‘Tis the season for all things Christmas, and these Chocolate Gingerbread Cake Bars are perfectly festive. The combination of rich chocolate with the warming notes of molasses and gingerbread spice make this cake absolutely irresistible. Forget about gingerbread cookies and houses, these bars are here to steal the show!
To make sure the chocolate and gingerbread flavors of this cake could really shine, I made sure to use high quality ingredients. With help from Theo Chocolate and Watkins I was able to create an easy and festive dessert to ring in this holiday season. Consider this recipe as my Christmas gift to you!
For another recipe featuring my favorites from Theo Chocolate and Watkins, check out these Salted Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars. A soft and chewy crust is layered with decadent salted chocolate and buttery pecans. The sweet and salty flavors matched with the creamy and crunchy textures make these bars absolutely irresistible!
Ingredients for Chocolate Gingerbread Cake Bars
Butter – Make sure to use unsalted butter otherwise your cake will be a wee bit too salty. If salted butter is all you have, just omit the additional 1/4 tsp of salt in the recipe.
Coconut Sugar – A refined sugar-free sweetener that gives a caramel-esque flavor to this chocolate cake.
Eggs – Add structure and helps the cake to rise while baking. I haven’t tested any vegan substitutions for this yet, please comment below if you do!
Molasses – I used an unsulphured organic molasses and loved the flavor it created. Wouldn’t be a true gingerbread cake without it!
Water – Helps thin out the molasses and add moisture to this gluten free cake.
Gluten Free Flour – I love using Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 GF Baking Flour but any brand will work, as long as it’s a 1:1 replacement.
Almond Flour – My favorite gluten free flour to bake with! Make sure to use super fine almond flour for optimal texture.
Baking Powder & Soda – Both help this gluten free cake rise while baking and end up creating the soft + fluffy texture.
Special Ingredients for Gingerbread Cake Bars
These are the holy grail, absolutely needed ingredients to make this recipe the best it can be:
Baking Vanilla – Elevates the natural flavors and ingredients of these gingerbread bars. I used Watkins Organic Original Gourmet Baking Vanilla and love how it maintains its flavor after baking, with both high and low temperatures!
Cinnamon – High quality cinnamon makes all the difference in flavor. That’s why I love to use Watkins Organic Ground Cinnamon, it truly elevates the cozy feel of these bars!
Ginger – Once again, highly recommend Watkins Organic Ground Ginger for the high quality flavor. The warm and tangy notes of ginger are needed for this seasonal gingerbread cake.
Chocolate – This chocolate cake wouldn’t be nearly as delicious without the chopped chocolate. I always go for the rich and salty flavor of the organic, fair trade and soy-free Theo Chocolate Pure 70% Dark Chocolate. bar.
Decorating Sugar – I love the festive color, sweet bite, and slight crunch that the Watkins Red Decorating Sugar gives to this cake. It’s free from artificial dyes and made with natural colors to make the holidays a bit more festive and fun!
How to Make Chocolate Gingerbread Cake Bars
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line an 9”x9” square pan with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk together molasses and water. Set aside.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together gluten free flour, almond flour, Watkins Organic Ground Cinnamon, Watkins Organic Ground Ginger, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to beat together the butter and coconut sugar until creamed together.
- Add in your eggs and Watkins Organic Original Gourmet Baking Vanilla and blend with a hand mixer until combined, scraping down sides as needed.
- Add half of the flour mixture and half the molasses/water mixture and blend with the hand mixer until combined.
- Add the remaining half of the flour mixture and the molasses/water mixture, and blend together again until just combined.
- Fold in the chopped Theo Chocolate Pure 70% Dark Chocolate.
- Pour cake batter into the parchment lined 9”x9” pan and use a spatula to spread in an even layer.
- Bake at 350F for ~27-29minutes (mine took 28 minutes), or until a toothpick comes out mostly crumb free, edges have started to pull away from the sides, and the top of the cake bounces back to the touch. Let cool completely.
- Top the cooled cake with cream cheese frosting and Watkins Red Decorating Sugar before cutting into 12 slices. Enjoy!
