Gingerbread spice cake
My Grandma Conrad loved to make a gingerbread spice cake when it was the holidays. This one departs from her original version just a bit with a cream cheese frosting. If she were still with us today, I know she would have loved it! Thankfully, you can make it and enjoy it too this holiday!
INGREDIENTS
For the cake:
– 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
– 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
– 2 large eggs
– 1 cup molasses
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
– 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
– 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
– 1 tsp cinnamon
– 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
– 1/2 tsp ground cloves
– 1/2 tsp kosher salt
– 1 cup brewed coffee
For the frosting:
– 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
– 2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
– 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
– 1/4 tsp kosher salt
– 1-2 tbsp cognac (optional) (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
INSTRUCTIONS
For the cake:
– Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×9 baking dish with butter or nonstick spray and set it aside.
– In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition to evenly incorporate. Once the eggs are added, beat in the molasses and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth.
– Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. At a low speed, beat slowly while adding the brewed coffee in a steady stream. Once all the coffee and dry ingredients are incorporated, fold the batter a few times by hand to ensure everything is evenly mixed.
– Pour the prepared batter into the baking dish and bake in the preheated 350°F oven until the cake is domed and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean, 40-50 minutes. Once the cake is baked, remove it from the oven and set it aside to cool for 2 hours before frosting. Once the cake is cooled, frost and serve.
For the frosting:
– In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until it is soft and smooth, 2-3 minutes. Add the cognac (or vanilla extract), powdered sugar, and salt. Beat it slowly until the powdered sugar is incorporated and smooth.
