Gingerbread Bundt Cake

Trim your tree, sing some carols then sweeten your holiday with a Gingerbread Bundt Cake. Soft, moist and filled with the perfect mix of festive flavors, this Christmas cake is a delicious way to celebrate the season.

You can’t buy happiness. It’s for sale, but inflation is driving the price up so high that it’s making the holidays go from happy to bah humbug. Last week I settled for a freezer burnt turkey because fresh ones were selling for $70 a pop. Today, I’m the new owner of a Christmas tree missing more limbs than an octopus that stepped on a land mine. This is because the unreal price of a really nice tree is north of $600 in South Florida.

At that price, a Douglas Fir should come with a furry pair of boots from Bergdorf Goodman. Never mind that I live 9 miles from the beach and have absolutely no need for boots. It’s the principle that counts. Especially when I can buy a plane ticket to somewhere woodsy, chop down my own damn tree, disguise it as checked baggage and still fly back to Ft. Lauderdale for less than a tree at my local farmer’s market.

This is why Christmas is stressful. My bank account should be empty from splurging on rum-filled coconuts, not a sappy tree from North Carolina. Sap leads to sticky fingers and nobody likes sticky fingers unless they’re covered in molasses. Take it from someone who knows sticky, I could lick my keyboard and find trace evidence of molasses. Sweet, syrupy and often spilled on my hands, molasses is a must-have ingredient for holiday baking.

True, you can’t buy happiness but you can bake it in a bundt pan. Made with molasses, festive spices and dark brown sugar, this Gingerbread Bundt Cake recipe is a delicious way to celebrate the season. Save the cookies for Santa then make this grownup dessert as a gift for yourself. Even if you’re on the naughty list this year, you deserve a slice of cake.

Before sharing the recipe for Gingerbread Bundt Cake, here are a few tips and tricks to help you out:

Ingredient Tips and Tricks

This recipe calls for unsulphured molasses (I used Grandma’s brand). Above all, do not substitute blackstrap.

Always use the spoon and level method to measure flour. Scooping flour is a no-no. That technique overpacks flour into the measuring cup which results in a drier, denser cake than the moist, tender cake you get from properly measured flour.

For best results be sure all ingredients (butter, eggs and yes, even buttermilk) are at room temperature before beginning.

If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make a sour milk substitution by stirring 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice into 1 cup of whole milk and letting it set for 5 minutes before use.

Preparation Tips and Tricks

Even if your bundt pan has a nonstick surface, always grease and flour every nook and cranny.

Cool cake in the bundt pan for 10 minutes after removing from the oven. Carefully turn out onto a baking rack to cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar.

How to Store Gingerbread Bundt Cake

Cover tightly then store cake at room temperature up to 3 days.

Can You Freeze Bundt Cake?

Yes, you can freeze a bundt cake up to 3 months. First cover with plastic wrap then with a layer of aluminum foil and place in an airtight container before freezing. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then bring to room temperature before serving.

I hope you enjoy this recipe for Gingerbread Bundt Cake. Please leave a comment and rating at the bottom of this blog when you try it for yourself. And, while you’re at it, sign up for my weekly Recipe Newsletter so you never miss a tempting recipe.

Finally, if you like gingerbread bundt cake then you’ll love this Gingerbread Cake Roll. Spiced with cozy flavors and swirled with an eggnog cream filling, this soft, fluffy cake roll makes December delicious. 

Gingerbread Bundt Cake

Heather Wolf

Trim your tree, sing some carols then sweeten your holiday with a Gingerbread Bundt Cake. Soft, moist and filled with the perfect mix of festive flavors, this Christmas cake is a delicious way to celebrate the season.

5 from 4 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Cakes and Cupcakes

Cuisine American

Servings 12

Equipment

• 10-inch bundt pan

Ingredients

  

Gingerbread Bundt Cake

• 16 Tbsp unsalted butter softened to room temperature
• 1 cup dark brown sugar packed
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 1/2 cup unsulphured molasses *do not use blackstrap
• 1 cup buttermilk room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour unbleached
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt fine
• powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

 

Gingerbread Cake

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy – approximately 1 minute.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
• Beat in molasses and buttermilk until combined. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl, combine flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Whisk until combined.
• Add dry ingredients to wet, gently beating on low speed just combined. Avoid overmixing.
• Pour batter into prepared bundt pan then level the top with a spatula.
• Bake 40 to 45 minutes. Cake is done when a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Do not overbake.
• Cool for 10 minutes in pan then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• Top with a dusting of powdered sugar then slice and serve.
• Cover leftovers tightly with plastic wrap and store at room temperature up to 3 days.

Keyword bundt, cake, gingerbread