Moist and chewy, these easy Dutch ginger cake squares are moreish and delightfully spicy. Perfect with a cup of tea as a mid-morning pick-me-up or afternoon treat.
This is an old family recipe that originated with my Grandma’s sister-in-law. It is probably among my Mum’s most requested cakes – and with good reason. It is moist, gingery and chewy. Unless you overcook it, when it becomes chewy, gingery and biscuity. Win-win, really.
Dutch ginger cake – from the Netherlands… via Australia!
The recipe for Dutch ginger cake made its way to my Mum when we visited my elderly uncle and aunt in Australia, many many years ago. I was only 9 years old at the time.
We all loved this Dutch ginger cake, so Mum sensibly obtained the recipe. My whole family has been baking it and enjoying it regularly ever since. It’s always on the menu for a ‘special occasion’ tea, and there’s usually one ready and waiting when someone comes to visit. I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t love this Dutch ginger cake!
Dutch Butter Cake – boterkoek
I learned recently that this Dutch ginger cake recipe is very similar to Dutch butter cake or boterkoek. Butter cake is a traditional Dutch cake with a dense, cookie-like texture, usually decorated with a sprinkling of almonds on the top. It sounds just like this Dutch ginger cake, which seems to be butter cake with added ginger. Yum!
Butter or non-dairy spread?
Although this cake is a close relation of Dutch butter cake, we usually make it with margarine to keep it parve and dairy free. However, if you have no such necessity, then try it with butter – so indulgent and delicious!
What kind of ginger?
The recipe calls for crystallised ginger, which is sometimes called candied ginger. You can usually find it in the baking section of the supermarket. Crystallised ginger is typically little cubes of sugary root ginger and is ‘dry’, unlike preserved stem ginger in syrup. Preserved ginger in syrup will work in this recipe, but you need to drain it very well first so that it doesn’t add a lot of liquid to the cake mixture.
In the UK, Opie’s crystallised stem ginger is kosher approved by KLBD.
Dutch ginger cake – round or square?
My Mum made her Dutch ginger cake in a round cake tin, which I think is probably more traditional. However I prefer to use a square tin and then cut the cake into squares or bars to serve. That’s just my preference – you can of course make it round if you like!
If you leave off the almonds, a slice of this delicious ginger cake is perfect in a school lunchbox as a special treat. Its dense, buttery texture means it can stand up to being transported and still be in great condition at lunchtime.
Nutty topping – decorative and delicious
The ginger cake has a lovely topping of golden flaked almonds. I have been known to spend ages arranging the flaked almonds in intricate patterns on top of the cake. However, to be honest, it looks just as nice if you scatter them willy-nilly. And it takes a fraction of the time!
Just be sure to add a generous sprinkle of almonds, as their nutty flavour goes really nicely with the spicy ginger in the cake.
Ingredients in Dutch ginger cake squares
To make a batch of these delicious treats for yourself, you will need the following:
- Non-dairy spread, margarine or butter
- Plain flour – also sometimes called ‘all purpose flour’
- Self-raising flour – this has raising agents already added, to make your cake light and tender
- Caster sugar – also called superfine sugar
- A large egg
- Crystallised ginger, chopped into small pieces – you can also use preserved ginger in syrup but be sure to drain it thoroughly to avoid making the cake mixture too ‘wet’
- Flaked almonds to decorate the top – optional
As seen in MMCC’s Now for Something Sweet!
This Dutch ginger cake recipe was reproduced with my permission in the Monday Morning Cooking Club’s book, Now for Something Sweet. The book contains dozens of delicious tried-and-tested recipes from around the world. It’s a great investment if you do a lot of baking, or just want to expand your repertoire of tasty sweet treats.
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📖 Recipe
Dutch ginger cake squares
Ingredients
- 90 g margarine or butter
- 155 g plain flour
- 60 g self-raising flour
- 220 g caster sugar
- 125 g crystallised ginger, chopped into small pieces
- 1 large egg
- Few tablespoon flaked almonds to decorate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease and line a 20 cm (8 inch) square cake tin.
- 90 g (⅜ cups) margarine or butterMelt the margarine/butter and allow to cool slightly.
- 155 g (1¼ cups) plain flour, 60 g (½ cups) self-raising flour, 220 g (1 cup) caster sugar, 125 g (4½ oz) crystallised ginger, chopped into small piecesPut the flours, sugar and ginger in a bowl and mix well.
- 1 large eggBeat the egg, then mix all bar 1 teaspoon into the warm margarine. (Reserve the remaining teaspoon of egg for glazing the top of the cake.)
- Mix the egg and margarine into the dry ingredients and stir well to combine. The mixture will be very thick, almost dough-like.
- Few tablespoon flaked almonds to decorateEase the mixture into the tin, patting it into the corners. Brush the top with the reserved egg and sprinkle with flaked almonds.
- Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
- Cool for a few minutes in the tin, then turn out and allow to cool on a rack.
- Cut into squares and serve.
Nutrition
More delicious ginger recipes
If you love the flavour of ginger in a sweet treat, you’ll probably also enjoy the following recipes:
- Gingerbread Chanukah gelt – classic crisp-chewy gingerbread cookies, decorated with (vegan) royal icing.
- Vegan stem ginger ice-cream – a luxuriously delicious dessert.
- Sticky and spicy honey cake – rich and fragrant, lovely served warm with custard!
- Or for something a bit different, try Lebkuchen Hamohns – thick and chewy Alsatian gingerbread men, traditionally made for Purim.
Dutch ginger cake FAQ + top tips
Yes! Wrap it very well in at least two layers of foil/plastic wrap to keep out as much air as possible, and freeze for up to 3 months. You can even freeze individual squares and take them out one at a time for a sneaky treat!
You can certainly make this cake using an electric stand mixer. However I usually just use a bowl and a spoon as it’s a really easy to cake to make.
I haven’t tried making this cake using gluten-free flour, but I think it should work OK. Instead of the plain and self-raising flours, use 210g of a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend, and add a scant teaspoon of baking powder.
Unfortunately, I haven’t found a good substitute for the egg in this cake. I will update this post if I do!
One batch of the recipe makes a 20cm square cake, which will slice into around 16 Dutch ginger cake squares. You can use the buttons on the recipe card to easily scale up the recipe to make a larger cake. A double batch will require a 28cm square tin, and will need to cook for around 10-15 minutes longer.
Since March’s theme is ginger, I’m adding this recipes to Vanesther’s Spice Trail challenger over at Bangers and Mash.
This article and recipe was originally posted in February 2014. It has been updated since, most recently in August 2025.
CINDY ADAMS
This was delicious! The only change was to cut the sugar back to 3/4 cup instead of 1 cup. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Helen
So happy to hear that you enjoyed this cake Cindy! Take care and all the best, Helen x.
Susannah
More biscuit than cake and far too sweet even with 50g less sugar than stated in the recipe. Take it out of the oven at 30 mins?
Helen
Hi Susannah. Different tins/ovens/ingredients will always give slightly different results. I actually like these Dutch ginger squares when they’re quite biscuity, but I get the feeling you were hoping for something softer and cakier. You can certainly try baking the mixture for less time, or alternatively turning your oven temperature down by 5 or 10 degrees. This is quite a sweet bake, because as well as the sugar, the crystallised ginger also brings some sweetness. One of the joys of baking is that you can tinker and adapt things until you get something you really love, so I hope you’ll make this one again and get a result closer to what you’re after. I hope this helps! All the best, Helen.
Sarah
Hello!
im just wondering, my cake pan is 24cm. do I risk using the same ingredient amount and having a thinner slice. or up the quantity. CHATGPT said to times the volume of ingredients by 1.44x? shall I trust it?
thanks!
Helen
Hi Sarah. I would probably increase the quantity. If you use the ‘print recipe’ button on the recipe card, you can then set the recipe to ’24 squares’ rather than ’16 squares’ and it will work out the relevant quantities of ingredients for you. It does say 1½ eggs so I would use 1 egg plus the white of another in the cake, then use the spare yolk to brush the top before scattering on the almonds. I hope this helps! All the best, Helen.
Sarah
Hello! I ended up finding the right sized pan in the end! The turned out very good and the flavours were rich! The ginger wasn’t too over powering and it was nice when you get a piece, the chewiness was the best part I ended up baking for 40 mins at 160 fan. The edges were a little too hard so cut them off but the inside were perfect! Thanks for the recipe!
Helen
Glad it all worked out, and great to hear that you enjoyed them! (The hard edges make a treat for the chef – perfect dunkers for your morning cuppa! 🤩)
Judith Phythian
Update from last week
Dear Helen and community
I hope you will not be angry at my variation attempts of your wonderful family recipe, it lends itself to my uncontrollable need to try out something new( cooking and baking for 4 men gets a bit boring if I don’t). This great recipe is very forgiving, and I hope you will forgive me as well.
First up is the apple and marzipan variation-
I kept to the original recipe but took 100g crystallised ginger out and replaced it with 100 g marzipan, leaving the last 25g of the crystallised ginger in the cake. For a gluten-free cake, use self-rising gluten-free flour( 100 g) and instead of the plain flour, I used 110 g of ground almond. Follow Helen’s instructions until the end, that is when I added apple slices on top( as many as you can fit in) and finished off with chopped walnuts as I ate all the almonds.) Don’t forget to add cinnamon and other spices if you like. / Same applies to the chocolate cake variation, again based on the original recipe, I only replaced the ginger(125 g) with dark linted chocolate and 30 g cocoa powder. As the cocoa powder made the cake drier, I did over-bake my first attempt, but tried it since and took it out when still sticky, and it was great.
