This Gingerbread Cake with Crumb Topping is a festive and easy-to-make dessert for the Christmas and winter seasons. That being said, this gingerbread cake recipe might be my (and your) new favorite holiday dessert recipe!

Yes, my friend. I’m back with another gingerbread recipe. I just can’t get enough. This gingerbread cake with crumb topping was inspired by a cake recipe I made last fall.

Last year I shared this amazing pumpkin cake with crumb topping. It was an easy-to-make cake with delicious results. This year, I wanted to take the cake recipe and adapt it to the holiday and winter seasons. And of course, that is what led me to create/make this gingerbread cake with a crumb topping. It exceeded my expectations and I may even like it better than the pumpkin version. (Shhh, don’t tell!)

gingerbread cake in a pan and on a plate.

TABLE OF CONTENTS hide

1 Why You’ll Love This Cake Recipe

2 Ingredients

3 How to Make

4 More Gingerbread Recipes You’ll Enjoy

5 Gingerbread Cake with Crumb Topping

Why You’ll Love This Cake Recipe

The holiday season is a busy one. I always like having a few go-to recipes in my back pocket when I’m expecting company or hosting a dinner. This gingerbread cake recipe is going to the top of my dessert pile. It’s that good.

In addition to the magnificent flavor, I love that this gingerbread cake is very easy to prepare and that you’re likely to have most of the ingredients in your pantry. If you have an hour, you can whip up and bake this Christmas cake recipe including some homemade whipped cream to top it all off. Love that!

If you enjoy gingerbread as much as I do, you’re in luck because I have an entire blog post dedicated to my favorite gingerbread recipes. I cover everything from cookies to cocktails. You can find that post HERE.

Ready to bake? Good! Me too.

I’m going to walk you through the ingredient list, and then I’ll share step-by-step instructions on how to make this gingerbread cake with crumb topping.

Ingredients

As I mentioned above, I’m guessing that you already have a lot of these ingredients in your pantry which is one of the things that makes this recipe so easy. However, let’s run through the list to make sure you’re good to go.

unsalted butter – Kerrygold is the go-to in my kitchen.
sugar
egg – I typically always use large eggs.
molasses – Molasses is a must-have ingredient in my pantry during the holidays. It adds color and flavor to this cake.
cake flour – Cake flour is made from soft milled wheat which gives this cake a softer feel. You can substitute all-purpose flour here; it will just slightly change the texture of the cake.
baking powder
baking soda
seasonal spices – Ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and ground cloves give this cake its signature gingerbread flavor.
kosher salt – I actually use this Maldon flake sea salt for any recipe that calls for salt. It’s my favorite. (I buy it by the tub.)
whole milk
dark brown sugar – I like dark brown sugar here for that really deep brown color.
all-purpose flour
pecans – You could go without nuts, or use walnuts instead, but I really like the crunch they add.
lemon zest – I know it might sound strange to include lemon here, but I need you to trust me on this one. It’s a game-changer. I love what it adds to this recipe.
homemade whipped cream – You can find my homemade whipped cream recipe HERE. It’s simple to make and significantly better than anything you could buy at the store.

I should also mention here that I used some gingerbread cookies to decorate my table. Early in the holiday season, I bake up a batch of this gingerbread cookie dough and make royal icing. I cut, bake, and decorate two or so dozen cookies and use them all season long to decorate my baked goods and my home.

I also have a great blog post where I share lots of ideas for decorating your home with these gingerbread cookies. You don’t want to miss it.

It’s time to bake!

How to Make

Following are the steps to make this Gingerbread Cake. I’ve also provided a printable recipe card at the end of this post.

Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray a 13×9 baking pan with baking spray. Set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and molasses. Beat to combine.
Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.
Add this to the wet ingredients alternating with the milk.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Start baking for 30 minutes.
While the cake begins to bake, in a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and ginger.
Cut in the butter until it resembles coarse sand. Stir in the pecans, lemon zest, and salt.

After 30 minutes of baking, sprinkle the topping over the gingerbread cake.
Continue to bake for 10-15 more minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Once the cake is cooled you’re ready to slice and serve with some homemade whipped cream.

I told you it was easy. Consider yourself warned as this may become one of your new favorites too!

More Gingerbread Recipes You’ll Enjoy

I hope you enjoyed another Christmas favorite from my home to yours. May this gingerbread cake with crumb topping brighten your spirits and satisfy your holiday sweet tooth.

If you give this recipe a try, please let me know. Come back here and leave a comment with a five-star rating and/or share a photo on Instagram. Don’t forget to tag me @inspiredbycharm so I don’t miss it.

Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

gingerbread cake in front of gingerbread man cookie.

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