It’s a shame that when most people think of gingerbread, they imagine a little house covered in hard icing and candy. Real gingerbread—the sweet, sticky kind flavored with molasses, dark brown sugar, and almost any baking spice in your pantry—is a true delight to eat, unlike those stale little houses. This is why our Old-fashioned gingerbread is Southerners’ favorite cake to make during the holiday season.

We know a thing or two about fancy Christmas cakes…they were on the cover of the December issue of Living in the South for over 30 years. While these impressively tall tiered cakes may be centerpiece-worthy, there’s something to be said for a simple, sweet dessert.

Why Old Fashioned Gingerbread is So Special

Baked in a 9-inch square pan, our Old Fashioned Gingerbread Cake may look warm, but the aroma and flavor of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, nails Cloves and black pepper pack more of a punch than any other Christmas cake you have. I will find it. Dark brown sugar and molasses give the cake a deep, caramelized sweetness that sets it apart from other spice cakes. We use butter instead of oil to obtain a soft and tender crumb with a still rich taste.

How to make old-fashioned gingerbread

This cake is as simple to make as possible. You don’t even need a stand mixer.

1. Whisk together brown sugar, molasses, boiling water and cubed butter in a medium bowl until butter melts.
2. Next, add the baking soda and salt.
3. Set aside the molasses mixture until lukewarm, then whisk in an egg.
4. After that, all you have to do is add the rest of the dry ingredients, pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake.

The cake itself comes together in just about an hour (with just 20 minutes of hands-on baking), although it requires an additional hour of chilling before serving.

The Best Way to Serve Old-Fashioned Gingerbread

This cake only needs a sprinkling of powdered sugar, but if you want to dress it up a bit, our Brown Sugar and Ginger Whipped Cream is the perfect finishing touch. Or, serve the cake warm with scoops of vanilla ice cream on top.