Cream Cheese Frosting
The perfect complement to any gingerbread creation, this cream cheese frosting is an absolute must. The cool and creamy frosting is the perfect contrast to the warming notes of cinnamon, ginger, and molasses.
It’s as easy as adding the cream cheese and powdered sugar to a large bowl and using a hand blender to mix together until smooth.
To make this into a vegan cream cheese frosting, I suggest swapping for Kite Hill Dairy Free Cream Cheese. The texture will be a bit thinner but the flavor will be just as delicious.
How to Store Gingerbread Cake Bars
While most cakes are perfectly fine being stored at room temperature, this gingerbread cake with cream cheese frosting is an exception. I recommend storing the cake in an airtight container to keep it moist and fresh. Store in the fridge to ensure the cream cheese frosting doesn’t melt and it’ll stay good for up to a week (if it lasts that long!). I then recommend serving the cake bars at room temperature – take them out of the fridge 1-2 hours before serving so the frosting and cake aren’t too cold/solid.
You could also leave a gift for future you and freeze a slice or two for later on. You can let frozen slices thaw overnight in the fridge or give it a light heat up in the microwave. It’s the Christmas gift that keeps on giving!
More Christmas Desserts
For more fun and festive holiday sweets, check out these blog favorites!
Soft and chewy ginger cookies with a crisp sugar coating. These are like ginger snaps but without the … snap. Instead they have melt-in-your-mouth texture that’s absolutely divine. They’re warming, just sweet enough, and have the slight tang of molasses to keep true with the holiday spirit.
To keep with the chocolate theme, this Chocolate Peppermint Cake is next in line. This moist and fluffy chocolate cake has fudgy peppermint chocolate cups studded throughout. The result is melty and fudgy pops of flavor that will have any chocolate + peppermint fan absolutely smitten! I’d suggest adding naturally-colored crushed candy canes overtop to elevate the festive feel.
If you try this recipe, please let me know by leaving a comment and rating in the boxes beIf you try this recipe, please let me know by leaving a comment and rating in the boxes below! I always love to hear from you, and it also helps other people find this recipe when they search online for the BEST Chocolate Gingerbread Cake Bars 🙂
Ingredients
Chocolate Gingerbread Cake
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp Watkins Organic Original Gourmet Baking Vanilla
- ½ cup unsulphured organic molasses*
- ½ cup water
- 1 ½ cups gluten free flour must be 1:1 replacement flour
- ¾ cup super fine almond flour
- 1 tsp Watkins Organic Ground Cinnamon
- ½ tsp Watkins Organic Ground Ginger
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 3oz bar Theo Chocolate Pure 70% Dark Chocolate, chopped into small pieces
- Watkins Red Decorating Sugar
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese 1 block – dairy free if needed
- 1 cup powdered sugar sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line an 9”x9” square pan with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk together molasses and water. Set aside.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together gf flour, almond flour, Watkins Organic Ground Cinnamon, Watkins Organic Ground Ginger, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to beat together the butter and coconut sugar until creamed together.
- Add in your eggs and Watkins Organic Original Gourmet Baking Vanilla and blend with a hand mixer until combined, scraping down sides as needed.
- Add half of the flour mixture and half the molasses/water mixture and blend with the hand mixer until combined.
- Add the remaining half of the flour mixture and the molasses/water mixture, and blend together again until just combined.
- Fold in the chopped Theo Chocolate Pure 70% Dark Chocolate.
- Pour cake batter into the parchment lined 9”x9” pan and use a spatula to spread in an even layer.
- Bake at 350F for ~27-29minutes (mine took 28 minutes), or until a toothpick comes out mostly crumb free, edges have started to pull away from the sides, and the top of the cake bounces back to the touch. Let cool completely.
- While the cake is cooling, make your frosting. To a large mixing bowl, add your cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract, and use a hand blender to mix together until smooth.
- Top cooled cake with frosting and Watkins Red Decorating Sugar before cutting into 12 slices. Enjoy!
Notes
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Used flax eggs and made it into a loaf shape- 10/10!!
So glad that flax eggs worked for you, great to know!! And glad that you loved it too!!! 🙂 – Casey