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Gingerbread Cake

A cozy Gingerbread Cake infused with warm spices and topped with a luscious toffee sauce, perfect for family gatherings and festive occasions.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American, Southern
Calories: 350
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Cake
  • 8 oz Medjool dates, pitted and finely chopped
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup vanilla or plain yogurt
  • 2 ½ cups gluten-free flour or all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ½ tsp ground cloves
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 8 tbsp butter (room temperature)
  • ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ cup buttermilk (or ½ cup milk + 2 tsp white vinegar if dairy-free)
  • ½ cup molasses
  • 2 large eggs
For the Toffee Sauce
  • 2 ½ cups heavy cream
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp molasses
  • ⅔ cup brown sugar

Method
 

Preparation
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 9x13-inch cake pan with nonstick baking spray.
  2. In a small pot, combine water and chopped dates over medium-low heat and mash into a paste, about 7-10 minutes.
  3. In a mixing bowl, cream together butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
  4. Add eggs one at a time, followed by vanilla, molasses, yogurt, date paste, and buttermilk.
  5. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and salt.
  6. Gradually mix dry ingredients into the wet mixture until smooth.
  7. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Toffee Sauce
  1. In a medium stock pot, combine heavy cream, vanilla, molasses, and brown sugar.
  2. Cook over medium heat, stirring until it turns light golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool slightly.
Assembly and Serving
  1. Once the cake cools a bit, poke holes in the top and pour three-quarters of the toffee sauce over it.
  2. Let it soak for about 10 minutes, then slice and drizzle with remaining sauce before serving.

Notes

Ensure butter is at room temperature. Consider adding grated lemon zest for extra flavor. The cake improves when made ahead of time.