Gingerbread Sheet Cake With Whipped Chocolate Ganache
- Total Time
- 1 hour, plus cooling and resting
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:One 9-by-13-inch cake
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 1¼cups/250 grams granulated sugar
- 3large eggs
- 1cup/240 grams buttermilk
- ¾cup/255 grams unsulfured molasses
- ½cup/113 grams unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- ½cup/100 grams grapeseed or other neutral flavored oil
- 2tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
- 2tablespoons ground ginger
- 2teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½teaspoon ground cloves
- 1¼teaspoons kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
- 2½cups/320 grams all-purpose flour
- 1½teaspoons baking powder
- ½teaspoon baking soda
- 8ounces/225 grams bittersweet chocolate bar (65 to 70 percent) chopped,
- 3tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1cup/225 grams heavy cream
- 1teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of kosher salt
- Chopped crystallized ginger, for decorating (optional)
- Shaved chocolate, for decorating (optional)
For the Gingerbread Cake
For the Whipped Chocolate Ganache
Preparation
- Step 1
Make the cake: Set a rack in the center of the oven and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch light colored metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and line it with a piece of parchment that hangs over the 2 long sides.
- Step 2
In a large bowl, combine the sugar and eggs, and use an electric mixer on medium or a whisk to beat the mixture until light and foamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the buttermilk, molasses, butter and oil, and mix until combined and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Step 3
Add the fresh ginger, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt, and mix to incorporate.
- Step 4
Add the flour, baking powder and baking soda, and mix until no streaks of dry ingredients remain, about 1 minute.
- Step 5
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, and tap on the counter a few times to release any large bubbles. Bake until puffed and set, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 28 to 34 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan set on a rack for 15 minutes, then use the parchment paper overhang to lift the cake out of the pan. Set it on a rack to cool completely.
- Step 6
While the cake is cooling, make the ganache: Add the chocolate and butter to a large bowl or to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer.
- Step 7
Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and butter in the bowl, and whisk until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and salt, and whisk until incorporated. Let the mixture sit until slightly thickened, about 1 hour.
- Step 8
When the cake is cool and the ganache is thickened, whip the ganache on high speed until it’s lighter in both texture and color, fluffy, and holds soft peaks, about 10 minutes.
- Step 9
Dollop the ganache over the cooled cake, and use a spoon to spread it over the cake in swoops and swirls. Top with chopped crystallized ginger or shaved chocolate if desired. Store leftover cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Susan
Tip for making the smoothest ganache ever that I learned from a pastry chef: Melt the chocolate! A microwave is fine. Then just warm the cream - no need to simmer. The chef said even a low boil changes the structure and flavor of the cream. Mix the 2 emulsions easily, then follow the recipe. It will cool faster and whip higher. You'll never go back.
Brenda Stoddard
Nothing is better on gingerbread than plain whipped cream. I think if you don't sweeten or flavor the cream, it's a better complement to the spicy cake. Chocolate ganache + gingerbread = too many competing flavors. I'll try the cake because I love gingerbread, but not with this frosting.
Isihir Bhan
I made the cake almost as directed, but turned it into an 8 inch two-layer cake for a birthday. I bumped the gauche ingredients up by 1/3 to be safe. The cake was quite nice, with great flavor, but I felt the chocolate was a bit overpowering and masked some of the complexity of the gingerbread. The flavors went together well, but I missed the contrast that something like a cream cheese frosting might have added.
Thomasina
This gingerbread cake recipe is the ginger cake of my dreams. I don't have a 9x13 pan so I used two 9 inch round cake pans, which is an excellent square inch match. In a way I think that's better, because the edge pieces are so dreamy, and the rounds have proportionally more edge. I think next time I might try it with just vanilla whipped cream.
Celia Regan
Whipped ganache is much closer to a buttercream consistency than regular ganache, but lighter and less sweet.
Lynn
When you made half the recipe, what size baking pan did you use? 8x8? Thanks!
