This festive sticky toffee gingerbread cake is perfect for the holidays! A fluffy cake flavored with ginger and molasses topped with a sweet and buttery toffee sauce. The best flavors of the season in one irresistibly cozy dessert.
What sets this recipe apart
Two in one: A classic gingerbread cake meets sticky toffee pudding.
Sticky toffee sauce: A sweet and sticky toffee sauce is the perfect addition to the spiced cake.
Versatile: Serve this cake as is or top with ice cream or whipped cream. My family loves it with butter pecan ice cream.
Visual recipe overview
*Full recipe below in recipe card*
Cake batter
Prepare the gingerbread cake batter.
Bake
Bake the cake in an 8×8 pan for about 20 minutes.
Sticky toffee sauce
Combine butter, cream, brown sugar and molasses on the stovetop for the sticky toffee sauce.
Serve
Serve slices of cake topped with warm toffee sauce!
My recipe testing tips and notes
The best combination of spices for gingerbread is ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.
Be sure your spices are fresh. Even if the expiration date is far away, if the spices have been open since last holiday season you’ll want to replace them for the best flavor.
The cake itself is not overly sweet. This is intentional since it is topped with a sweet toffee sauce. If you’re not planning on making the toffee sauce, I’d recommend topping the cake with cream cheese frosting or vanilla buttercream.
Serve this cake warm or room temperature topped with warm toffee sauce. Both the cake and toffee sauce can be made in advance and reheated.
Recipe
Sticky Toffee Gingerbread
Ingredients
Gingerbread cake:
- 1⅓ cups (167g) all purpose flour, spooned and leveled or weighed
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2-3 teaspoons ground ginger, based on how strong you want the ginger flavor
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, softened
- ⅓ cup (75g) light or dark brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup (59ml) unsulphured molasses, not blackstrap molasses
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup (118ml) boiling water
Toffee sauce:
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- ¾ cup (175ml) heavy cream
- ¾ cup (165g) light or dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon unsulphured molasses
- couple pinches salt
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Gingerbread cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F with a rack in the center of the oven. Lightly grease an 8×8 square baking pan (preferably metal) and set aside.
- Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter and brown sugar until smooth and combined. Add molasses, egg, and vanilla. Beat until well combined, scraping the bowl and beaters as needed. Add the flour mixture, beating until combined. With the mixer running on low, slowly add the boiling water. Once the batter is fully combined pour into the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer.
- Bake for 18-23 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool.
Toffee sauce:
- In a small saucepan over medium heat bring butter, cream, brown sugar, molasses, and salt to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for two minutes, until the brown sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Sauce will thicken as it cools. Add toffee sauce to each slice of cake right before serving.
Notes
Serving and storage
Cake should be served warm or at room temperature. The sauce should be served warm. Optional: serve topped with ice cream (we love butter pecan), whipped cream, or custard sauce. Cake can be stored tightly covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. Sauce should be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The sauce will firm up when chilled, just pop it in the microwave to thin it out.Topping options
The cake itself is not overly sweet. This is intentional since it is topped with a sweet toffee sauce. If you’re not planning on making the toffee sauce, I’d recommend topping the cake with cream cheese frosting or vanilla buttercream.Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Maggie Bickford says
Could this mix be made in mini bundt molds?
Allison Mattina says
Sure. You’ll likely need to reduce the bake time depending on the size of your pan. Enjoy!
Nicole Wilburn says
This delicious cake came together in a matter of minutes with things I already had in my pantry! It is super easy and forgiving (I forgot to add the hot water, used the wrong size pan, and unintentionally walked away from the toffee sauce while it was on the burner). The flavors are well balanced. This cake was the favorite dessert of the night.
Allison Mattina says
That’s great to hear! Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. 🙂