Gingerbread Chocolate Cake

A chocolate loaf cake with ganache next to a bowl of chocolate and an orange.

5 from 8 votes

This chocolate gingerbread cake is a chocolatey twist on a classic holiday flavor. It's a moist chocolate spice cake topped with a luscious chocolate orange ganache.

Prep Time20

Cook Time50

Total Time1 10

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: slices

Calories: 365kcal

Author: Natalie

Equipment

Mixing bowls

Ingredients

Gingerbread Chocolate Cake

1¾ cups cake flour substitute all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2½ teaspoons ground ginger
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon cardamom
2½ tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder or Dutch processed cocoa powder
½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar light or dark, packed
1 teaspoon orange zest optional
3 large eggs room temperature
½ cup whole milk room temperature
¼ cup sour cream full fat, room temperature
⅓ cup unsulfured molasses not blackstrap
1½ ounces semi-sweet chocolate chopped, optional

Chocolate Ganache

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate finely chopped
6 tablespoons heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
½ teaspoon orange zest packed, optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Gingerbread Chocolate Cake

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan or coat with baking spray. Line it with parchment paper leaving an overhang on two sides.
In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, spices and salt. Set aside.
In a small bowl, stir to combine the sour cream and milk. Set aside.
In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars on medium speed til light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula. Mix in the molasses til incorporated.
Turn mixer to low or use a spatula to alternatively mix in the dry ingredients and milk and sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Use a spatula to gently fold in the 1½ oz (¼ cup) chopped semi-sweet chocolate.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
Bake 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick when inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean or with just a few crumbs. Place the cake on a rack to cool in the pan for ten minutes and then remove the cake from the pan and allow to cool on the rack.

Chocolate ganache

Bring a medium saucepan with water to a simmer. Chop the chocolate and add it to a medium heat safe bowl with the cream and orange zest (if using). Set the bowl over the saucepan. Make sure not to let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. Stir until chocolate has melted.
Remove from heat and allow ganache to cool slightly at room temperature until ganache has thickened slightly, about 20 minutes. Pour/spread over the cooled cake.

Video

Notes

Orange Zest: Orange zest is optional. Orange zest is the orange part of the peel on an orange. Use a microplane to grate the orange part of the peel.

Buttermilk: Use whole milk as a substitute for buttermilk as a substitute for the milk and/or sour cream.

Heavy Cream or Heavy Whipping Cream: Use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream for the ganache. Do not substitute whole milk or half and half in place of the heavy cream.

Orange Icing: Instead of chocolate ganache, enjoy this cake with orange icing. In a medium sized bowl, stir to combine 1 cup (120 grams) of sifted powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons of fresh orange juice. Drizzle icing over the cooled cake.

Topping suggestions: For another ganache substitute, dust the cooled cake with powdered sugar. You can also serve slices with a scoop of ice cream.

Storage: Store the cooled cake it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. To freeze, wrap cake with plastic wrap. Place the loaf in a freezer safe bag. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or at room temperature for a few hours.

Nutrition