Molasses Spice Cake

A deep flavored, rich homemade cake with spiced buttercream frosting. This molasses spice cake is perfect for the holiday season!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword christmas cake, gingerbread cake, layer cake, molasses cake, spiced buttercream

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 25

Total Time 55

Servings

Calories 558kcal

Author Julie Clark

Ingredients

For the Cake:

½ cup shortening
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
¼ cup molasses
1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
¾ cup buttermilk

For the Frosting:

1 1/2 cups salted butter (softened)
2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
6 cups powdered sugar
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
5-7 tablespoons milk*

Instructions

To make the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grease and flour 2 8” round cake pans.
In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar.
Add the eggs and mix well.
Add in the molasses and mix again.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, mixing between each addition.
Divide the batter between the two prepared pans.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
Loosen the edges of the cake, then turn the cakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting:

In a stand mixer bowl, with the mixer on medium speed, whip the butter for 2 minutes until it is almost white in color.
Add in the powdered sugar, spices, vanilla and 4 tablespoons of milk. Beat on low speed for 3-5 minutes, adding in the last tablespoons of milk if the buttercream needs to be thinner.

Assemble the Cake:

Place one cake layer on a cake plate.
Cover the top with frosting.
Place the second cake layer on top of the first.
Frost the top and sides of the cake, smoothing the frosting as you go.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Video

Notes

The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 15 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake (and using all of the frosting). To lower the calories, make less frosting and frost it lightly as a "naked" cake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**

Nutrition