This skillet gingerbread cake has everything going for it. Plenty of warm spices, beautifully crispy edges and a soft center (thanks, cast iron!), and swirls of tangy cream cheese frosting. If that wasn't enough, you can whip up this easy holiday dessert on your grill, leaving the oven free for the rest of your meal.
Every year, my daughter requests the same meal for her birthday, and always asks for gingerbread cake with cream cheese frosting for dessert. Although it doesn't really fall within the realm of a traditional birthday cake, it's perfectly suited to Christmas, and once you try it, I'm guessing you'll be happy to indulge in it any time of the year.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- You can cook it on the grill, leaving your oven free for other holiday dishes.
- Baking in cast iron gives the gingerbread cake perfectly crispy edges while still keeping the center moist and tender.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Molasses--You want to use unsulfured molasses for this recipe. This is what you'll generally find in the baking aisle of your supermarket. You may see it labeled as 'fancy molasses'. Do NOT use blackstrap molasses!
- Flour--Regular all-purpose flour works best here.
- Spices--A combination of ginger, cinnamon, and cloves gives this cake its classic gingerbread flavor.
- Butter--I recommend using unsalted butter in baking because the salt content in salted butter can vary. If you need to use salted butter, reduce the amount of salt in the dry ingredients to ¼ teaspoon.
How to Make Gingerbread Cake
- Butter a 12-inch cast iron skillet generously.
- Whisk the flour, spices, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.
- Beat the butter and brown sugar together with a hand mixer or stand mixer until fluffy.
- Stir in the egg and molasses.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet just until no white streaks remain.
- Pour in the boiling water and stir until the batter is uniform.
- Pour the batter into the prepared skillet and smooth the top.
- Bake in a 350°F grill over indirect heat until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Baking a Cake on the Grill
Using a grill to bake a cake isn't complicated, as long as you remember a few key things. We're treating the grill like an oven, so it needs to remain covered as much as possible. That means no peeking! Only open the lid to check on it when it's getting close to the 30 minute mark.
The other critical thing to remember is that the skillet needs to be over indirect heat. Any direct flame under your skillet is going to result in a burned cake. Ideally, you want low heat on either side of your skillet, but if your grill isn't large enough to accommodate this, heat the burner on one side of the grill, place the skillet on the other side, and turn it once during baking.
FAQs
Yes. Follow the instructions, baking it in a 350°F oven for about 30 minutes.
The gingerbread cake can be frozen, unfrosted, for up to 3 months. If you're planning to freeze the cake, I recommend lining the skillet with parchment fore easy removal. Once the cake is baked and cooled, remove it from the skillet and wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw before frosting.
You can, but be aware that the baking time will be different. If you use a smaller (10-inch) skillet, take care to not overfill it. The cooking time will be a little longer. If you use a larger skillet, you'll get a thinner cake, which will cook faster.
Tips and Troubleshooting
- To help molasses easily slide out of your measuring cup, spray the cup with baking spray before adding the molasses.
- If you're concerned about the cake sticking to the skillet, you can line it with parchment. If you're baking the cake on the grill, make sure there is no paper hanging over the edges as it could ignite.
- Avoid lifting the lid on the grill as much as possible as the temperature will fluctuate each time it's opened.
- I find that it typically takes a little longer to bake the cake on the grill than in the oven.
Storage Instructions
The unfrosted cake can be stored at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap or foil for up to 3 days. The cake will lose its crispiness along the edges as it sits, but it will still be delicious. After frosting, the cake should be stored in the fridge, covered loosely with plastic wrap.
More Grilled Dessert Recipes You'll Love
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Recipe
Skillet Gingerbread Cake
Equipment
- 12-inch cast iron skillet
Ingredients
For the gingerbread cake
- ½ cup unsalted butter plus more for the pan
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup unsulfured molasses
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup boiling water
For the cream cheese frosting (optional)
- 4 ounces cream cheese (full-fat) softened
- ¼ cup butter softened
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Generously butter a 12-inch cast iron skillet. Preheat the grill for medium (350°F) indirect heat. If possible, set it up so that the cool zone is in the center with heat on either side.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt together.
- In a large bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Stir in the egg and molasses.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir just until everything is combined and no streaks of flour remain.
- Pour in the boiling water and stir until the batter is mostly smooth.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared skillet and smooth the top.
- Place over indirect heat on the grill, close the lid, and cook until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.
Make the cream cheese frosting (optional)
- Beat the cream cheese and butter together in a medium bowl with a hand mixer or stand mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Add the vanilla, powdered sugar, and salt and beat until the frosting is soft and fluffy, about 2 minutes more. Spread over the cooled cake and serve.
Notes
- Spray your cup--To help molasses easily slide out of your measuring cup, spray the cup with baking spray before adding the molasses.
- Using parchment--If you're concerned about the cake sticking to the skillet, you can line it with parchment. If you're baking the cake on the grill, make sure there is no paper hanging over the edges as it could ignite.
- Don't peek--Avoid lifting the lid on the grill as much as possible as the temperature will fluctuate each time it's opened.
- Oven instructions--Follow the recipe and bake the cake in a 350°F oven for about 30 minutes. I find that it typically takes a little longer to bake the cake on the grill than in the oven.
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