This fresh ginger cake is irresistibly moist with a powerful ginger kick from the freshly grated ginger. This cake is intensely gingery, and if you're a ginger lover, this cake is a dream come true!
By Candice Walker on April 15, 2018 (Last updated November 10, 2023) This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
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This fresh ginger cake is irresistibly moist with a powerful ginger kick from the freshly grated ginger. If you love the fresh ginger flavor and want a cake recipe with incredible spiced flavor and zing, this cake is your dream come true!
🌟Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Zing from fresh ginger – This recipe uses fresh ginger, as fresh as you can get, and it creates an incredible texture and moisture. Old ginger can be woody or stringy, which won’t help create that soft cake texture.
Rich flavor from dark molasses – The molasses in this cake helps give it a rich, deep flavor as well as that authentic stickiness that you want in a great ginger cake. The sweet molasses syrup and brown sugar complement each other and balance out the spice of the ginger.
Use any bakeware – This cake can be made in glass, metal, or non-stick cookware, and I provide instructions for both. I provide instructions to adjust the temperature and time if baking in glass.
Freshly grated ginger – Buy fresh ginger root for this recipe, and use it as quickly as possible for the best results. Do not use ground ginger for this recipe as it will be too strong.
Butter – Use unsalted butter because we are adding salt to the recipe.
Brown Sugar – I prefer dark brown sugar, but this recipe works with any brown sugar. It also works with turbinado sugar, but you will need to adjust the baking time.
Egg – This acts to bind the ginger cake batter together.
Molasses – Blackstrap molasses is preferred for richness of flavor, but mild, light, or dark molasses all work well in this recipe.
All-purpose flour –
Salt – I use kosher salt to round out the sweetness and spice in this cake.
Baking soda – This is the rising agent in the cake and should not be substituted.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
🍰 Pro Tip
When baking in a glass pan, the temperature should be 25 degrees higher, and will take up to 10 minutes longer – this recipe has been tested in both an 8×8 glass pan and a 9×9 non-stick pan. The cook times for this recipe are written for a non-stick, so please adjust accordingly if using a glass pan.
👩🍳How to Make This Recipe
Start by preheating your oven to 350F.
Prepare your pan by using a stick of butter to rub a thin layer of butter all over the pan, then sprinkle flour on top until the whole pan is coated. This step makes it much easier to remove the cooked cake after baking and is necessary no matter which pan you are using.
Now you can make a start on the ginger cake batter. Sift your flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium-sized bowl and set it aside.
In another large bowl mix together the brown sugar, molasses, egg, and grated fresh ginger. Mix all together thoroughly. Then, melt your butter in a saucepan with 1/2 cup of water. Add this to the sugar-ginger mix and stir until incorporated.
Then it’s time to add your dry ingredients to the wet. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Stir until the ingredients are only just mixed through.
Pour the cake batter into your greased baking dish, and put it in the oven. The cake will take 30-35 minutes to bake.
Insert a toothpick in the center of the cake, and if it comes out clean then your cake is baked.
Let cool on a cake rack before cutting and serving. If you can, it’s best to leave it cool overnight for maximum flavor and moisture.
Sprinkle your ginger cake with a dusting of powdered sugar for an extra wow factor!
⭐️ Tips for the Best Results
If the temperature of your oven is too high, then your ginger cake will rise far too quickly. It will rise, then fall in the middle as the batter hasn’t had time to cook to sustain the shape. Cake sinking also occurs if you open the oven door during the rising process and thus alter the temperature of the oven.
Mincing ginger yields the smoothest texture possible for this cake. Both mincing and grating allow the taste and aroma of the ginger to be released when baking.
❄️ Storage Instructions for Ginger Cake
You can freeze your cake easily, or it also keeps well in an airtight container for up to 1 week. To freeze, you must let your cake cool completely. Once cool, wrap in parchment paper and store in the freezer in an airtight container. Let thaw to room temperature when ready to eat again.
😋 Related Recipes
These sweet desserts are the perfect indulgence to make the next time you bake!
This fresh ginger cake is irresistibly moist with a powerful ginger kick from the freshly grated ginger. This cake is intensely gingery, and if you're a ginger lover, this cake is a dream come true!
4tbspbuttermelted in in a saucepan with 1/2 cup of water
Instructions
Butter and flour an 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish. Preheat oven to 350F.
Sift your flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Set aside.
Mix your brown sugar, molasses, egg, and ginger in a large bowl.
Add your melted butter/water mixture into the wet ingredients.
Stir in the dry ingredients until just mixed.
Add the batter to your baking dish*. Bake 30-35 minutes. It is ready when a toothpick comes out clean. Start checking at 28 minutes for a 9×9 pan, and at 32 minutes for 8×8.
Let cool on a rack. Best if cooled overnight.
Notes
Usually when baking in a glass pan, the temperature should be 25 degrees higher, and will take up to 10 minutes longer – this recipe has been tested in a glass pan, and a non-stick pan. The instructions are written for non-stick, so please adjust accordingly.If you can, it’s best to leave it cool overnight.
Did you try this recipe?I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a Review to let us know how it came out, if you have a successful substitution or variation, or anything else.
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14 Comments
Thank you for this sensational recipe. It worked perfectly. The cake was moist and spicy and smelt heavenly!
I tried a recipe from another author and it overflowed all down the sides of the pan and oven floor. I don’t know if it is because it was made with white sugar and molasses but it sort of acted like candy on the stovetop. The recipe was very similar to your recipe with the exception of brown sugar and the heating of the water and butter together in the pan. Anyway I was so pleased to have your recipe and have it work so well. We are at 4265′ elevation and I added 2 tablespoon (3000′) plus 1.5 teaspoons ( 1000′) additional flour and turned the temperature up to 375 degrees F because I used a glass pan. It did fall in the middle ( no oven openers here) but that is an opportunity for more icing in our family. Yes, we made it extra rich with a cream cheese frosting it; was a birthday cake, after all.
