Gingerbread Cake with Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce & Whipped Cream

Gingerbread anything screams the holidays. Do you agree?
I’m starting to get into the mood for this season of festivities, so what better way to make your house smell amazing than to bake a gingerbread cake? Okay, so I didn’t bake the cake for that reason alone, but it did smell quite Christmasy up in this joint.
while the caked was baking I whipped the cream and made the salted caramel sauce. Everything was done in less than 90 minutes.
This was an easy dessert that anyone can master. I faith in you, friend!
Gingerbread Cake
servings 9
INGREDIENTS
½ cup white sugar
½ cup butter
1 egg
1 cup molasses
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup hot water
INSTRUCTIONS
Cream butter and sugar together, then add egg and molasses.
Sift all dry ingredients.
Add dry ingredients to sugar/butter mixture and mix until combined.
Add hot water and mix completely.
Pour into a prepared, buttered and floured 9x9 baking pan, or line with parchment paper.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for one hour. Start checking cake at 45 minutes. Cake is done when knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool, the cut.
Serve with homemade whipped cream and salted caramel sauce. (Recipe follows)

Salted Caramel Sauce
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed
1 cup brown sugar packed
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
Place butter in a saucepan and melt over medium-low heat.
Add the brown sugar and milk and turn heat to medium. Stir constantly until the mixture boils. Boil for 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and salt. (Once it cools a bit you can add more salt to taste.)
Cool slightly before putting in a jar for storage. Cover. Store in refrigerator if not using the day it's made.
Stir if sauce separates as it cools.
If it becomes to thick to pour after chilling, you can heat it in the microwave for a few seconds and stir.
