Place a rack in the middle of the oven and heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch cake pan and line with parchment. Butter the parchment.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, ginger, baking powder, pepper and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together molasses, sugar and melted butter. Add eggs, and whisk well. Stir in raisins and cranberries.

Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, fold the dry ingredients into wet ingredients until incorporated and no streaks of flour remain. The batter will be stiff. Spread batter into prepared cake pan, smoothing the top.

Bake until a testing skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes.

Run a knife along the edge of the cake, and, once cooled, transfer to a serving platter. Slice into wedges and frost if desired.

Frosting:

Combine softened butter and cream cheese and beat with a hand mixer until fluffy.

Stir in molasses and 1 t of vanilla.

Stir in powdered sugar and spices if you are using.  (If you prefer your frosting thicker, add more powdered sugar. If you prefer it thinner, add 1 T of milk.) I always sprinkle the powdered sugar into the bowl through a sieve to avoid lumps. You can also sift it if you have a sifter.