Thank you for sharing, Kris… I really appreciate the instructions for the elevation, too. I bet someone will find that useful! Glad you love it, and enjoy!
I am not much of a baker but did make this ginger root cake. I loved it THANK YOU for sharing it! This is one I will definitely be making again.Not only was fantastic warm but I found if it sat for a day the flavour was even better. My husband googled this one up and what a perfect time of year to be making it .
Amazing strong fresh ginger flavor
Deliciously moist ,dense and chewy outer. I had a glut of ginger to use up, I lucked out to find this recipe, thankyou so much for sharing it
I used half /half plain and wholegrain flour and it is lovely and moist.
Intensely gingery cake. If you are a ginger lover, you will love this.
(I baked it in 9×9 glass pan in a convection oven at 350 degrees. It was done at the 28 minute check.)
There is a farmers market next door to my husband’s doctor’s office, so I’ve asked him to buy me ginger root each month when he goes to the doctor. The price there is about 1 /4 of supermarket prices. Consequently, I had quite a surplus so looked for recipes that called for the real thing (as opposed to dried ground ginger) and found your cake recipe! I am eating it now, warm, without powdered sugar on top, just with a glass of water. It needs nothing. It is just perfect alone. It is NOT ginger bread (all recipes have other spices so what we think of as ginger bread is pretty much spice cake) but instead a true ginger cake. I used a ninja small container prep machine to grind the ginger in seconds. I had a very old jar of molasses with exactly a half cup in it, so I was set to bake. Glad I did.
Sounds like you found a great source, Phyllis! I’m so happy to hear you love it. It definitely isn’t gingerbread, and I’m glad you recognize that. I’ve never used anything to help me grind the ginger before since I was worried it would release too much water. Thank you for sharing that it worked for you. I’m going to have to give it a try!
Never made a fresh ginger cake before, Absolutely delicious cake I double the mixture and cooked half in a loaf tin 30minute to cook and half in a glass square dish 35 minutes. both tasted amazing I had to eat a slice warm oh!!! Gorgeous so glad I tried this recipe
Looks to be really good. By the way, molasses does not have heme iron . . .Heme iron = the type found predominantly in blood and muscle. Non-heme iron = the type that predominates in plants. But it does have bioavailable iron.
Thank you for this sensational recipe. It worked perfectly. The cake was moist and spicy and smelt heavenly!
I tried a recipe from another author and it overflowed all down the sides of the pan and oven floor. I don’t know if it is because it was made with white sugar and molasses but it sort of acted like candy on the stovetop. The recipe was very similar to your recipe with the exception of brown sugar and the heating of the water and butter together in the pan. Anyway I was so pleased to have your recipe and have it work so well. We are at 4265′ elevation and I added 2 tablespoon (3000′) plus 1.5 teaspoons ( 1000′) additional flour and turned the temperature up to 375 degrees F because I used a glass pan. It did fall in the middle ( no oven openers here) but that is an opportunity for more icing in our family. Yes, we made it extra rich with a cream cheese frosting it; was a birthday cake, after all.
Thank you for sharing, Kris… I really appreciate the instructions for the elevation, too. I bet someone will find that useful! Glad you love it, and enjoy!
I am not much of a baker but did make this ginger root cake. I loved it THANK YOU for sharing it! This is one I will definitely be making again.Not only was fantastic warm but I found if it sat for a day the flavour was even better. My husband googled this one up and what a perfect time of year to be making it .
I’m so glad you liked it, Claire… thank you for taking the time to share!
Amazing strong fresh ginger flavor
Deliciously moist ,dense and chewy outer. I had a glut of ginger to use up, I lucked out to find this recipe, thankyou so much for sharing it
I used half /half plain and wholegrain flour and it is lovely and moist.
Thank you for sharing, Joy… I’m so glad you liked it, and I’ll have to try your half/half flour!
Intensely gingery cake. If you are a ginger lover, you will love this.
(I baked it in 9×9 glass pan in a convection oven at 350 degrees. It was done at the 28 minute check.)
There is a farmers market next door to my husband’s doctor’s office, so I’ve asked him to buy me ginger root each month when he goes to the doctor. The price there is about 1 /4 of supermarket prices. Consequently, I had quite a surplus so looked for recipes that called for the real thing (as opposed to dried ground ginger) and found your cake recipe! I am eating it now, warm, without powdered sugar on top, just with a glass of water. It needs nothing. It is just perfect alone. It is NOT ginger bread (all recipes have other spices so what we think of as ginger bread is pretty much spice cake) but instead a true ginger cake. I used a ninja small container prep machine to grind the ginger in seconds. I had a very old jar of molasses with exactly a half cup in it, so I was set to bake. Glad I did.
Sounds like you found a great source, Phyllis! I’m so happy to hear you love it. It definitely isn’t gingerbread, and I’m glad you recognize that. I’ve never used anything to help me grind the ginger before since I was worried it would release too much water. Thank you for sharing that it worked for you. I’m going to have to give it a try!
Never made a fresh ginger cake before, Absolutely delicious cake I double the mixture and cooked half in a loaf tin 30minute to cook and half in a glass square dish 35 minutes. both tasted amazing I had to eat a slice warm oh!!! Gorgeous so glad I tried this recipe
So glad you found it and liked it, Jane. Thank you for taking the time to share… enjoy!
Looks to be really good. By the way, molasses does not have heme iron . . .Heme iron = the type found predominantly in blood and muscle. Non-heme iron = the type that predominates in plants. But it does have bioavailable iron.
Thank you for sharing that, Barry!