This easy yet elegant Gingerbread Bundt Cake is packed with flavor and winter spices. Glazed in butterscotch and topped with sparkling cranberries, this festive cake is the perfect centerpiece for you next holiday party
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Come the holiday season, you will love this cake. It's the type of cake that can hang out on your kitchen counter a stay fresh for days as you slice off little nibbles with your morning coffee, afternoon tea, and every other time you pass by in between.
This is the perfect snack cake if you have houseguests for Christmas. They can help themselves for when sweet cravings strike.
The butterscotch glaze and sparkling cranberries make an everyday gingerbread cake a total show-stopper too. Dress it up or down, this cake is super moist and deliciously spiced.
Looking for more holiday Bundt cakes? Try this Cinnamon Swirl Bundt Cake!
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Ground ginger
- Cinnamon
- All-spice
- Nutmeg
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Unsalted butter
- Brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Canola or avocado oil
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Molasses
- Heavy Cream
- Confectioners' sugar
- Fresh or frozen cranberries
See recipe card for quantities.
Tools and Equipment
- Stand or hand mixer
- 10 to 12 cup capacity Bundt pan
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Saucepan
- General kitchen utensils (measuring cups, spoons, etc.)
Substitutions
Don't have all of the ingredients? Here are some ideas on how to make this recipe your own:
- Honey - use equal parts honey to replace the molasses
- Brown sugar - use 6 tablespoons brown sugar mixed with 2 tablespoons water in place of the molasses
- Pumpkin pie spice - if it's easier, use 1 ½ tablespoons pumpkin pie spice instead of all of the individual spices.
Best Tips for Getting Out a Bundt Cake
- Start with good pan preparation. To ensure that your cake releases from the pan, use a pastry brush to spread very soft butter into every crevice of the Bundt or tube pan. Sprinkle in a few tablespoons of flour and shake the pan around until the entire inside is covered in flour. Invert the pan over the sink and tap the bottom to release any excess flour.
- Once the cake is done baking, set a timer for 20 minutes. You will need to invert the cake out of the pan while it is still warm.
- To unmold the cake, place a cooling rack or cutting board on top of the pan. Using oven mitts, hold the cooling rack against the pan and flip everything upside down. Give the pan a wiggle until you feel the cake release itself. Gently remove the cake pan and allow the cake to completely cool before adding the glaze.
- If the cake feels stuck, try holding the pan at a 45° angle and tapping the edge to encourage the cake's release. Rotate the pan around and try the other sides.
How to Get Out a Stuck Cake From a Bundt Pan
If the cake is stuck or you forgot to un-mold it before it cooled, then start a kettle with some water. Clear out the sink and place a clean dish towel inside.
When the water is nice and hot, carefully pour it over the dish towel. Place the cake (in its pan) in the sink and carefully wrap the sides with the hot dish towel (use oven mitts if the towel is too hot - please don’t burn yourselves) to create a little nest.
Dampen a second dish towel with warm water (from the tap is fine), and wring it out so that it is not dripping. Lay the second towel on top of the cake and wait about 15 minutes.
This should create a little steam bath for the cake and help loosen up any stuck bits. Once the towels are cool, try inverting the cake out of the pan again.
Storage
Store the cake at room temperature (preferably under a cake dome) for up to 3 days.
If left unglazed and undecorated, the cake may be wrapped well in plastic and frozen for one to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator.
Alternatively, freeze individual slices for up to one month. Wrap in plastic then slip into a zip-top bag.
Top Tip
Do not allow the cake to completely cool in the pan. Set a timer for 20 minutes as soon as it comes out of the oven. Otherwise, if the cake cools it will be very difficult to come out of the pan.
Recipe FAQs
I recommend cooking or fancy molasses for making gingerbread. Blackstrap molasses has a very intense flavor that is unappealing in most baked goods.
Yes! You may bake this cake in 8 or 9-inch round pans. Do not fill more than ¾ of the way full. Bake times will vary.
20 minutes after the cake comes out of the oven, gently release the sides of the cake from the pan with a small rubber spatula as best as you can without cutting into the cake design. Place a cutting board or cooling rack on top then flip the entire cake over.
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More Festive Cakes to Bake
Pumpkin Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
Vanilla Cranberry Christmas Tree Cake
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Recipe
Gingerbread Bundt Cake
Ingredients
For the Gingerbread Bundt Cake
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 ½ tea cinnamon
- ½ tea all-spice
- ½ tea freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 tea baking powder
- ½ tea salt
- ½ tea baking soda
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- ¼ cup avocado or canola oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tea vanilla extract
- ½ cup fancy molasses
- 1 cup water
For the Butterscotch Glaze
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter diced
- ¾ cup brown sugar packed
- ½ tea salt
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 tea vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup confectioners' sugar
For the Sugared Cranberries
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
- ¼ cup cane sugar (or granulated)
Instructions
Make the Bundt Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 10 to 12 cup-capacity bundt pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, spices, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
- Using a stand or hand mixer, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the oil and mix to combine.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, allowing the first to incorporate before adding the next. Add the vanilla and molasses and mix until combined.
- Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until incorporated. Slowly add the water and mix until combined. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix until smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a wooden skewer or cake tester instead into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Set a time for 20 minutes. When the time goes off and the cake pan is just warm enough to handle (use oven mitts if the pan is still too hot), invert the cake out of the pan. To release the cake, place a cooling rack or cutting board on top of the cake, then flip everything upside-down. Allow the cake to cool before adding the glaze.Do not let the cake cool in the pan or it will be very tricky to get out.
Make the Cranberries
- Place ½ cup sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the cranberries and remove from the heat. Allow the cranberries to soak in the syrup for about 10 minutes.
- Strain out the cranberries (saving the cranberry simple syrup for tea or cocktails). Place the syrup-covered cranberries on a parchment-lined baking sheet and allow to dry out for about an hour.
- Sprinkle the cranberries with ¼ cup cane sugar and toss around until evenly coated. Use the cranberries to decorate your holiday desserts or use as a garnish for festive cocktails.
Make the Glaze
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the brown sugar, heavy cream, and salt. While whisking occasionally, cook the mixture until thickened and the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Whisk in the powdered sugar until smooth.
- Allow the butterscotch to cool just slightly, no more than 5 to 10 minutes. Pour the butterscotch over the cake while it is still warm. The butterscotch will set once it cools.
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