This Gingerbread Cake Recipe made with honey is a new take on an old favorite. When summer turns into autumn and the first few chilly nights set in, there are certain foods that I begin to crave. My mother was a chef with a particular talent for confections and pastries. Warm gingerbread was a treat she grew up with, in her New England home; it’s something that I love making each year when the weather shifts from cool to cold.
My favorite way to serve this gingerbread cake recipe is with half-whipped heavy cream, a couple of tablespoons of Grand Mariner, and a teaspoon of raw honey. This topping will melt right into the cake, making it even more moist and delicious.
This moist, cake-like gingerbread is the perfect pair for a cup of warm tea or coffee. The mixture of spices warms you up even on the most chilly autumn nights and excited your tastebuds.
Side note: Right after I graduated from college, and before I knew anything about cooking I would pick up a box of Hodgson Mill Gingerbread Mix and throw in some orange zest, a little honey some fresh ground ginger to doctor it up a bit. It wasn’t half bad for a boxed mix!
How to Make Gingerbread Cake Recipe
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Lightly grease two 9-inch round cake pans with butter.
- Place butter in a large bowl and stir until creamy.
- Add honey and molasses, and mix until smooth.
- Sift flour into a large bowl.
- Stir in ginger, arrowroot powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mace.
- Zest the orange.
- Cut the orange in half and squeeze juice to yield about 4 tablespoons.
- Add it to the zest in a small bowl.
- Fold in flour mixture along with warm milk, Grand Marnier, eggs, orange juice, and zest. Mix until smooth. Fold in chopped walnuts.
- Fill prepared pans with batter. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out of the cake clean.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then slice and serve with powdered sugar or whipped cream topping, if desired.
Spice up your Gingerbread with honey
Feeling adventurous? Play around with the ingredients in your gingerbread. There’s lots of room for experimentation with a simple recipe like this! Here are some of our favorite tricks:
- Dust with powdered sugar instead of an icing
- Add chopped dates or raisins to the batter before baking
- Drizzle with Cashew Cream Icing when the bread is cool
- Play with the type of honey! Orange Blossom honey would pair lovely with the spices and orange used in this recipe.
If you bake up our Gingerbread, share a photo with the hashtag #waxingkararecipes on Instagram. We love seeing your photos!
Muriel’s Gingerbread with Honey
Ingredients
- 8 tbsp. 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 c blackstrap molasses
- 1/2 c Waxing Kara Honey
- 3 c all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp. ground ginger
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. arrow root powder
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp. ground mace
- 1 orange large
- 1/2 c warm whole milk or coconut milk
- 2 oz plus 2 tablespoons grand marnier divided
- 3 large eggs beaten
- 1/2 c chopped walnuts optional
- butter for the pan
- heavy cream for whipping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two 9-inch-round cake pans with butter.
- Place butter in a large bowl and stir until creamy. Add honey and molasses, mix until smooth.
- Sift flour into a large bowl. Stir in ginger, arrow root powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mace.
- Zest the orange. Cut orange in half and squeeze juice to yield about 4 tablespoons. Add it to the zest in a small bowl.
- Fold in flour mixture along with warm milk, grand marnier, eggs, and orange juice and zest. Mix until smooth. Fold in chopped walnuts.
- Fill prepared pans with batter. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then slice and serve with powdered sugar or whipped cream topping, if desired.