Gingerbread bundt cake is a wonderfully moist and tender gingerbread cake filled with molasses and lots of cozy warming spices. Top this perfectly spiced bundt cake with powdered sugar or a creamy glaze for the perfect easy to make, show stopping holiday cake everyone will love.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
My favorite ingredient to make with when the weather gets colder is molasses. There is something so festive and cozy about gingerbread dessert recipes. My Gingerbread Muffins, Chewy Molasses Cookies, Molasses Cake, Molasses Crinkle Cookies and Citrus Gingerbread Loaf Cake are a few of my favorites gingerbread recipes on the blog. I know you’ll love this festive bundt cake recipe as much as I do because:
- Easy to make, bake and eat. This ginger molasses cake tastes just like something grandma would make and is truly so simple to make. Simply mix up the gingerbread cake, bake in a bundt pan, dust with powdered sugar or top with a glaze and enjoy.
- Perfectly cozy and perfect for the holiday season. Fans of gingerbread, this is the cake for you. The molasses brings a smoky sweetness, which perfectly balances the warming spices and sweet maple glaze.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this festive holiday bundt cake.
- Dry Ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, baking soda, baking soda, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground nutmeg or all spice and salt.
- Wet Ingredients: Gather oil or melted butter, light or dark brown sugar, eggs, molasses, vanilla extract and buttermilk.
Substitutions
This gingerbread molasses bundt cake is quick and easy to make using pantry basics. Here are my recommended substitutions to make this soft, moist and wonderfully delicious cake.
- All purpose flour: To make this gingerbread cake gluten free, use a good 1-1 gluten free flour. I recommend using the one from Bob’s Red Mill. Weigh the flour (330 g) flour versus measuring cup for cup.
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder: Both are needed for this cake to turn out like the one pictured. Make sure the baking soda and baking powder are fresh and in date.
- Ground Spices: Feel free to use 2 tablespoons of Pumpkin spice, chai spice or apple pie spice in this recipe if you would prefer. However, I do recommend following all the spices listed if you can.
- Melted Butter or Oil : You can use the same amount of salted butter as written in the recipe, but omit the added salt. Use a vegan, plant based butter or neutral baking oil.
- Light Brown Sugar: This recipe hasn’t been tested using alternative sugars. However, I love using maple sugar as a refined sugar free option in my other recipes. Maple sugar bakes very similarly to light brown sugar.
- Eggs: This recipe hasn’t been tested without eggs.
- Molasses: Use unsulphured molasses, not blackstrap for these cookies. If you must substitute, a dark honey would work the best.
- Vanilla Extract: This is more for background flavor and nicely enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk, it’s easy to make your own. Simply pour 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice or white vinegar into a measuring cup. Then pour enough milk to reach 1 cup (237 ml). Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes to curdle and use as you would regular buttermilk.
Variations
- Gingerbread Mini Bundt Cakes: Prepare the ginger cake batter according to the recipe directions. Grease 1- 2 (6) count mini bundt pan(s) with non stick spray. Pour the molasses spiced cake batter into the prepared cavities no more than ? full. Bake for about 20 minutes, checking back every 1 - 2 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the mini gingerbread bundt cakes come out with a few moist crumbs. Prepare your preferred glaze or simply dusting the cooled mini bundt cakes with powdered sugar and enjoy.
- Brown Butter Glaze: Brown 6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter. Once the butter is browned, pour the hot butter into a heat safe bowl. Whisk in 1½ cups (180 g) powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon or ginger and 1- 3 teaspoons (5-15 ml) room temperature milk until smooth. Pour over the cooled cake, set and enjoy.
- Citrus Glaze: Top the gingerbread cake with a citrus glaze. Whisk 1 ½ cups (180g) powdered sugar with 2 - 3 tablespoons lemon or orange juice. Pour over the cooled cake, set and enjoy.
- Cream Cheese Glaze: For a more decadent topping, mix 8 oz. room temperature cream cheese with ? cup (80 ml) heavy cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt and 2½ cups (300 g) powdered sugar. Pour over the cooled cake, set and enjoy.
How To Make
Learn how to gingerbread bundt cake in a few easy steps.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Grease a 10-inch (12 cup capacity bundt pan). In a mixing bowl whisk the all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves or nutmeg and salt together until well combined.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the oil, light brown sugar, eggs, molasses and vanilla extract until well combined. Mix the dry ingredients into wet, alternating with buttermilk (dry, buttermilk, dry, buttermilk, dry) until just combined with the wet ingredients. Evenly pour the gingerbread cake batter into the prepared bundt pan.
- Bake the gingerbread cake for 45 - 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs and the edges of the cake pull slightly away from the edges of the pan. Cool the bundt cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert the cake onto a cooling rack or serving plate to cool to room temperature.
- If you plan on topping the cake with the maple glaze, whisk powdered sugar with maple syrup, milk and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl until smooth and well combined. Top the cooled gingerbread bundt cake with the glaze. Allow another 45 minutes for the glaze to fully set Then slice and enjoy.
How To Make Ahead, Freeze and Store
- Store: Place leftover pieces of gingerbread cake in an airtight container for up to 5 days. If the gingerbread spice cake is topped with a perishable glaze like cream cheese frosting, the cake must be stored in the fridge for the entire 5 days.
- Freeze: Make sure the gingerbread cake is completely cooled to room temperature. Individually wrap each slice or the entire cake in plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe container. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Thaw: The easiest and tastiest way to thaw the ginger spice bundt cake is to let it sit out at room temperature until thawed. Enjoy at room temperature or microwave the cake slice for 20 - 30 seconds for that “fresh from the oven” taste.
M’s Expert Tips
- Use a non-stick spray. Prevent the cake from sticking to the bundt pan by spraying a non stick bundt pan with non stick spray. If needed, take a pastry brush or even a clean paper towel and work the spray into all the grooves of the pan.
