Chocolate Gingerbread Cake Recipe (2024)

Made this for Christmas Eve. It was excellent - super moist and gingery! I did bake this recipe in a single 9” cake pan which holds the same volume as the loaf pan called for in the recipe, just had to reduce time to 45-47 minutes. Dusted w/powdered sugar and served warm with vanilla ice cream for holiday dessert perfection.

Wonderful cake. I made it as a gift, so I cooked it in a 9" round pan and dusted the top with powdered sugar. I had enough batter left over to make three cupcakes, which gave me a chance to taste the cake, too. Might be my favorite gingerbread cake recipe of all time.

Yes, you make this into a round cake pan. You may need 2-9" round pans as the volume of rectangle pan that this recipe calls for is 135 while a single 9" pan is ~63.

I left out the crystallized ginger, used chocolate chips, and yogurt thinned with a bit of water in place of the buttermilk. This came out tender and gingery. I will make it again.

I doubled/tripled the grated fresh ginger and didn't include the crystallized ginger. This ended up being very moist and delicious. The ginger/chocolate combo worked very nicely. I will make it again.

This chocolate gingerbread is AMAZING...followed recipe exactly -- I have a convection steam oven and conv. humid (no add'l steam) at 325 for 40 min. the taste was CRAZY....it is a bit of work and worth organizing/measuring all ingredients before starting. not a thick batter but oh so good...I made 2 - one after another as I had to give one away....just couldnt let it go w/o tasting it...shared with a class and everyone raised their eyebrows looking for who made it....Moi!! :)

I adjusted a bit based upon the chocolate-molasses cookie recipe (here on NYT Cooking) which I like very much - added 1/4 c cocoa; reduced sugar to a scant 1/2 cup; added 1/2 cup of chopped toasted walnuts; put in a splash more buttermilk; used 8 T butter and 1/4 cup applesauce. I got a nice fall cake which is excellent with vanilla ice cream - will make again.

The best thing I made all season. Crystallized ginger is magic in this... don't skimp! Followed recipe exactly AND added a bit of black pepper.

can i make this in a round cake pan?

Excellent recipe, a big hit with my family and friends, although I made three modifications:I don't care for crystallized ginger, and I wanted the cake to be more chocolatey, so I eliminated the crystallized ginger and doubled the chocolate chips instead.I added 1/4 cup of cocoa to the dry ingredients.I don't care for the bitterness molasses adds to baked goods, so I used Agave syrup instead, but about 1/4 cup as it's sweeter.

Made this is a spring Bundt pan for a party and reduced the cooking time to 45 minutes. I also omitted the crystallized ginger and replaced the molasses with more brown sugar and maple syrup because I was out of molasses and the buttermilk with thinned yogurt. The cake was moist and had a good balance of spice to sweetness. I did find the name of this recipe misleading. This is not a chocolate-y cake as the name and photo imply, but a ginger cake with some chocolate. Still very good.

This was moist & flavorful & got raves from my family at Christmas, beating out both of the pies I'd also brought in the dessert popularity contest. I don't personally love the texture of the chopped crystallized ginger in the cake - I might try grating it or chopping it even more finely next time. Might also try baking in a round cake pan, or adding some sort of glaze/topping to make it seem less plain when served.

Amazing recipe. It’s quite forgiving and amenable to adding more ingredients or adapting to substitute. I added dried cranberries, 1 inch orange peels, nuts to make it more Christmassy. For the molasses, I used Indian jaggery syrup. I only had fresh ginger so I added that skipped ginger powder and crystallized ginger. Did not have nutmeg so I ground up 4 cloves. The fresh cardamom adds so much flavor! Will definitely make again

You really should bake this easy, delicious, gingerbread. Make sure your spices are fresh, your oven temp is accurate, and you’re good to go!I’ve upped the cinnamon to 1 Tbsp and switched the chopped semisweet to milk chocolate. Yummmm!

Mine turned out pretty dense, did I over mix? The flavors were good. I baked in loaf pan

We made this with gluten free flour and loved it!! I highly recommend the King Arthur's chopped crystallized ginger as the pieces are the perfect size.https://shop.kingarthurbaking.com/items/mini-diced-ginger

This is fabulous. I made a few changes. I added 1/3 cup black cocoa instead of chocolate pieces.. made a 9 in round pie dish and extra in a smaller dish.Used oat milk, but buttermilk is fineI iced it with conf sugar and hot water and a little cinnamon. Divine

Can I make this gluten-free? Would it be a 1-to-1 swap with gluten-free flour, or would I need to change any other ingredients?

This was truly fantastic, and a big hit at a low-key fall dinner party. No changes needed, baked for 49 minutes.

It was curious to me that there’s no cocoa powder in a Chocolate Gingerbread Cake and see others have had similar thoughts and added it; without reducing the quantity of flour or increasing liquid. I’ll check the ratios and try it, and shall report back.

Made this in a bundt cake pan and it came out looking very fancy and decadent. It held together very well. I followed the recipe almost to a T, except skipped crystallized ginger and grated orange zest instead of lemon zest. I added 8 tbs butter instead of 10. Next time, I may add golden raisins into the final mix for added flavor and texture. The cake came out airy and light. It wasn't packed with overwhelming flavor as I anticipated; it was light and flavorful and delightful with coffee!

This is insanely delicious and moist! Its perfect just the way it is :)

So disappointed- made this in the loaf pan; baked at 350 for a full 60 minutes; my wooden pick came out clean - but the cake was hot bubbling LIQUID in the centre, and collapsed on itself. Boo!

This was a big hit at our Christmas eve party. Made exactly as recipe except I added a chocolate glaze to make it special for Christmas. Will make again. Delicious!

The amount of prep time required is well worth the effort. This loaf cake looks ordinary; the taste is anything but. I've made it three times with no modifications except a slightly longer and narrower loaf pan than suggested. The ginger, chocolate and spices meld into a perfect taste sensation, which pairs well with coffee. Perfect for a winter afternoon!

Mine sank in the middle and the chocolate (I used chips.) sank to the bottom.

Mine turned out pretty dense, did I over mix? The flavors were good. I baked in loaf pan

Made this is a spring Bundt pan for a party and reduced the cooking time to 45 minutes. I also omitted the crystallized ginger and replaced the molasses with more brown sugar and maple syrup because I was out of molasses and the buttermilk with thinned yogurt. The cake was moist and had a good balance of spice to sweetness. I did find the name of this recipe misleading. This is not a chocolate-y cake as the name and photo imply, but a ginger cake with some chocolate. Still very good.

I just made this for the second time and absolutely love it. I cooked it as directed. I only wish I knew of a simpler method of buttering and flouring parchment paper.

Did not have crystallized ginger; otherwise made as written. Delicious flavors. Served for dessert after a big meal. Be careful not to overbake.