Gingerbread Desserts
Gingerbread does some of its best work outside the cookie jar, in a bundt pan, a loaf tin or a bowl of custard. Most of these twenty-seven run on molasses or black treacle and a heavy hand of spice. Pick a section by the pan you own or the oven space you have left.
Six to Bake First
One from each section, from a near-black stout bundt to a no-bake cheesecake. Start with whichever pan is already clean.
Gingerbread Stout Bundt
A cup of stout, a cup of molasses and two tablespoons of cocoa bake this bundt nearly black, with more stout in the glaze. Use Black Cocoa for that cocoa and it goes darker still.
Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Cake
Olive oil and applesauce stand in for butter and eggs, and nobody at the table will notice. Molasses, muscovado and four spices sit under a thick vegan cream cheese icing.
Gingerbread Cheesecake
Molasses and dark brown sugar turn a full-size cheesecake amber, on a spiced cookie-crumb crust. Tall slices that feed a crowd at the end of a holiday dinner.
Fudgy Gingerbread Bars
Half a cup of molasses and three teaspoons of ginger in one 8x8 pan. Dense, dark and fudgy, with a thin powdered sugar glaze drizzled on top.
Gingerbread Tiramisu
Speculoos biscuits dipped in strong espresso, layered with mascarpone and a splash of spiced rum, then dusted with a homemade gingerbread spice mix. Espresso Powder makes that dip in seconds.
No-Bake Gingerbread Cheesecake
A ginger biscuit base and a cream cheese filling with a full tablespoon each of ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon. It sets in the fridge, so the oven stays free.
Gingerbread Cakes
Three bundts, a Swiss roll, an upside-down pear cake and one soaked in three milks. The two stout cakes bake the darkest.
Gingerbread Stout Bundt
A cup of stout, a cup of molasses and two tablespoons of cocoa bake this bundt nearly black, with more stout in the glaze. Use Black Cocoa for that cocoa and it goes darker still.
Vintage Gingerbread Bundt Cake
Buttermilk keeps the crumb tender, and a sugar-dusted pan bakes into a crackly crust. Coarse White Sparkling Sugar in the pan gives that crust even more crunch.
Pear Gingerbread Upside-Down Cake
Fresh, ground and candied ginger all go into the batter, baked over a spiral of caramelized Asian pears. Flip it while warm so the fruit glazes the top.
Gingerbread Swiss Roll with Cream Cheese Filling
A light sponge sweetened with molasses and golden syrup, rolled around a cream cheese filling. Every slice shows the spiral, so it looks harder to make than it is.
Gingerbread Tres Leches Cake
Brown sugar and warm spice in the sponge, three milks soaked all the way through and a thick whipped cream top. Gingerbread you serve cold, straight from the fridge.
Triple Ginger Bundt Cake
Edd Kimber swapped golden syrup for black treacle and added a chocolate stout, then used three kinds of ginger to keep the heat up front.
Darker gingerbread, straight from the cocoa
Black Cocoa is ultra-Dutched to a near-black color, so a few tablespoons in a molasses cake take it dark with little to no food coloring. The flavor stays smooth and low in acid, so the ginger still leads.
Gingerbread Loaves and Snack Cakes
The easiest gingerbread to bake and the easiest to share. Two are vegan, one is gluten-free, and two go sticky with treacle and syrup.
Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Cake
Olive oil and applesauce stand in for butter and eggs, and nobody at the table will notice. Molasses, muscovado and four spices sit under a thick vegan cream cheese icing.
Spiced Gingerbread Loaf with Chocolate Glaze
A Polish-style loaf with black pepper among the spices and a glossy chocolate glaze on top. One of the darkest crumbs here, and a spoon of Black Cocoa fits right in.
Gingerbread Loaf with Molasses Frosting
Molasses goes into the batter and the cream cheese frosting, so the spice carries all the way to the top. Cut thick slices for a coffee break.
Sticky Gluten-Free Gingerbread Loaf
Gluten-free and dairy-free as written, with black treacle, golden syrup and chopped stem ginger. A little lemon zest keeps all that dark sweetness bright.
Sticky Ginger Loaf Cake
Four teaspoons of ground ginger plus chopped stem ginger, then syrup from the jar brushed over the warm loaf. That syrup is where the glossy, sticky top comes from.
Banana Gingerbread Loaf (Vegan)
Banana and a flax egg replace the eggs, oat milk replaces the dairy, and dark molasses brings the color. Slice it thick and toast it for breakfast.
Gingerbread Cheesecakes and Pies
A tall baked cheesecake, a tray of minis and a cream pie that never sees the oven. All three set up in the fridge.
Gingerbread Cheesecake
Molasses and dark brown sugar turn a full-size cheesecake amber, on a spiced cookie-crumb crust. Tall slices that feed a crowd at the end of a holiday dinner.
Mini Gingerbread Cheesecakes
Green cardamom joins the usual spices in these gingersnap-crust minis. Baked in liners, they travel to a party with no slicing at all.
No-Bake Gingerbread Cream Pie
No oven needed: a quarter cup of molasses and four spices beaten into cream cheese, spooned into a ready-made graham crust and chilled. Handy on a big baking day.