- Do not use blackstrap molasses. Light or dark un-sulphured molasses is best for this gingerbread cake. Blackstrap is not a great molasses for cake. The flavor is more suited for savory dishes.
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature. This allows the ingredients to mix together more evenly which requires less mixing, resulting in soft, fluffy, moist and tender molasses spice cake.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Always use the lowest speed on your electric mixer or mix in the dry ingredients by hand. Make sure to mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
- Use the baking times as a guide. All ovens vary and baking times should be used as a guide. As a general rule, when the cake becomes fragrant, it’s a good idea to start checking. Begin checking on the cake at the minimum baking time. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out with a few moist crumbs or clean.
- Cool the cake in the pan for no longer than 10 -15 minutes. If you try to remove the cake before 10 minutes, the cake may still be too hot to remove without falling apart. Removing the cake after 15 minutes may cause the cake to stick to the pan more easily.
- Troubleshooting removing the bundt cake. If the cake feels as though it could be stuck try sliding a silicone knife or thin mini offset spatula down along the sides of the pan, gently pushing the cake away from the pan. Another trick is to lay a dish towel in the sink, pour steaming hot water over the towel and placing the bundt pan (cake side facing up) on top of the steaming dish towel for 10 -15 minutes. The steam will help the cake release from the bundt pan. One last trick (only if you used an oil agent to grease the pan) is to cool the cake in the pan for one hour. Then transfer the cake to the freezer for 1 - 2 hours. Then use a silicone knife or thin mini offset spatula to gently release the cake before inverting it onto a cooling rack.
FAQs
What does molasses do in a cake?
Molasses is a liquid sweetener so it brings a lot of moisture to any baked good. The result is a chewier, moist texture. The baked good will also look darker than the same recipe using a sweetener like honey.
What flavors go with molasses?
The dark, smoky sweetness of molasses pairs wonderfully with sweet warming spices such as cinnamon, ginger, cloves and cardamom. This creates the classic smell and taste of gingerbread.
Can I make this gingerbread bundt cake as mini bundt cakes?
Prepare the ginger cake batter according to the recipe directions. Grease 1- 2 (6) count mini bundt pan(s) with non stick spray. Pour the molasses spiced cake batter into the prepared cavities no more than ? full. Bake for about 20 minutes, checking back every 1 - 2 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the mini gingerbread bundt cakes come out with a few moist crumbs. Prepare your preferred glaze or simply dusting the cooled mini bundt cakes with powdered sugar and enjoy.
How to get gingerbread cake out of the bundt pan?
Make sure to generously grease all the nooks and crannies of your bundt pan. Cool the cake for about 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto a cooling and gently tap the bottom of the pan to help loosen the cake. If the cake doesn’t easily come out, place a steaming tea towel on top of the cake to help loosen any stuck pieces of cake. If this doesn't work, fully cool the cake, transfer the cake to the freezer and freeze. The cake should easily slip out once it has cooled and begun to freeze.
Other Holiday Bundt Cake Recipes to Try
If you try this Gingerbread Bundt Cake recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! - M
Gingerbread Bundt Cake Recipe
Gingerbread bundt cake is a wonderfully moist and tender gingerbread cake filled with molasses and lots of cozy warming spices. Top this perfectly spiced bundt cake with powdered sugar or a creamy glaze for the perfect easy to make, show stopping holiday cake everyone will love.
Equipment
- 1 10 inch (12 cup) capacity bundt pan
- 2 large mixing bowls
- 1 whisk and flexible spatula or spoon
Ingredients
Gingerbread Bundt Cake
- 2¾ cups (330 g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon all spice or nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (240 ml) neutral baking oil or melted butter
- 1½ cups (300 g) light or dark brown sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- ¾ cup (180 ml) unsulphured molasses
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk, room temperature
Maple Glaze
- 1½ cups (180 g) powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 - 2 tablespoons (15 - 30 ml) milk, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Generously grease a 10-inch (12 cup capacity bundt pan).
- In a mixing bowl whisk the all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves or nutmeg and salt together until well combined.2¾ cups (330 g) all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 tablespoon ground ginger, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon all spice or nutmeg, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the oil, light brown sugar, eggs, molasses and vanilla extract until well combined. Mix the dry ingredients into wet, alternating with buttermilk (dry, buttermilk, dry, buttermilk, dry) until just combined with the wet ingredients. Evenly pour the gingerbread cake batter into the prepared bundt pan.1 cup (240 ml) neutral baking oil or melted butter, 1½ cups (300 g) light or dark brown sugar, 3 large eggs, room temperature, ¾ cup (180 ml) unsulphured molasses, 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract , 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk, room temperature
- Bake the gingerbread cake for 45 - 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs and the edges of the cake pull slightly away from the edges of the pan. Cool the bundt cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert the cake onto a cooling rack or serving plate to cool to room temperature.
- Whisk powdered sugar with maple syrup, milk and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl until smooth and well combined. Top the cooled gingerbread bundt cake with the glaze. Allow another 45 minutes for the glaze to fully set, then slice and enjoy.1½ cups (180 g) powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons (45 ml) maple syrup, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract , 1 - 2 tablespoons (15 - 30 ml) milk, as needed
Notes
Store: Place leftover pieces of gingerbread cake in an airtight container for up to 5 days. If the gingerbread spice cake is topped with a perishable glaze like cream cheese frosting, the cake must be stored in the fridge for the entire 5 days.
See the Variations section of the blog post to make this gingerbread bundt cake as mini gingerbread bundt cakes or to top with other glazes such as a cream cheese glaze, citrus glaze or a brown butter glaze.
did you make this recipe?tag @olivesnthyme on Instagram
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