Easy Lemon Ginger Snacking Cake With Maple Glaze

This easy lemon ginger snacking cake is soft, zesty, and topped with a maple glaze—perfect for tea time, dessert, or anytime snacking!

POV: Snacking Cakes Are the Best Cakes!

I had so much fun creating those chai truffles using Selefina’s “Try Me” samples that I wanted to make another recipe!

I’m a big fan of snacking cakes and realized that I’ve only shared one on these pages (gasp!). Time to fix that, stat.

What Is a Snacking Cake?

A quick search will reveal lots of differing opinions, but in general a snacking cake is:

• A simple, single layer cake
• Either unfrosted or lightly frosted (think a glaze or dusting of confectioner’s sugar)
• Meant for casual enjoyment (so, weekday treat, afternoon tea, late night dessert)
• Small(ish) in size, typically made in an 8 x 8 pan

Don’t you want to make a snacking cake now?

This Delicious Cake is One Bowl and Bursting with Bright Flavors!

To the above list of snacking cake features I would definitely add “one bowl” and “can be made by hand”. While no stranger to multi-component cakes that use every bowl and utensil in the house, a simple weekday cake should use no more than one bowl IMO. And I would double down and add that a snacking cake should also be mixable by hand. 

This cake? Is that.

I also want my snacking cake to be not too rich, yet full of flavor – so I went with a simple vanilla base but ramped things up with the addition of cinnamon, crystallized ginger (one of my very favorites!) and chopped lemon peel. This gives my snacking cake so much bang for the buck!

And a quick lemony maple glaze is the perfect, easy finish!

What Ingredients Do You Need?

For this lemon ginger snacking cake with maple glaze you will need:

• Egg
• Vanilla
• Milk
• Sour cream
• Vegetable oil
• Flour
• Granulated sugar
• Baking powder
• Ground cinnamon
• Kosher salt
• Chopped crystallized ginger
• Chopped lemon peel
• Confectioner’s sugar
• Maple sugar
• Lemon juice

How Do You Make It?

You’ll make the cake by whisking the egg, vanilla, milk, sour cream and vegetable oil in a medium bowl.

Add the dry ingredients and stir till incorporated.

Bake in an 8 x 8 pan and let cool.

Clean out your bowl and make the glaze by combining both sugars and whisking in just enough lemon juice to create a thick, yet pourable, glaze.

Spread the glaze over the cake, let set and serve!

Let me know if you try it!

Easy Lemon Ginger Snacking Cake With Maple Glaze

sherisilver

This easy lemon ginger snacking cake is soft, zesty, and topped with a maple glaze—perfect for tea time, dessert, or anytime snacking!

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Dessert, Snack

Servings 9

Calories 294 kcal

Equipment

• 8 x 8 baking pan
• parchment paper
• whisk
• rubber spatula
• cake tester
• wire cooling rack
• small angled spatula

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the cake:

• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger
• 2 teaspoons chopped lemon peel

For the glaze:

• 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
• 1/4 cup maple sugar
• 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions

 

Make the cake:

• Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an 8 x 8 baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on all sides.
• In a medium bowl whisk the egg, vanilla, milk, sour cream and vegetable oil.
• Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and whisk again. Add the crystallized ginger and chopped lemon peel and use a rubber spatula to gently incorporate.
• Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake till a tester comes out clean, 30 - 35 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack set over a piece of wax paper.

Make the glaze:

• Combine the confectioner's sugar and maple sugar in a bowl. Starting with 1 1/2 tablespoons, add the lemon juice and whisk. Add more lemon juice, a bit at at time, till a thick but pourable consistency is achieved.
• Pour the glaze over the cooled cake, using a small angled spatula if needed to spread it to the edges. Let the glaze set before serving.

Notes

All spices can be found on the Selefina website.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 294kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 4gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 112mgPotassium: 90mgFiber: 1gSugar: 35gVitamin A: 129IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 97mgIron: 1mg

Keywords cake, ginger, lemon, maple, snacking cake

did you make this recipe?tag @sherisilver on instagram!

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it stay fresh?
Store covered at room temperature for 2–3 days. Refrigerate to extend shelf life.

Can I freeze this cake?
Yes! Freeze (unglazed) for up to 2 months. Thaw and glaze before serving.

What’s the difference between a snacking cake and a regular cake?
Snacking cakes are smaller, unfussy, and made for everyday enjoyment—often baked in a square pan with minimal frosting.

Where can I buy maple sugar?
Right on the Selefina website!

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About the author

Sheri Silver

Sheri Silver is a New York-based food photographer and recipe developer who has been cooking and baking for over 30 years. She works with brands, authors and restaurants to create recipes that are as beautiful as they are foolproof - and every recipe on this blog has been made, tweaked and eaten in her own kitchen.

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