top of page

Gingerbread Cake with "Butter" Sauce

I just love gingerbread season!  I know some people love pumpkin spice everything, but no, for me, it's all things gingerbread!  Gingerbread cookies, gingerbread houses, gingerbread eggnog (still looking for a good coconut based one... if you have any recommendations) and now gingerbread cake.  The cake is something special.  The texture is delicate and light, the flavour is nice and has a bit of snap to it, but what makes this SO GOOD, is the Butter Sauce.  Don't worry, I've made it dairy free.  You can use real butter if you want, it will still taste so awesome you will want to drink it.  

When I was a little girl, my mom had this really plain cookbook.  It was typed out on beige paper, bound with staples and a cardboard cover.  Acadian Family Recipes, or something like that.  It had all my childhood favourites (including sugar pie).  All were inexpensive and easy to make, using things you had in your pantry.  No special ingredients, but the results were a very special treat.  The Butter Sauce recipe I share is inspired from a recipe in that book.  I don't know if my mom still has the book, and I haven't seen the recipe since the last time I made it, when I was a teenager.  But I remember it being easy and delicious.  In the recipe book, it was served with a single layer vanilla cake.  And I think the sauce had vanilla in it.  This one does not.  It lets the caramel tones of the brown sugar and butter be the star of the sauce.  Trust me on this.  

The cake is served with whipped cream or vanilla ice-cream.  I've used So Delicious CocoWhip again, because that stuff is awesome and dairy free.  

​

Quick, easy, and spectacular.  An easy last minute dessert for when company comes by, or when everyone needs something sweet while watching the best Christmas movie ever made:  The Muppet Christmas Carol.  

Gingerbread Cake and Butter Sauce

​

Cake:

​

1 stick (1/2 cup) Butter or Dairy free alternative (Earth Balance or Vegan Becel)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup tapioca flour

1/2 cup potato starch

1 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 cup milk (or milk alternative)

​

Cream together butter and sugars.  Add in egg.

​

In a medium size bowl, mix dry ingredients together.  Add to butter mixture in thirds, alternating with milk.

​

Spread into 9 inch round or 8 inch square pan (greased and lined with parchment) and bake in 350F oven for 35-40 minutes until top springs back when touched.  

​

Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.  Cake can be cut and served when warm, so you can make the butter sauce while the cake is baking.  

​

Butter Sauce:

​

I recommend using the Earth Balance Buttery sticks to make this dairy free.  I'm not sure how the Vegan Becel will turn out, but if you try it, let me know!

​

1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup of water

​

In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients and slowly warm up until butter is melted.  Bring to a slow boil.  Boil for 3-5 minutes then remove from stove.  Pour over each slice of cake and ice-cream, whipped cream or CocoWhip.  Use sparingly so you can drink the leftovers when you're cleaning the kitchen.

​

Enjoy!  

ThereseK

bottom of page