Gingerbread and orange pair up so well. Something about the deep, molasses and spice flavor with the bright citrus tastes like the holidays.
This recipe is a mash up of two other recipes: Gingersnap Sandwich Cookies with Orange Cream Cheese Filling from Recipe Girl and my Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce.
I wanted something cake-like that would feed quite a few people. The Orange Cream Cheese Frosting was perfect for topping it off.
Gingerbread Bars with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the cake
- 3 cups flour
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1½ tsp. ginger
- 1 tsp. allspice
- ⅔ cup butter
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ cup molasses
- ½ cup honey
- 1 cup buttermilk (or milk soured with ½ Tbs. vinegar)
For the Frosting
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 2 tsp. orange zest
- 3½ cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 Tbs. orange juice
Instructions
For the cake
- Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
- In a mixer bowl, cream the butter and sugar.
- Add the eggs, molasses and honey.
- Alternately add the flour mixture and milk until well combined.
- Pour into a greased 10"x15" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
For the Frosting
- In a mixer bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together.
- Add vanilla and orange zest and mix well.
- Alternate powdered sugar with orange juice, beating until frosting is spreadable consistency.
- Smooth on top of cooled cake.
The cake can also be made with all molasses and no honey. I was running low on molasses. You can also use white sugar instead of brown. Use what you have!
Joyce says
What a beautiful picture! Makes me want to eat some right now! 🙂
Cindy @ Creating at Home says
This recipe sounds amazing! I’m going to try it this week. Y.U.M.! Merry Christmas!!
Melissa @ Stockpiling Moms says
YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kristine says
These look so yummy. Even though I have probably already eaten twelve pounds of sugar and butter by now, I think I will have to make these!
Suzanne @ Welcome to Willow House says
This looks so yummy — I may make it for my daughter and her friends tomorrow. One request — is it possible to add an option to print without the photo? I’m an ink miser, and it just kills me to use all that ink — even black — to print a photo I don’t really need.
Thanks and happy New Year!
Tiffany says
Suzanne, if you use the “print friendly” button at the bottom of each post there’s an option to print without photos at the top of the page that will appear. If you use Ziplist and add it to your recipe box, it will come up as a smaller photo, but I don’t see an option to print without the photo using ziplist. I understand wanting to conserve ink. It’s so expensive!
Suzanne @ Welcome to Willow House says
Thanks, Tiffany. I see the printer-friendly button now — just clicked the first “print” I saw, earlier. And I pinned the recipe, too.
Khushbu says
Is the soda suppose to be baking soda or ginger ale soda?
Tiffany says
Khushbu, it’s baking soda.
Martha says
Please write reviews and comments after you’ve made the recipes. I don’t want to try something just because the picture looks pretty.