Gingerbread Bundt Cake Recipe

Try this mouthwatering tender Gingerbread Bundt cake recipe packed with 6 spices, rum and dusted with powdered sugar will be the centerpiece of your holiday table.

a bundt cake on a plate dusted with powdered sugar

About this gingerbread cake recipe:

I have the very elaborate Nordic Ware “Pine Forest” cake mold. I have been wanting to create a great recipe for this pan and I think I found one. Typically, I would bake a straightforward yellow pound cake type to really show off the edges in the mold, but I did that last week with a simpler cake made from box mix. 

Six spices add so much flavor to this gingerbread you will never settle for just cloves and cinnamon again. The extra depth creates a great structure and earthiness to this beautiful dessert. Molasses can overpower most gingerbread recipes, but this cake is bright, not muddled. 

The earthy, warm spice profiles of cardamom, cinnamon, freshly ground nutmeg (never buy the pre-grated stuff), cloves, ginger, and allspice add essential flavor. Make sure your species are fresh. Read my post about having the optimal spice cupboard. 

Butter the heck out of the pan using a pastry brush and softened, not melted, butter. Dust with a bit of flour and then cocoa powder so your cake is not white out of the cake pan. 

See my tips below and other ginger-spice-forward desserts in this post.

a gingerbread cake on a plate

Ingredients in this gingerbread bundt cake recipe:

  • all purpose flour
  • ginger, cinnamon,ground cloves, allspice,cardamom,fresh nutmeg
  • kosher salt
  • baking soda and baking powder
  • unsalted butter
  • light brown sugar & granulated sugar
  • molasses
  • vanilla Extract- buy Pine & Palm Kitchen Premium vanilla HERE
  • eggs
  • dark rum
  • cocoa powder
a bundt cake surrounded by greens and cinnamon sticks

Frequently asked questions about this Gingerbread Bundt Cake Recipe:

Do I need this fancy bundt pan? Mine is very plain.

Any 9 cup bundt pan will do.

What do you mean by “Flour” the pan ?

Before baking any cake or baked good that you do not want to stick to the pan, bakers should butter the interior surface of the pan and then “dust” or “flour” the pan with a light coating of flour or in this case flour and unsweetened cocoa powder. This means the cake will turn out easily and not stick.
To flour the pan, add about 1 tablespoon of flour to the buttered pan. Shake the pan to distribute the flour all over the interior and coat the butter. Hold the cake pan over a trash can or sink and tap to remove any extra flour. You need a very light coating. See my photo below of how it should look.

Do I need to use Cake Flour?

All-purpose flour is recommended for this recipe.

Do I use Black Strap, Mild or Sorghum molasses?

This recipe calls for mild molasses. I used Grandma’s Brand.

What is a substitute for Molasses?

Dark Corn syrup, honey or Pure maple syrup will work although they will not have the same deep rich flavor.

the inside of a cake pan dusted with cocoa powder

Equipment needed for this recipe:

  • Nordicware Bundt pan- Here is the pan used in my post- just $30.00
  • stand mixer or hand held beaters
  • microplane
  • large mixing bowl
  • measuring cups and spoons
  • rimmed baking sheet
  • wire rack
  • pastry brush
cake batter in a bundt pan

Pro-tips for a perfect gingerbread bundt cake:

  • Do not use cooking spray to grease your pan- use room- temperature butter. Cooking spray tends to pool in the nooks and crannies causing the cake to burn.
  • Glaze with a rum sauce for a sticky coating- adds so much flavor.
  • Let the glazed cake rest for 10-20 minutes before dusting with soften powder sugar.
  • Flour the cake pan with cocoa powder if you are not glazing- just dusting pan with flour can cause white streaks on your cake.
  • Check your spices to make certain they are very fresh. Read my post HERE about spices.
  • Read more pro-tips in the recipe notes
a bake bundt cake on a wire rack

Other spice forward recipes to try:

a copper saucepan and a bundt cake
a bundt cake on a plate dusted with powdered sugar

6 Spice Gingerbread Bundt Cake

A 6 spice packed rum and molasses cake that will steal the show at your holiday table.
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, European
Keyword: gingerbread bundt cake
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Resting Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 415kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
  • 2 ½ tsp ginger
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground cloves
  • ½ tsp allspice
  • ½ tsp cardamom
  • 1 tsp nutmeg, freshly ground
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 12 TBSP unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 ½ cups light brown sugar
  • ½ cup mild molasses
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup dark rum
  • 1 TBSP cocoa powder- for dusting cake pan
  • 1 TBSP flour- for dusting the pan
  • 3 TBSP softened butter

For the glaze

  • cup dark rum
  • ¼ tsp ground ginger
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ½ cup sifted confectioner's sugar

Instructions

  • Pre heat oven to 350 degrees, using a pastry brush, butter the cake pan well. Dust with flour, shake out any remaining flour. Then dust, the pan well with unsweetened cocoa powder. Shake out any excess cocoa. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl whisk together the 2 1/2 cups flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, cardamom and nutmeg. Set aside.
  • In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the 12 TBSP of butter and 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar until fluffy, and the sugar has dissolved. Add in the eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the bowl. Stir in the 1/2 cup molasses and vanilla.
  • Alternating, add in the flour mixture, water and rum. Addi to the mixer a third each time: flour mixture, water, rum. Mix until just smooth- do not over-mix. Scrape downtime bowl to make certain all the ingredients are well incorporated.
  • Pour the batter into the buttered and floured/cocoa dusted cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
  • While the cake is baking heat, 1/3 cup rum ,1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger and 3/4 cup sugar in a saucepan until sugar is s dissolved.
  • Remove cake the from oven and let rest on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert the pan onto a cake stand to release the cake. Using a pastry brush, glaze the entire cake with the warm rum mixture.
  • Let the cake cool another 30 minutes and dust with the sifted powdered sugar to create a snowy effect.
  • Save extra glaze for the serving table, add to your coffee, use as a sweetener for cocktails or to pour over ice cream.

Notes

  • Use only softened butter to grease the pan. Cooking spray with pool the booth of the pan created too much oil which will burn the top of the cake.
  • Dust with cocoa powder so your cake does not come out with white flour all over it.
  • Place your cake pan on a baking sheet while baking. This keeps the delicate tops from over baking and it is much easier to remove from the oven.
  • To Freeze: Let cake cool completely, wrap in a double layer of plastic then in foil. Freeze up to 3 months.
  • Use a microprobe to grate your whole nutmeg. Microplanes are available on my website from Amazon or in most kitchen shops and even some grocery stores. The pre-ground nutmeg is just brown dust. I do not recommend.
  • Nutrition

    Calories: 415kcal
    a table elaborately decorated with crystal, china , candlelight and flowers

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