Gingerbread Bars and Blondies
Two glazed bars, one dense and fudgy and one soft and cakey, plus a brown butter blondie under a thick frosting.
Fudgy Gingerbread Bars
Half a cup of molasses and three teaspoons of ginger in one 8x8 pan. Dense, dark and fudgy, with a thin powdered sugar glaze drizzled on top.
Soft Glazed Gingerbread Bars
Creamed butter gives these a softer, cakier bite than the fudgy bars beside them. A lunchbox-friendly square under a drippy vanilla glaze.
Brown Butter Frosted Gingerbread Blondies
Browned butter adds a toasty note under the ginger and allspice, then a spiced cream cheese frosting goes on thick. Red and green sanding sugar dresses them for a holiday tray.
Gingerbread Puddings and Spoon Desserts
Warm puddings for a cold night, including one steamed in a basin and one that makes its own sauce. The tiramisu, panna cotta and creme brulee chill ahead.
Gingerbread Tiramisu
Speculoos biscuits dipped in strong espresso, layered with mascarpone and a splash of spiced rum, then dusted with a homemade gingerbread spice mix. Espresso Powder makes that dip in seconds.
Gingerbread Bread Pudding with Eggnog Sauce
Bake a molasses gingerbread a day ahead, dry the cubes, then soak them in custard with raisins. The eggnog sauce poured over the top is worth the wait.
Vegan Gingerbread Panna Cotta with Mulled Wine Cherries
Set with agar and oat milk, so it unmolds cleanly with no gelatin. Sour cherries in mulled wine and a scatter of gingerbread crumbs dress the plate.
Steamed Gingerbread Pudding
An 1875 recipe with a cup of molasses and a cup of buttermilk, steamed in a basin and turned out whole. Old-fashioned in the best way, and very dark.
Self-Saucing Gingerbread Pudding
Pour a boiling brown sugar and golden syrup sauce over the batter, and it sinks during baking to make its own sauce. Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream.
Gingerbread Creme Brulee
Fresh and ground ginger, cloves and cinnamon sticks steep in the cream first, so the custard tastes of gingerbread under its burnt sugar crust. Baked and chilled in small jars.
Frozen and No-Bake Gingerbread Desserts
A no-bake cheesecake and two churned ice creams, one with gingersnaps folded through and one built on blackstrap molasses.
No-Bake Gingerbread Cheesecake
A ginger biscuit base and a cream cheese filling with a full tablespoon each of ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon. It sets in the fridge, so the oven stays free.
Gingerbread Ice Cream with Gingersnaps
A molasses custard base with chopped gingersnaps churned through for crunch. Scoop it into sugar cones, or next to a warm slice of gingerbread cake.
Blackstrap Gingerbread Ice Cream
Two tablespoons of blackstrap molasses give this six-yolk custard a deep, slightly bitter edge, and black pepper adds heat. Churned rather than no-churn, so it scoops smooth.
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We've Got Answers
What makes gingerbread dark?
Mostly the molasses. Regular or dark molasses gives the classic brown, and blackstrap or black treacle goes darker and more bitter. Dark brown sugar and a little cocoa push it further. Black Cocoa is ultra-Dutched, so a few tablespoons take a gingerbread near-black with little to no food coloring while the flavor stays smooth.
What spices go in gingerbread?
Ground ginger leads, with cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg or allspice behind it. Plenty of these recipes add a second or third ginger, fresh grated or chopped stem ginger, and a few add black pepper or cardamom for extra warmth. Use fresh spices, since old ground ginger tastes flat.
Can I use blackstrap molasses in gingerbread?
Yes, but expect a darker, less sweet and more bitter result. Blackstrap is what is left after the most sugar has been boiled out of the cane. If a recipe calls for regular molasses, swap blackstrap in for up to half of it, or use it all only when the recipe is written for it, like the blackstrap ice cream above.
Why did my gingerbread cake sink in the middle?
Usually it came out of the oven before the center set, or there was too much leavening. Molasses is acidic and reacts quickly with baking soda, so measure the soda exactly and get the batter into the oven soon after mixing. Bake until a skewer in the center comes out clean, and keep the oven door shut for the first two-thirds of the bake.
Can I make gingerbread desserts ahead?
Most of them, yes. Gingerbread cakes and loaves keep well wrapped at room temperature for a few days, and the spice tends to settle in by the next day. Unfrosted cakes and loaves freeze for up to three months. The cheesecakes, cream pie, tiramisu and panna cotta all need hours in the fridge anyway, so make them the day before.
What is the difference between gingerbread and spice cake?
Molasses. Gingerbread is built on molasses or treacle and plenty of ginger, which makes it darker, denser and stickier. Spice cake usually uses brown or white sugar and leans on cinnamon, so it bakes lighter in color and flavor.
More Baking Adventures
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Christmas Bar Recipes
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Cookies
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For when you do want the gingerbread people.
black cocoa
The Best Black Cocoa Powder Recipes
Near-black bakes with little to no food coloring.