Gingerbread Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

By GwennW

Ingredients

• Cake:
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 egg
• 1 cup molasses
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup hot water
• Frosting:
• 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened to room temp.
• 1/4 c. butter, room temp.
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• 2 - 2 1/2 c. sifted confectioners' sugar (depending on how sweet you like your frosting)

Details

Servings 16

Preparation

Step 1

Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9 inch square pan.
Cream together the sugar and butter. Add egg, and beat well. Mix in the molasses.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture; add the hot water, and mix well.
Pour batter into pan and bake for one hour. Allow to cool in pan. Frost when the cake has completely cooled.

Frosting:
In a medium size bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and butter for 3 minutes (use a timer if you have to...it has to be THREE MINUTES...no shortcuts!). Add the vanilla. Gradually add the sugar and beat until well incorporated.