Last Updated on December 26, 2023
Today, we’re going to be looking at a Williamsburg ginger cake recipe. Recipes with ginger are becoming increasingly popular, and it’s quite a versatile spice. You can do so much with it, and it has a whole host of benefits too.
Desserts with ginger are my absolute favorite; nothing beats the sweet, almost peppery taste of ginger. And paired with other delicious spices like nutmeg and cinnamon – you can’t go wrong! Let’s take a closer look at Williamsburg ginger cake.
What is a Williamsburg Ginger Cake?
While they’re more commonly known as Williamsburg ginger cakes, you may know them better as gingerbread cookies. They’re soft cookies, with warm spices running throughout. They’re thick and chewy – and go perfectly with a cup of cider during the holiday season.
Ingredients in a Williamsburg Ginger Cake
The ingredients you’ll likely find in a Williamsburg ginger cake (although all recipes will vary) are:
- white sugar
- spices (ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg)
- baking soda
- butter
- salt
- molasses
- all-purpose flour
- milk
Nutritional Information of a Williamsburg Ginger Cake
You may be wondering what the nutritional value is per gingerbread cookie. Each cookie contains the following:
- Calories: 195
- Fat: 7g
- Carbohydrates: 32g
- Protein: 3g
- Sugar: 16g
- Dietary Fiber: 1g
Williamsburg Ginger Cake Recipe
The recipe we’re going to be looking at today is inspired by a recipe from The Seasoned Mum, which is an Old Fashioned Williamsburg ginger cake. This particular recipe has been highly recommended and once you try making it, you’ll discover why!
Ingredients
The ingredients you’ll need for this recipe are:
- 1 cup of white sugar
- 2 teaspoons of ginger
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
- 1 cup of softened salted butter (preferably room temp.)
- 1/2 cup of evaporated milk
- 1 cup of molasses
- 4 cups of all-purpose flour (you will also need extra when making your dough, to make it easier to mold)
Recipe
Once you have all of your ingredients, all you need to do is:
Step 1: Prepare
Gather all of the ingredients you require and then preheat your oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet or two with parchment paper, in preparation for the cookies to go into the oven to bake.
Step 2: Make the dough
Grab a mixing bowl and add the ginger, nutmeg, salt, cinnamon, sugar, and baking soda. Once the ingredients are combined well, it’s time to add molasses, milk, and butter. Mix until the ingredients are creamed well and you have a smooth batter mix.
Now slowly add the four cups of flour (individual cups is best). Only add the next cup of flour, once the previous one is combined.
Step 3: Shape the biscuits
You should be able to handle the dough. However, if this is not the case, you may want to add a little more flour. You can also put some flour on your hands too, as your hands may make the dough stickier.
Once the dough feels smooth, use a rolling pin to roll it out onto a well-floured surface. It should be around half an inch thick. Using a cookie cutter, cut out circular cookie shapes.
Remember to add flour to your hands, the dough, and the cookie-cutter to stop any sticky incidents. Cut the shapes and place them onto the baking sheets.
Step 4: Bake the cookies
Place them into the center of your preheated oven and bake for around 10-12 minutes. While they should be going slightly brown, you do still want them soft. If you overbake them, they’ll go crispy – this is not what we want.
A chewy cake-like texture is what we’re looking for (it’s worth noting that they will go slightly harder once cool). Transfer to a wire rack to cool down before serving.
Step 5: Decorate
You may want to enjoy your ginger cakes as they are. However, as they’re served at Christmas usually, you may want to add some icing and festive sprinkles. If so, I highly suggest royal icing. All you need is:
- 90g of egg whites
- 600g of icing sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice
Now mix the egg whites until you reach stiff peaks. Gradually add the sugar, as well as the lemon juice. Only add more sugar, once the previous batch of sugar has been completely mixed in.
Once the icing has a matte finish, rather than shiny – your icing is ready to use! Decorate your cookies any way you wish – red and green sprinkles are my decoration of choice when it comes to these cookies.
Conclusion
I hope this article has helped you to discover the perfect Williamsburg ginger cake recipe. While desserts with ginger are most commonly eaten around the festive season, there’s absolutely nothing stopping you from enjoying these cookies at any time of year – I know I do!
Do you know of any tips and tricks when it comes to making Williamsburg ginger cakes? Or maybe you have your own recipe that you’d like to share? If so, please feel free to let me know in the comments below. Sharing is caring!