Celebrate the holidays in style with this incredible Christmas Gingerbread Cake. Three layers of moist gingerbread are covered with a cream cheese frosting for an amazing Christmas dessert that will impress everyone!

Christmas gingerbread cake ready to serve.

Do you love gingerbread? We sure do! We look for ways to add our favorite winter flavor in everything we make, all winter long! Cookies, breads, even lattes! We simply can’t get enough. This gingerbread cake fits in with our gingerbread theme with the most amazing gingerbread flavor. The combination of ginger, cinnamon, and cloves will leave you salivating! It’s all topped off with a cream cheese frosting to make the ultimate Christmas cake. This stuff is what Christmas dreams are made of!

Buttermilk in Christmas Gingerbread Cake:

The batter for this cake calls for buttermilk. The acid in the buttermilk will react with the baking soda and baking powder to help this cake rise, creating a fluffy crumb. If you don’t have buttermilk, be sure to read our Buttermilk Substitutes post to pick something that works for you. Please don’t just use milk or water. It will impact the results of the cake.

Cupcake Instructions:

Would you prefer gingerbread cupcakes to a gingerbread cake? No worries, this recipe works for cupcakes too! They are baked at 325 degrees for 20-22 minutes and this recipe makes about 36 cupcakes.

Can I make gingerbread cake into only two layers?

Is a 3 layer cake too much for you? We get a lot of requests for instructions on how to make a smaller version of the same cake. Simply divide the recipe by 2/3rds for a two layer cake or use the scaling feature on our recipe card below.

Frosting Options: 

We highly recommend cream cheese frosting with this cake. It is the perfect pairing with the gingerbread! You can always use regular buttercream frosting if you don’t like cream cheese frosting or if you don’t have the space in your refrigerator for storage. 

A whole Christmas gingerbread cake on a cake stand.

Storage Instructions:

Due to the cream cheese frosting, you’ll need to store this cake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It will begin to dry out the longer it is left in the refrigerator, however it never lasts long enough in our home for that to happen!

If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other delicious cake recipes:

Watch the video below where Rachel will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we’ve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, Facebook Watch, or our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.