The Gingerbread Man's Cake

Step 1 -Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 2 -Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with the baking spray.

Step 3 -In a large bowl, add the flour, the baking powder, the ginger, the cinnamon, the cloves, the salt, and the baking soda and whisk to combine.

Step 4 -In a medium bowl, add the molasses and the hot water and stir until fully combined.

Step 5 -Add the butter, the granulated sugar, the eggs, and the vanilla extract to the molasses mixture and whisk until smooth.

Step 6 -Add the molasses mixture to the flour mixture and whisk just until no dry streaks are apparent. Be careful not to overmix.

Step 7 -Evenly pour the batter mixture into the prepared baking dish.

Step 8 -Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs clinging to it, about 25-30 minutes.

Step 9 -Transfer the baked cake from the oven to a wire rack and let it cool completely.

Step 10 -When the cake has cooled, in a clean large bowl, add the cream cheese and the butter and, using the stand mixer's paddle attachment or an electric hand mixer, beat until fully combined, about 1 minute.

Step 11 -Gradually add the confectioners' sugar to the cream cheese mixture and beat until combined.

Step 12 -Add the lemon zest to the frosting mixture and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.

Step 13 -Evenly spread the frosting mixture over the cooled cake.

Step 14 -Top the cake with the candied ginger and the sparkling sugar.

Step 15 -With a serrated knife, cut the frosted cake into serving-sized pieces and serve.