Gingerbread Poke Cake

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5 from 1 vote

Make this easy gingerbread poke cake topped with a honey whipped cream!

Prep Time20

Cook Time30

Total Time50

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: cake

Servings: servings

Calories: 394kcal

Author: Heather Perine

Ingredients

For the cake

1/2 cup (107 grams) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (99 grams) vegetable oil
1/2 cup (125 grams) applesauce
1 large egg
1/2 cup (170 grams) molasses
1/2 cup (170 grams) honey
2 1/2 cups (300 grams) all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (237 grams) boiling water
1/2 cup (142 grams) caramel sauce

For the whipped cream

3/4 cup (173 grams) cold heavy cream
3 Tbs. honey

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly spray a 9-inch square pan with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together your brown sugar, vegetable oil, and applesauce. Whisk in the egg, and mix in the molasses and the honey.
In a second bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Stir into the oil mixture. Stir in the hot water. Pour into the prepared pan.
Bake 30-35 minutes in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Immediately upon removing from the oven, poke holes into the cake using the end of a wooden spoon, skewer (or even a fork or knife will work!). Pour the caramel over the top and spread using a knife so the caramel is evenly distributed over the top of the cake and can sink into the holes you made.
While the cake is cooling, prepare the honey whipped cream. Pour the heavy cream into the chilled bowl of an electric stand mixer or into a large chilled mixing bowl. Use the wire whisk attachment on the stand mixer or a hand-held mixer to whip the cream on medium speed until it begins to thicken slightly.
Turn the mixer off and add the honey. If necessary, scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl to push the honey into the cream. Whip the cream on medium-high speed until it holds soft peaks. Use right away or cover and place in your refrigerator until ready to use (may need to be whisked again slightly when ready to use).
Once the cake has completely cooled, spread the honey whipped cream on top of the cake and smooth with a spatula.

Video

Notes

Be sure to sift your dry ingredients which will help to aerate the flour and make for a fluffy cake. It also helps to evenly incorporate the leavening agents.
You want to make sure to accurately measure the flour by scooping the flour into a dry measuring cup and then leveling off with a flat edge. Too much flour will result in a dry dense cake. For a complete tutorial, read this post. For best accuracy, use a kitchen scale.
When measuring the honey give the measuring cup a quick spray of non-stick cooking spray so the honey releases easily.

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