Weeknight Gingerbread Cake with Strawberries and Caramel Sauce

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Gingerbread Cake with Strawberries and Caramel Sauce

Gingerbread Cake with Strawberries and Caramel Sauce

Prep 15 mins   Bake 25 mins   Eat  40 mins

This Gingerbread Cake with Strawberries and Caramel Sauce can be made in a flash on a weeknight.  Just mix up the ingredients.  Throw it into the oven as you are making dinner and a little weeknight splurge is ready for you by the time you finish your meal.

Gingerbread Cake can be made at a moment’s notice for a splurge weeknight dessert.

One of the advantages of Sheltering at Home is that everyone is baking, which is fantastic.  But good luck finding a sack of flour, sugar, yeast and eggs at the supermarket, although the supplies are getting better.  I’m finding that I am baking from old fashioned recipes that require a small amount of flour and eggs like corn bread, banana bread (from the ripe bananas we didn’t get to) and this simple Gingerbread Cake that uses only one egg, a small amount of flour and plenty of pantry items. The spices add so much flavor to a simple cake.

Melissa’s Caramel Dessert Sauce dresses up our Gingerbread Cake with Strawberries.

To make it more of a splurge, I top it with fresh spring strawberries that are now plentiful at the farmers markets and a purchased caramel sauce like this one from Melissa’s. Fudge sauce, Nutella or honey would also be nice…whatever you have on hand.  Of course, if you want to learn to make a fresh caramel sauce from sugar, butter and cream, check out my recipe with step by step pictures here.

Make Gingerbread Cake in a Flash with Pantry Ingredients.

Gingerbread Cake can be made with pantry items in a flash.

So assemble your ingredients or “mise en place” and let’s get started.  I keep folded butter wrappers in my freezer to grease the cake pan.

Separate bowls of wet ingredients and dry ingredients.

Whenever you make any cake, it’s important to have a bowl with the wet ingredients and a bowl with the dry ingredients. (Sift any lumpy ingredients like the baking powder or soda.) The two should never meet until just before you are going to bake the cake and then they must be mixed together just until the flour disappears. This is what creates a light and airy cake.

Wet ingredients on the left side and dry ingredients on the right do not meet until just before baking the cake.

The first step is to cream the sugars and the butter, egg and vanilla with a mixer.  Add in the milk until they look like the picture with the beaters.  Then fold or mix the dry ingredients into the wet mix by hand just until the flour disappears AND NO MORE. It may be slightly lumpy.  This is good.  It won’t look completely smooth.

The cake batter is poured into the greased and floured cake pan.

Pour the mix into the buttered and floured cake tin just before baking. Bake at 350°.

The Gingerbread Cake is ready to be cut up into slices in about 25 minutes.

Set your timer for 20 minutes and look at the cake to see if it is cooked.  If so, test that the cake is done by inserting a toothpick in the center.  If it pulls out dry, your cake is baked. Remove to a cooling rack. If it is wet, set your timer for another 5 minutes and check again. Each oven is different, so it’s best to check early.  My cake baked up in 25 minutes.

Gingerbread Cake with Strawberries and Caramel Sauce can be made in a flash.

When you are ready to serve, top with fresh strawberries and a purchased caramel sauce like the one from Melissa’s.

Print this Recipe.

Gingerbread Cake with Strawberries and Caramel Sauce

Wet Ingredients
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 cup molasses
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup milk
Dry Ingredients
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 dashes black pepper

1 basket fresh strawberries, sliced
1 cup caramel sauce (I used Melissa’s Caramel Dessert Sauce)

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour an 8″ round cake pan or an 8″ x 8″ square pan.

2. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugars, molasses, egg and vanilla for a few minutes until it is light and fluffy. Beat in milk at the end.

3. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl…the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and pepper.

4. Stir in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients by hand just until the flour disappears. The mixture may be slightly lumpy.

5. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the surface springs back. Test with a toothpick to see that the center is dry.

6. Let cool slightly and then cut slices to serve. Top with fresh sliced strawberries and drizzle with caramel sauce.

Servings: 8  – 287 calories per serving

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5 from 1 vote

Gingerbread Cake with Strawberries and Caramel Sauce

This Gingerbread Cake is full of flavor from the spices and molasses, yet lighter than traditional Gingerbread. Top it with fresh strawberries and caramel sauce to make it fancy. It can be made in a flash on a weeknight.  Just mix up the ingredients.  Throw it into the oven as you are making dinner and a little weeknight splurge is ready for you by the time you finish your meal. Whenever you make any cake, it's important to have a bowl with the wet ingredients and a bowl with the dry ingredients. (Sift any lumpy ingredients like the baking powder or soda.) The two should never meet until just before you are going to bake the cake and then they must be mixed together just until the flour disappears. This is what creates a light and airy cake.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 8

Calories: 287kcal

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter room temperature
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/8 cup molasses
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup milk

Dry Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 dashes black pepper
• 1 basket fresh strawberries sliced
• 1 cup caramel sauce

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour an 8" round cake pan or an 8" x 8" square pan.
• In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugars, molasses, egg and vanilla for a few minutes until it is light and fluffy. Beat in milk at the end.
• Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl...the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and pepper.
• Stir in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients by hand just until the flour disappears. The mixture may be slightly lumpy.
• Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the surface springs back. Test with a toothpick to see that the center is dry.
• Let cool slightly and then cut slices to serve. Top with fresh sliced strawberries and drizzle with caramel sauce.
• ENJOY THIS RECIPE FROM FRESHFOODINAFLASH.COM

Nutrition

Calories: 287kcal

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