Moist Gingerbread Cake With Lemon Glaze Recipe (2024)

This is an absolutely fabulous cake that I make every year at Christmas time. Having tried other pans, I can definitely say that the 8" spring form cake pan is a must. Also, be sure to let the cake cool completely before removing it from the pan - at least 3 hours, or until the sides and bottom of the pan are no longer warm. Otherwise the glaze will melt and turn runny and transparent. It will still taste fine, but the cake will not look as appetizing.

Do either of you have experience with making this cake ahead of time? Want to serve on Christmas but need to make as far ahead as possible.

I made this for Christmas dessert, but couldn't find my spring pan. I made it with a 9 inch cake pan instead, and changed the timing in the oven to 35 minutes + 5 (could have probably done it all at 40 without turning, but wasn't sure if I got the timing right. It turned out nicely, and tasted moist and delicious. I have been looking for a really great gingerbread recipe and this is it.

I love this gingerbread and have made it many times but think the recipe is very poorly organized which leads to mistakes if you’re not careful. Especially the 3/4 tsp salt listed at the beginning—be careful to only add 1/2 tsp to the cake, the other 1/4 tsp is for icing and in my opinion should be under an “Icing” heading. Also why not boil the coffee molasses beer before whisking the dry ingredients so it’s cooling while you whisk, and you’re not just twiddling your thumbs?

A lovely cake that was dense and moist, perfectly offset by the glaze. Keep your eye on this one, as I found the cooking times here to be far longer than needed.

Can this recipe be doubled and use small loaf pans for gifts?Can this recipe bake in a bundy pan and would the cooking time and temp be the same or different. This will S the most cplex flavors I've seen on my search for gingerbread

Such a flavourful cake. Wasn't as difficult to make as I had initially thought. Couldn't find grapeseed oil so used canola. Used an oiled bundt pan, cooked for about 30 minutes on 365 convect. Skipped the glaze and opted for side of cream cheese yogurt sauce with lemon zest and powdered sugar. The batter is pretty runny but it does set nicely. It's moist, has good spice from the ginger and richness from the stout, coffee and molasses. I didn't add the turbinado sugar and it was sweet enough.

I made this delicious cake just as directed, but added a lemon-cream cheese frosting instead of the lemon glaze. I added some candied lemon and orange peel that I dipped in chocolate to the top to make it look festive. So delicious! Thank you for the recipe.

This is the best gingerbread I have ever had. I doubled the recipe and had no problems.

Hi Karen, Florence says that you could use root beer or ginger ale.

I rotated the cakes after 30 minutes (instead of 40) because I was baking two at a time, which crowded the oven a bit. Much to my disappointment, when the baking was complete, the cakes had collapsed in the center. Maybe the structure is fragile compared to the weight of the batter, and this little bit of jostling was too much. Lesson learned: that 40 minute mark is important!

Second time around, I would put less ginger. The stout beer and molasses smells stinky while cooking but it leave a really nice aroma. Be warned, this cake is crumbly, so when you take it out of the oven, let it cool in the pan. The lemon icing is essential to offset the flavor of the cake. I garnished it with candied lemons.

I made this twice, using 8" springform as directed.Pan is very full of batter. Once in oven, it rises and then overflows badly.The entire outside of the pan is coated with (eventually) burned batter.Has anyone else had this problem? I will try the 9" next time, but wonder if the recipe shouldn't be updated? Comments welcome! Thanks. PS Cake and glaze are so delicious!

BTW, this cake freezes well. Don't glaze it, just cut it into serving pieces, wrap each in plastic wrap and freeze in ziplock freezer bags. Allow to come to room temperature and top with glaze to serve, or microwave briefly, wait for it to cool, glaze and serve.

I have made this twice - best gingerbread ever! I used an angel food cake pan and didn’t have any problems - I rotated after 40 minutes, the cake didn’t sink, and it came right out of the pan after cooling. I didn’t add any salt to the icing and it was fine. Also whipped some cream to serve it with. Even the grandchildren loved it.

Absolutely terrific. I used 1:1 GF flour in a 9” springform. It sank a bit but the flavor and texture are wonderful. Also added a bit of dried ginger. It’s hard not to eat the whole thing! Yum!!!

