Sourdough Gingerbread
This is the best sourdough gingerbread recipe. It's easy and simple to make with leftover sourdough discard. It's soft and super moist, making it a perfect holiday dessert!
This sourdough gingerbread cake is everything you want—light, fluffy, and perfectly moist. It’s just the right amount of sweetness, with that warm, classic gingerbread flavor that’s oh-so-cozy.
After all the holiday sourdough baking, this is the perfect way to use up some sourdough starter. Plus, as it bakes, your kitchen will smell just like Christmas!
And why stop there? Use that discard to whip up more holiday desserts like sourdough sugar cookies with a soft, buttery crumb or sourdough chocolate chip cookies with an irresistibly chewy texture. Each one’s a holiday win!
Carmyn's Tips
Use boiling water: This activates the baking soda, giving the gingerbread a bit more rise and lightness.
Don’t overbake: Sourdough gingerbread is best when moist and tender. Bake until just set, and a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Overbaking can make it dry, so keep an eye on it!
Ingredients
- Dry Ingredients: You'll need all-purpose flour as the base, baking soda to help it rise, and a bit of salt to balance the sweetness and enhance the flavors of the spices.
- Wet Ingredients: You'll need melted butter for moisture, sourdough discard, an egg to bind everything together, dark brown sugar, vanilla extract, and molasses to provide that classic, deep, dark sweetness. For a deeper molasses flavor, you can use blackstrap molasses. Boiling water activates the baking soda and loosens the gluten strands, giving the gingerbread a bit more rise and a lighter crumb.
- Spices: For that old-fashioned gingerbread flavor, we're using a simple blend of ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and ground cloves.
- Optional: Top the gingerbread with a dusting of powdered sugar or a dollop or two of whipped cream.
How to make Sourdough Gingerbread
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease or line a 9 " x 9" metal baking pan generously with butter or parchment paper. Set aside.
Step 1: Combine butter and sugar.
Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl or a saucepan on the stovetop. Add the brown sugar to the melted butter and whisk until the sugar is dissolved about 1-2 minutes.
Step 2: Add the rest of the wet ingredients.
Add the molasses and stir to combine. Add the egg and vanilla and stir to combine. Add the sourdough discard, and mix until fully combined.
Step 3: Combine the dry ingredients.
Whisk the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
Step 4: Combine the wet and dry ingredients.
Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and fold together until thoroughly combined.
Step 5: Stir in the boiling water.
Boil the water in a saucepan on the stove. Carefully stir the boiling water into the batter until the ingredients are fully combined.
Step 6: Pour batter into the pan.
Pour the batter into the baking pan and spread evenly.
Step 7: Bake.
Bake in the center rack for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Let it cool for 15-20 minutes and then turn out on a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 8: Serve.
Top with whipped cream or dust with powdered sugar and serve.
How to Store
Room temperature: For short-term storage, leave it at room temperature. Wrap the gingerbread tightly in plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container, and it’ll stay fresh for a couple of days on the counter. If you’ve sliced it, you can put parchment paper between the slices to keep them from sticking together.
Fridge: If you want it to last longer, put it in the fridge. Wrapped well in plastic wrap, gingerbread can stay fresh in the fridge for up to 1-2 weeks. To enjoy it soft again, let it warm up a bit before eating or microwave it briefly.
Freeze: For long-term storage, slice the gingerbread, wrap each piece in plastic wrap, and put them in a freezer-safe bag or container. This way, you can grab a slice whenever you want, and it’ll stay good for up to 3 months. Just let it thaw at room temperature, or warm it in the microwave for a few seconds.
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Sourdough Gingerbread
INGREDIENTS
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) salt
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup (113 g) butter (1 stick, melted )
- ½ cup (125 g) sourdough discard
- ¾ cup (240 g) molasses (regular, not blackstrap )
- ½ cup (100 g) dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons (10 g) vanilla
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup (180 g) water (about ¾ cups, boiling)
Optional
- whipped cream or powdered sugar (for topping)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease or line a 9 " x 9" metal baking pan (do not use a glass pan) generously with butter or parchment paper. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl or a saucepan on the stovetop. Add the brown sugar to the melted butter and whisk until the sugar is dissolved, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the molasses and stir to combine. Add the egg and vanilla and stir to combine. Add the sourdough discard, and mix until fully combined.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold together until completely combined.
- Boil the water in a saucepan on the stove. Carefully stir the boiling water into the batter until the ingredients are fully combined.
- Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake in the center rack for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Let it cool for 15-20 minutes and then turn out on a wire rack to cool completely before cutting.
Can I long ferment this? If so how?
Yes you can. I would pour the batter into the pan, cover and place it in the fridge until you are ready to bake.
I made this cake and my grandchildren all want me to make it for their birthday cakes this year. everyone LOVED it.
Made this today, so easy and absolutely delicious, thank you for sharing.
Made this recipe. All I had on-hand was blackstrap. It came out fine. I love this recipe as it is very moist
This is an excellent gingerbread cake recipe. The cake is amazing with some real whipped topping on it. I’ve never made one before so I have nothing to compare it to….Im good with this!!! So moist. So tasty!
YUM! I just pulled this out of the oven a few minutes ago. Perfect for a cold day with it snowing outside. I like how it is not overly sweet, but you can really taste the spices and the molasses. The texture is wonderful. I topped mine with powdered sugar, but I think it would also be delicious with whipped cream.
Thanks for sharing the recipe!
This one will be a repeat 🙂
Made this up in a Bundt pan and it was delicious! My grandmother said it reminded her of the gingerbread her mother made. Definitely recommend this recipe!
Did you double the recipe for a binder pan?
This was delicious and easy to make. I’m going to make it again for dessert on Christmas. Do you think it would work as a bundt cake?
Hi Amy, thank you! Yes, it will work, but I've never tested it in a bundt cake, so I'm not sure if it will fill the whole thing.
Just wanted to say Thank you - it turned out great in the bundt cake pan and I doubled the recipe (which I never would have thought about had you not said that). Everyone loved it!!
It works in a Bundt! So delicious
Yummy! Thanks for letting us know!
Any idea how long I would make as mini loaves 2.5inch x 3.5inch or muffins?
really like the recipe but for kids/ gifting smaller pre-portioned items are better.
I would check them around 18-20 minutes!
This gingerbread is delicious and so easy. Can someone that is gluten free eat this?