, apparently Betty Crocker was the real master mind behind the cake.

This then lead me on a search for the perfect Gingerbread Cake! A couple of things:
-It should be moist, ALMOST gooey in texture
-It should be very dark in color (light colored Gingerbread Cake really angers me for some reason)

This recipe is a the outcome of many years of research. The maple syrup is the key! It adds to both the texture of the cake, but also the flavor. Molasses, when used in large quantities can often give off a slightly metallic taste. The substitution of 1/4 Cup maple syrup keeps the cake from tasty metallic and keeps it moist at the same time.

Serve it with a huge dollop of whipped cream and fresh orange zest and you will never think of Gingerbread the same way again.

1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter
1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
3/4 Cup Dark Molasses
1/4 Cup Real Maple Syrup
1 Egg
1 1/2 Cups AP Flour
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Cloves
1 tsp Ginger
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt

1 tsp Baking Soda
1 Cup Hot Water

1. On medium speed, cream together the butter and dark brown sugar. Beat until light and fluffy- about 4 minutes.
2. Add the egg, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Beat until combined.
3. Once the egg is combined, add the dark molasses and maple syrup. Mix on low until incorporated.
4. Sift together the flour, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and salt. Add flour mixture to the wet and mix on low until combined.
5. Add the baking soda to the hot (almost boiled) water and stir until mixed. While the mixer is on low, poor in the hot baking soda water. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Continue mixing until batter no longer looks clumpy.
6. Poor the batter into either an 8×8 greased loaf pan, or a 9×9 greased square cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

Whipped Cream
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1 TB Confectioners sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

In a mixer, while heavy cream, confectioners sugar and vanilla on high until peaks form, 1-2 minutes!