Chocolate Gingerbread Cake

By Yossy Arefi

Total Time: 1¼ hours
Rating: 5(333)
Notes: Read community notes

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

Preparation

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.
Step 2
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices until well combined.
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.
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.
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.

Ratings

5 out of 5

333 user ratings

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Cooking Notes

JenS4 years ago

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.

Carol3 years ago

Wonderful cake. I made it as a gift, so I cooked it in a 9" round pan and dusted the top with powdered sugar. I had enough batter left over to make three cupcakes, which gave me a chance to taste the cake, too. Might be my favorite gingerbread cake recipe of all time.

M Carter4 years ago

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.

RHN4 years ago

I doubled/tripled the grated fresh ginger and didn't include the crystallized ginger. This ended up being very moist and delicious. The ginger/chocolate combo worked very nicely. I will make it again.

citymom4 years ago

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!! :)

PA Eater4 years ago

I left out the crystallized ginger, used chocolate chips, and yogurt thinned with a bit of water in place of the buttermilk. This came out tender and gingery. I will make it again.

Sheila3 years ago

I adjusted a bit based upon the chocolate-molasses cookie recipe (here on NYT Cooking) which I like very much - added 1/4 c cocoa; reduced sugar to a scant 1/2 cup; added 1/2 cup of chopped toasted walnuts; put in a splash more buttermilk; used 8 T butter and 1/4 cup applesauce. I got a nice fall cake which is excellent with vanilla ice cream - will make again.

mdb3 years ago

The best thing I made all season. Crystallized ginger is magic in this... don't skimp! Followed recipe exactly AND added a bit of black pepper.

avita5 years ago

can i make this in a round cake pan?

Yummy3 years ago

Excellent recipe, a big hit with my family and friends, although I made three modifications: I don't care for crystallized ginger, and I wanted the cake to be more chocolatey, so I eliminated the crystallized ginger and doubled the chocolate chips instead. I added 1/4 cup of cocoa to the dry ingredients. I don't care for the bitterness molasses adds to baked goods, so I used Agave syrup instead, but about 1/4 cup as it's sweeter.

TamM1 year ago

Made this is a spring Bundt pan for a party and reduced the cooking time to 45 minutes. I also omitted the crystallized ginger and replaced the molasses with more brown sugar and maple syrup because I was out of molasses and the buttermilk with thinned yogurt. The cake was moist and had a good balance of spice to sweetness. I did find the name of this recipe misleading. This is not a chocolate-y cake as the name and photo imply, but a ginger cake with some chocolate. Still very good.

JivingSeaCucumber5 years ago

This was moist & flavorful & got raves from my family at Christmas, beating out both of the pies I'd also brought in the dessert popularity contest. I don't personally love the texture of the chopped crystallized ginger in the cake - I might try grating it or chopping it even more finely next time. Might also try baking in a round cake pan, or adding some sort of glaze/topping to make it seem less plain when served.

Sirsha3 years ago

Amazing recipe. It’s quite forgiving and amenable to adding more ingredients or adapting to substitute. I added dried cranberries, 1 inch orange peels, nuts to make it more Christmassy. For the molasses, I used Indian jaggery syrup. I only had fresh ginger so I added that skipped ginger powder and crystallized ginger. Did not have nutmeg so I ground up 4 cloves. The fresh cardamom adds so much flavor! Will definitely make again

Andreabakes2 years ago

You really should bake this easy, delicious, gingerbread. Make sure your spices are fresh, your oven temp is accurate, and you’re good to go! I’ve upped the cinnamon to 1 Tbsp and switched the chopped semisweet to milk chocolate. Yummmm!

Suzanne1 year ago

Mine turned out pretty dense, did I over mix? The flavors were good. I baked in loaf pan

Boston pickle5 months ago

We made this with gluten free flour and loved it!! I highly recommend the King Arthur's chopped crystallized ginger as the pieces are the perfect size. https://shop.kingarthurbaking.com/items/mini-diced-ginger

ARK7 months ago

This is fabulous. I made a few changes. I added 1/3 cup black cocoa instead of chocolate pieces.. made a 9 in round pie dish and extra in a smaller dish. Used oat milk, but buttermilk is fine I iced it with conf sugar and hot water and a little cinnamon. Divine

Amy H.7 months ago

Can I make this gluten-free? Would it be a 1-to-1 swap with gluten-free flour, or would I need to change any other ingredients?

Jane Y7 months ago

This was truly fantastic, and a big hit at a low-key fall dinner party. No changes needed, baked for 49 minutes.

Ann O’Neill8 months ago

It was curious to me that there’s no cocoa powder in a Chocolate Gingerbread Cake and see others have had similar thoughts and added it; without reducing the quantity of flour or increasing liquid. I’ll check the ratios and try it, and shall report back.

Begüm1 year ago

Made this in a bundt cake pan and it came out looking very fancy and decadent. It held together very well. I followed the recipe almost to a T, except skipped crystallized ginger and grated orange zest instead of lemon zest. I added 8 tbs butter instead of 10. Next time, I may add golden raisins into the final mix for added flavor and texture. The cake came out airy and light. It wasn't packed with overwhelming flavor as I anticipated; it was light and flavorful and delightful with coffee!

RG1 year ago

This is insanely delicious and moist! Its perfect just the way it is :)

Alix Goulet1 year ago

So disappointed- made this in the loaf pan; baked at 350 for a full 60 minutes; my wooden pick came out clean - but the cake was hot bubbling LIQUID in the centre, and collapsed on itself. Boo!

Maxine1 year ago

Perhaps try a longer wooden skewer to ensure you get to the center. Try it again - it's fabulous when fully baked!

Barbara1 year ago

This was a big hit at our Christmas eve party. Made exactly as recipe except I added a chocolate glaze to make it special for Christmas. Will make again. Delicious!

Maxine1 year ago

The amount of prep time required is well worth the effort. This loaf cake looks ordinary; the taste is anything but. I've made it three times with no modifications except a slightly longer and narrower loaf pan than suggested. The ginger, chocolate and spices meld into a perfect taste sensation, which pairs well with coffee. Perfect for a winter afternoon!

LB1 year ago

Mine sank in the middle and the chocolate (I used chips.) sank to the bottom.

Suzanne1 year ago

Mine turned out pretty dense, did I over mix? The flavors were good. I baked in loaf pan

TamM1 year ago

Tania Hanson-De Young1 year ago

I just made this for the second time and absolutely love it. I cooked it as directed. I only wish I knew of a simpler method of buttering and flouring parchment paper.

Maxine1 year ago

I lightly buttered and floured the pan and it worked really well. The cake came out trouble-free.

Diana1 year ago

Did not have crystallized ginger; otherwise made as written. Delicious flavors. Served for dessert after a big meal. Be careful not to overbake.

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