More delicious the next day. I feel like mine overcooked a bit with the full time, would take our 5 or so min next time or check more often

Any suggestions for cooking this at high altitude? Also, for those who don’t want alcohol but still want to have a stout flavor, Guinness makes a non-alcoholic version now.

Maybe I missed something but didn't get great results and I thought the flavor was "dark" to the point of almost bitterness? I scaled it for a 10" springform (didn't have an 8") but I am fairly certain I got the proportions correct. I used Pam to grease the pan instead of butter/shortening and it did stick a little. Similar to other reviews, the edges on mine were definitely crumbly and it sank in the center even though it was fully cooked. I'll use another gingerbread recipe next time.

This is delicious -- though a "grown-up cake", as my wife says and others have commented. I used a 9-inch springform, and will reduce the temperature and/or time the next time I make it. I had a little scorching on top, which was easily removed. I did not turn the cake; it sank slightly, but that did not impact its tastiness or its crumb, which was moist and light. The lemon icing is superb.

Out of this world! I didn't have any turbinado sugar, so just used white sugar - no problem (though I bet the turbinado adds some interesting texture). I only had a 9-in cake pan (not spring-form). I put greased parchment in it and also wedged some crumpled tin foil on the sides to make it a little smaller - worked fine, though I think it would've worked fine without, as well. Baked for 40 minutes + 10 and it was perfect. Topped with housemade whipped cream instead of the glaze.

I made this for friends last night after reading all the great reviews, but I was disappointed in tbe flavor and texture, and folks didn't really eat much of it. It's strong and dark, but to me, doesn't really taste like gingerbread. Wouldn't make it again.

Love this recipe. I’ve always baked this in a 9 inch pan w a removable bottom but the center always sinks. Just baked it in a 12 cup bundt pan, which seems a tad large. I may need to buy a 9 cup pan just for this cake. Cooked 5 minutes less than the recipe called for, turned at 40. Looks perfect inverted! So happy🎉

What a fabulous cake! Everyone loved it!Didn't have a springform so just made sure to butter the pan very generously, before and after parchment. Cut the parchment slightly larger than 8" so that it extended up the sides a little. Cake came out no problem.Enjoy!

I LOVE this cake! Bake it every year, but have never been able to make my glaze look the way it does in the picture; tastes delicious but mostly looks wet. Any tips would be very welcome!

This is the deeply complex, spicy, moist gingerbread I've looked for all my life. I've made it every Christmas for the past few years. The stout/coffee/cocoa add layers of flavor and the lemon a refreshing brightness. Only changes are deleting the turbinado for less sweetness and adding chopped crystallized ginger for tiny chewy bursts of zing. I use a tube pan so it will look pretty and bake evenly without overflowing, though a bundle pan works too.

I never submitted a note before but I totally agree with Virago that ingredients that are to be divided should be labeled so. Not only the salt but the lemon zest. I suspect that the cake will be fine with double the lemon zest but my glaze may be short some zest.My cake also sank in the middle after I tested it with a cake tester at 45 minute mark. 8" springform pan was fine, no overflow.

Baked as directed at 375° for 35 minutes. When I rotated the cake, the center was still jiggly in the center. 12 minutes later, however, the cake was over cooked, and after 3 hours resting in the pan became rock hard around the edges. I would definitely bake for 30 minutes, rotate, and then check at around the 8-10 minute mark. Such a bummer to feel such a hard crust on this one; the collapsed middle doesn’t bother me, but a dry cake advertised as extremely moist is a holiday bummer!

Any reason why I couldn’t bake it I’m two 9 inch pans and make it a layer cake? Looks yummy

Because I was making in a 9 inch springform pan and using gluten-free flour, and the measurements were 2 1/2 cups of flour, two eggs. I decreased the fresh ginger to about 2 tablespoons and threw in candied ginger chips which gave it little sweet bites of flavor. It was totally done in 40 minutes, and it was delicious according to the crowd that ate it and asked for the recipe. I served it with a boozy whipped cream sprinkled with ginger chips.