Chocolate Gingerbread Cake

By Yossy Arefi

Chocolate Gingerbread Cake
Craig Lee for The New York Times
Total Time
1¼ hours
Rating
5(370)
Comments
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This cozy spiced loaf cake gets a triple dose of ginger – ground, fresh and crystallized – and the totally delicious addition of chocolate. A pour of molasses and an assortment of other warm spices help round out the flavors, and buttermilk makes it extra moist. Serve slightly warm slices of this gingerbread with a bit of vanilla ice cream for a simple and satisfying dessert. Bonus: Baking this cake will make your house smell amazing.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings
  • 10tablespoons/141 grams unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing pan
  • 1¾cups/224 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
  • 1teaspoon baking powder
  • ½teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1tablespoon ground ginger
  • 2teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½teaspoon ground allspice
  • ¼teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ¼teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • ⅔cup/146 grams dark brown sugar
  • 2large eggs
  • ⅓cup unsulfured molasses (not blackstrap)
  • 1tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
  • ½teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
  • ¾cup buttermilk
  • ¼cup/28 grams chopped crystallized ginger
  • ½cup/85 grams chopped semisweet chocolate
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

433 calories; 19 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 62 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 38 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 304 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan. Line pan with parchment paper and butter and flour the paper.

  2. Step 2

    In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices until well combined.

  3. Step 3

    In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine brown sugar and butter. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing for about 20 seconds in between each and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. Add molasses, fresh ginger and lemon zest and mix to combine.

  4. Step 4

    Set mixer to low and alternately add dry ingredients and buttermilk in 3 additions, beginning and ending with dry. Stir until a few spots of flour remain. Remove the bowl from the mixer and, with a spatula, fold in the crystallized ginger and chocolate.

  5. Step 5

    Pour batter into prepared pan, smooth the top and bake the cake until set and puffed, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
370 user ratings
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Comments

JenS

Made this for Christmas Eve. It was excellent - super moist and gingery! I did bake this recipe in a single 9” cake pan which holds the same volume as the loaf pan called for in the recipe, just had to reduce time to 45-47 minutes. Dusted w/powdered sugar and served warm with vanilla ice cream for holiday dessert perfection.

citymom

This chocolate gingerbread is AMAZING...followed recipe exactly -- I have a convection steam oven and conv. humid (no add'l steam) at 325 for 40 min. the taste was CRAZY....it is a bit of work and worth organizing/measuring all ingredients before starting. not a thick batter but oh so good...I made 2 - one after another as I had to give one away....just couldnt let it go w/o tasting it...shared with a class and everyone raised their eyebrows looking for who made it....Moi!! :)

M Carter

Yes, you make this into a round cake pan. You may need 2-9" round pans as the volume of rectangle pan that this recipe calls for is 135 while a single 9" pan is ~63.

mark (raleigh nc)

Original recipe did not pop ginger as much as expected. Went to: 55 g crystallized ginger (about double the original) 55 g dark chocolate morsels (69% cacao) (about 2/3 of original) zest of two small organic lemons (about double the original) Everything else the same. Better flavor balance, more gingery. Pushed the recipe from 4 to 5 stars.

Clare2Air

The texture and crumb of this cake was terrific. But the flavor profile was … confusing. Is this a gingerbread with chocolate? A spice cake, heavy on the ginger, with chocolate? A chocolate cake that longs to be a spice cake? The recipe sans chocolate, minced ginger and candied ginger is very close to the Buttermilk Gingerbread in 1955 edition of Meta Givens “Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking.” I’m going to stick with that one and save the chocolate for a cookie recipe.

Scout277

Delicious Christmas-y dessert. I made it Christmas eve and it imparted a wonderful aroma to the house. I used a 9-inch spring form pan which yielded a pretty cake. It was done in 34 minutes at 350 F in my oven. I subbed the zest of a large orange (~1 tbsp) for the small amount of lemon zest called for. Orange was a perfect flavor enhancement with the ginger and chocolate. I loved the pieces of crystallized ginger and chocolate. I wouldn't want more chocolate or cocoa - perfect as written.

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