Carol
I made this with only one tablespoon of the fresh ginger. Even though I love ginger, I thought the balance of ginger to molasses was perfect this way! I agree with the other notes: whipped cream, plain with a little vanilla, was a lovely balance of flavors. This is new family favorite! Easy and delicious!
A.C.
I made this cake under a time crunch and topped it with a quick, maple-flavored whipped cream since I didn’t have time for the ganache. The result was wonderful! A great, light complement to a moist, warmly spiced cake.
Amy K
I made this with two 9 inch circle pans and my family loved it. I’m not the biggest chocolate person but my kids and husband love chocolate and the ganache was super easy, I was happy to make a gingerbread cake that the kids (3 and 6) enjoyed too.
Kim
This is delicious but agree with the others that said to halve the sugar. I would probably add a full tsp of ginger next time. I used two sleeves of normal dry ramen noodles.
Maggie
Say it isn't so!
Texanne
Found this plenty spicy without the ground ginger and allspice in place of the cloves. Made gluten-free and left bare. A tangy glaze or frosting would be nice.
A.C.
I made this cake under a time crunch and topped it with a quick, maple-flavored whipped cream since I didn’t have time for the ganache. The result was wonderful! A great, light complement to a moist, warmly spiced cake.
Elizabeth
The cake is fabulous but the ganache is a mismatch with it. Next time I make it, I’m going to skip the ganache completely and instead fold in probably a cup of dark chocolate chips.
Jane S
The cake is moist and spongy - but for me just doesn't pack enough of a punch and is too much like sponge cake as opposed to gingerbread. The chocolate I actually liked with the cake (note easiest way to make the ganache is melt butter and chocolate in microwave and keep stirring as you add the cream, one bowl super quick). But the cake itself I wouldn't make again.
Sue
one bowl and a wisk. and it was delicious. thank you
Gulia
The cake is soft and delicate. The ganache, however, completely overwhelmed it. None of my guests liked this cake, and they are adventurous eaters. I will make the cake again but serve it with either whipped cream or cream cheese frosting.
susan O
Just a note- I made this fabulous cake twice- once at my daughter’s house with a convection oven abandoned at my son’s with a regular oven. The cake from the regular Oven was much drier and almost a different cake- I may have let it go a minute or two longer. So watch your times and don’t over bake. The convection oven version was moist and fabulous!!!!
Susan
Delicious and a crowd pleaser. I topped it with whipped cream enhanced with Canadian maple syrup liqueur.
Rosalie
I baked this cake without the icing. I have been searching for the perfect gingerbread cake like I grew up on (from the Dromedary mix). This comes extremely close in crumb, moistness and flavor. The crusty bits this recipe produces from where the batter crisps along the edges of the pan is an added bonus.
Brenna
This was fine - the cake itself is really nice, but the mix with the chocolate ganache frosting was a bit of an odd combo. I would go for salted butter in the ganache it was missing a bit of salt for me - but overall would just make the cake with a different, lighter-flavor frosting.
Cindy
I agree with Isihir. The cake and icing were very good, but separately. I think the ganache frosting was overpowering for the gingerbread cake and would pair better with something like a basic vanilla/yellow cake. The gingerbread cake I think would pair better with a cream cheese frosting. Would make again with this frosting change, especially around the holidays. However, when I made it as directed, I thought eating it with some vanilla ice cream rounded out the flavors pretty well.
Alanna
It's a great cake, light, moist, good crumb...BUT...it calls for way too much ginger. I would cut it down to 1 tbsp. of fresh ginger. My husband and I can't finish the cake. The ginger is too overpowering. I would try it again, though, with less ginger. The ganache topping is great.
KAK
Delicious!! I loved the light, fluffy texture of the cake. The spices are well balanced. The chocolate ganache was a fun combination with the gingerbread. I didn’t mind trying this topping—instead of whipping cream—for a change.
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