Since I also made this recipe with pumpkin ( 125 g cooked pumpkin ( instead of the ginger) but dried well in a kitchen cotton towel) and a large spoonful of Biscoff, for gluten-free use anything like caramel condensed milk, add pumpkin spice or cinnamon, clove and ginger- great texture.
Also, to give a good crust, I withhold a little of the sugar in the recipe and sprinkle it on top of the nuts with more spice mixed in.
Tomorrow I will try a lemon curd variation.
Enjoy xx
Helen
Wow – these all sound amazing Judith!! I will definitely be giving your marzipan version a go as we are big lovers of marzipan here. I’m also intruiged by the idea of a lemon curd version, yum!
Judith Phythian
Truly, a cut above the rest. Made it last night for our Airbnb visitors and for my boys. They insisted Marzipan was involved! I followed your recipe to the letter
( not my normal way of operating) and will use this recipe often in the future.
Many thanks for sharing such a valued family favorite.
Helen
So happy to receive such a glowing review of this treasured family recipe! I know what they mean about marzipan – it has that kind of texture, and I suppose the almonds on the top are a little misleading 🙂 Anyway, glad you all enjoyed it so much. Take care, Helen x.
Eloise
I Thank you kindly for sharing this amazing recipe, delicious.
Helen
Thanks Eloise, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Noakes Donna
It’s bloody delicious- so much so I nearly ate the whole thing myself! Beware making this as you won’t want to share it with anyone… lol 😂
Helen
So glad you enjoyed this as much as I do!!
Charla
I love anything that has ginger in, can’t wait to put my square baking tin to use!!
Helen
Thanks Charla! Me too – love ginger in baking 🙂
Chandrika
This was so superb, especially given how quick and easy it was to make! Great recipe, perfect proportions. I used my hands to combine towards the end and pressed into tin. Perfect! Thank you for the recipe!
Helen
So glad to hear that you enjoyed it so much Chandrika 🙂
Michelle
I love ginger in baked goods. So yummy!
Helen
Me too! So glad you enjoyed it.
Jen
Oh my gosh! I can’t wait to make this cake! This will be perfect to serve with a warm cup of tea.
Helen
Thanks Jen. You’re right – it’s great with a cup of tea.
Kathryn Donangelo
The combination of ginger and almonds in this cake was just delicious! Thank you so much for this recipe!
Helen
So glad you enjoyed it Kathryn!
Kushigalu
Love the flavors in cake recipe. Something new to try and looks delicious too. Thanks fr sharing.
Carol Reynolds
I have made a version of Dutch ginger cake for years but it had heaps more butter and flour. Just wanted to make sure the quantities are correct on the website before I try yours which looks wonderful.
Helen
Hi Carol. These are the quantities I’ve been using for years! So yes, I’m pretty sure they’re correct 🙂
I hope you enjoy the cake!
Lorraine
This is a great recipe. No fuss, no fail….win win! Will definitely make again. Thanks for sharing
ET Speaks From Home
It is good to know that if you overcook, it will be like biscuity. As I often burned my cake!
What a great recipe to pass it down through the generations!
I think I will be like you to arranging flaked almonds in intricate patterns as it will have a better spread!
Helen
Yes, it really is hard to make it go wrong! I hope you enjoy making (and eating!) it.
ediblethings
Wow! This looks like a cake that will become a favourite in my family too!
Vanesther
This sounds like my kind of cake – I love the fact it’s equally delicious when it’s overcooked! And I also love recipes that are handed down through the generations. A lovely entry for this month’s ginger challenge over at The Spice Trail. Thank you for taking part.
Anita
When I made this the mixture was VERY dry – almost like shortbread consistency. What am I doing wrong?
Helen
Hi Anita. Are you using the weight measurements or cup measurements? I have only made this recipe using weights and the cup measurements are approximate. Cup amounts can vary in weight depending on for example whether you pack the flour, the humidity in the air, etc. etc. It might be that your cup measurements are adding a greater amount of flour than the weight in the recipe calls for. If you have a scale, I would recommend weighing out the ingredients and seeing if that helps.
The size of the egg you use can also make a difference. I’ve made this recipe dozens of times, and sometimes it is slightly moister, with a larger egg, or slightly drier, with a smaller egg. I’ve never had it come out as you describe though…
I hope this helps!
All the best, Helen x.
Deborah Morse
This was amazing. Nothing ever turns out perfect the first time I try the recipe, but this was different! My son couldn’t even wait for it to cool down properly! Thank you
Helen
That’s great to hear Deborah, so glad you all enjoyed them! And they are fabulous warm 🙂