Grain-Free Molasses Ginger Cake

Cakes & Cupcakes
December 13, 2017
Cakes & Cupcakes
December 13, 2017

Grain-Free Molasses Ginger Cake

Happy Wednesday, friends! There are times in life when you want a cake, but you don’t feel like buying alllll

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Grain-Free Molasses Ginger Cake

molasses ginger cake on a cake stand

Happy Wednesday, friends!

There are times in life when you want a cake, but you don’t feel like buying alllll the ingredients to make one. Or when you don’t feel confident enough in your baking abilities to make one from scratch. 

So to solve both of those problems, I made you guys a jazzed-up cake from a store-bought mix. But not any old mix, Simple Mills Vanilla Cupcake & Cake Mix. And not any old cake, a Grain Free Molasses Ginger Cake with ginger frosting.

Cue drool.

Though I don’t have any dietary restrictions, I know that a good amount of you do. And following the success of my Grain-Free Pumpkin Pop Tarts made with Simple Mills, I decided to make you guys a grain free cake!

slice of molasses ginger cake on a plate

Dietary restrictions or not, I absolutely love Simple Mills’ entire line of products because of their commitment to high-quality, whole ingredients. They use no artificial flavors or fillers in their mixes, instead creating amazing grain-free cakes, muffins, and crackers with easy-to-recognize ingredients like coconut sugar, flax seeds, and tapioca. So when you bake with their mixes, they truly taste homemade.

This Molasses Ginger Cake is made from doctored up vanilla cake mix. You simply add in a few tablespoons of molasses, some fresh chopped ginger, and spices, and you get the moistest, fluffiest grain-free spice cake. To top it off, I used Simple Mill’s vanilla frosting, adding in a few teaspoons of powdered ginger for a kick!

molasses ginger cake with sprigs of rosemary

How to make this molasses ginger cake

This grain-free cake comes together in less than 10 minutes and needs just half an hour in the oven. To make this cake, simply pour the boxed cake mix into a bowl, then stir in the eggs, oil, water and molasses. For that hit of cozy spices, I also threw in ground cinnamon and nutmeg, plus freshly grated ginger (feel free to add in another tablespoon of ginger to give this grain-free cake an extra punch of flavor!).

To make this a layer cake, pour the batter into either three 6-inch cake tins or two 8-inch cake tins. (It doesn’t matter which you use—the bake time is the same regardless). To test the doneness of the cake, stick a knife into the very middle and see if it comes out clean. Or you can gently press your thumb into the middle of the cake—if the cake springs back quickly, it’s cooked!

molasses ginger cake

How to frost a layer cake

Frosting a layer cake looks complicated, but it’s a really straightforward process! You’ll need to wait until the cake layers have cooled completely, then you can dollop some frosting onto the bottom layer. Spread out the frosting and the continue adding the layers, making sure to add equal amounts of frosting between each grain-free cake layer.

Once you reach the final layer, add slightly less frosting to the top of the cake. Then take the remaining frosting and spread it around the sides of the cake. I did just one layer of frosting on my molasses ginger cake, and then took the flat side of a spatula to even everything out. You’ll still see the crumbs in the frosting this way, but it makes for a beautifully rustic cake!

If you have any issues frosting your cake or want to add more to the sides, I recommend chilling the layered cake for 30 minutes before adding on the final layer of frosting. This will help the frosting set and will prevent crumbs from sneaking into your final, thick layer of frosting.

slices of molasses ginger cake on plates

This molasses ginger cake kills three birds with one stone: it’s great for you gluten-free folks out there, can be made by anyone from a master baker to those with zero skills in the kitchen, and it tastes damn delicious.

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Grain-Free Molasses Ginger Cake with Ginger Frosting

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A Grain Free Gingersnap Molasses Cake with Ginger Frosting made from a jazzed up box mix! Perfect for gluten free folks out there.

A Grain Free Gingersnap Molasses Cake with Ginger Frosting made from a jazzed up box mix! Perfect for gluten free folks out there.

  • Author: Sarah | Broma Bakery
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 35 mins
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 1 cake
  • Category: cake
  • Method: baked
  • Cuisine: holiday
  • Author: Sarah | Broma Bakery
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 35 mins
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 1 cake
  • Category: cake
  • Method: baked
  • Cuisine: holiday
Units:

Ingredients

for the cake:

  • Simple Mills Vanilla Cupcake & Cake Mix
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 3 tablespoons dark molasses
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger (or 3 if you want a kick!)
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

for the frosting:

  • 2 packages Simple Mills Vanilla Frosting
  • 1 tablespoon ground ginger

Instructions

    Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line three 6-inch or two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper and set aside.
    In a large bowl, whisk together all cake ingredients. Pour into prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
    Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack and cooling completely.
    Meanwhile, bring the frosting to room temperature. Fold in the ground ginger.
    Once the cake has cooled, frost completely. Optionally, top with some crystalized ginger pieces!

This post is sponsored by Simple Mills. All opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for continuing to support the brands who help make Broma possible!

More ginger desserts from Broma Bakery:

Gingerbread Linzer Cookies

Gingerbread Millionaire Bars

Ginger Molasses Apple Cake with Mascarpone Frosting

Ginger Lemon Bars

Drunken Pear Ginger Bread

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  1. I want to make this for a GF friend, is there something special about the Simple Mills Frosting in this recipe? Would homemade vanilla or cream cheese frosting work too?

  2. This looks great! However, I don’t like using vegetable oil – can it be replaced with another kind of oil? Coconut would probably be too strong… maybe avocado? Any thoughts? Thanks!

    • Hi Kim! I actually think coconut oil would add a lovely nuttiness! You could also definitely use avocado, grapeseed…anything should work 🙂