Gingerbread Bundt Cake

This gingerbread bundt cake is going to be the star of your Christmas dessert table. When it comes to gingerbread recipes, usually cookies steal the show. However, I love the sweet taste of molasses mingled with all the quintessential holiday spices in a soft cake topped with a drizzle of homemade icing. You can also eat the leftovers for breakfast with a hot cup of coffee, cozied up on the couch as the snow falls outside.

You won’t need any special equipment for this recipe, such as a mixer. Just a couple of good ole fashioned mixing bowls and some pantry basics and you’ll be ready to start baking. The shorter, printable version of the recipe can be found below, but read on if you want more detailed step-by-step instructions on how to make gingerbread cake from scratch.

I made this into a bundt cake, but you could also use two loaf pans or make mini bundts using a pan such as the ones seen in the mini apple bundt cakes recipe here. Those would make for some seriously cute presents.

How to make gingerbread cake from scratch

As far as homemade dessert recipes go, this one is pretty easy. Before you begin mixing the ingredients, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease your bundt pan. Don’t be shy with the cooking spray, as bundts are notorious for being a little tricky to get out of the pan.

The ingredients you will need for the gingerbread bundt cake include:

• 3 cups of all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp of baking powder
• ½ tsp of baking soda
• ½ tsp of salt
• 2 tsps of ground ginger
• 1 tsp of ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp of ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp of ground cloves
• ¼ tsp of ground allspice
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup of dark brown sugar
• ½ cup of granulated sugar
• 1 cup (or 2 sticks) of unsalted butter, melted
• ½ cup of molasses
• 1 cup of buttermilk
• ½ tsp of vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices (ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice.) Once incorporated, make a small clearing in the center of the bowl where the wet ingredients can be added later. Set aside. 

Then, in a separate medium-sized mixing bowl, use a fork to scramble the 4 eggs. Next, add the brown sugar and granulated sugar. Break the brown sugar up a bit with your fork and then whisk the ingredients together. Once combined, add the melted butter (about 1 minute and 15 seconds in the microwave should do the trick), buttermilk, and molasses. Whisk until combined. The molasses will sink to the center of the wet mixture, which is perfectly fine.

Pour the wet ingredients into the large mixing bowl containing the dry ingredients and whisk together until the mixture is thick but not lumpy. Then, pour the batter into the bundt pan, using a rubber spatula to scrape all of it in. Bake for 50 minutes. Before removing the bundt from the oven, stick a toothpick into it and make sure that no uncooked batter comes up. If it does, continue to cook in 2-minute intervals, using the toothpick test until fully cooked. Let the gingerbread bundt cool for 10-15 minutes. Once the bundt has cooled, use the back-edge of a butter knife to gently loosen the edges. (For tips on how to get a stuck bundt cake out of a pan, read our tutorial here.) 

How to make icing for gingerbread cake

While your cake cools, you can begin making the icing. The ingredients you will need include:

• ½ cup of powdered sugar
• 1 Tbsp of half and half
• 1 Tbsp melted butter, unsalted
• ¼ tsp of vanilla extract 

In a small mixing bowl, melt 1 Tbsp of butter (about 30 seconds in the microwave.) Then, add the powdered sugar, half and half, and vanilla extract. Whisk until combined. You’ll be surprised at how incredibly easy it is to make this icing!

Right before you are ready to ice the cake, pop the glaze in the microwave for about 15 seconds to get it gooey. Using a teaspoon, stir the icing and then drizzle it back and forth over the bundt. Once complete, you can slice, serve, and enjoy!

To store the cake, wait until it is completely cooled and then place it in an airtight cake carrier or cover with tinfoil. 

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