There are few smells more inviting than that of warm gingerbread! This spiced gingerbread bundt cake is a delicious and easy way to welcome the Christmas season to your home.
If you love this recipe, we think you'll love our British Christmas Cake or these mince pies.
Quick Look at the Recipe
- ⏲️ Prep Time: 45 minutes
- ⏲️ Cook Time: 45 minutes
- ⏲️ Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- 🍽️ Yield: 16 slices
- 🥕 Dietary Info: Vegetarian; can be made Gluten Free
- ⚡ Calories: 251 calories per serving (based on nutrition facts in recipe card)
- 🍊 15 Ingredients: orange zest, orange juice, flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, unsalted butter, brown sugar, molasses, buttermilk, black coffee, eggs, and powdered sugar.
- 🥣 Method: Oven Baked
- ⌛ Time-Saving Hack: Grease the bundt pan with lining paste. It's faster than using flour and butter, won't damage your nonstick pans like oil spray, and always ensures an easy removal.
- 🔪 Equipment: stand mixer, spatula, and Nordic Ware Bavaria bundt pan (affiliate).
- ⭐ Expert Tip: Ensure the ingredients are at room temperature before making the batter.
- 🍰 Flavor & Texture: This gingerbread cake has a tight crumb without being wet or doughy, a rich ginger flavor, and hints of orange and coffee.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Rich Gingerbread Flavor: This cake is inspired by Martha Washington's recipe, with a few modern tweaks. You'll love the hint of orange and coffee along with lots of rich spices.
- Easy & Pretty Presentation: Bake this in a bundt pan, then simply dust with powdered sugar for an easy and showstopping snowy garnish.
- Moist, Not Dry: This cake has a wonderful moist texture that is perfect with a dollop of whipped cream or just by itself.
Featured Comment
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Delicious, moist cake with a nice mix of ingredients-not found in your usual gingerbread recipe. Especially loved the flavor from the orange zest. Served at Christmas with Vanilla Salted-Carmel ice cream. This cake is a winner!!"
- Sue
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Ingredients
Wondering what you need to whip up one of these gingerbread bundt cakes? Let's talk about the most important ingredients that you'll need.
- Flour: Use regular all-purpose flour for a gingerbread bundt. We want it to be strong enough to hold its shape when flipped out of the pan.
- Orange Juice & Zest: The orange juice reacts with the baking soda to help it rise, and the zest brings brightness to the gingerbread bundt cake.
- Spices: A mixture of ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and mace adds lots of flavor and aroma.
- Coffee: Although you won't taste it after baking, a touch of coffee enriches the flavors and adds a subtle depth.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Gingerbread Bundt Cake
Gather the ingredients. You'll need all-purpose flour, butter, brown sugar, molasses, eggs, coffee, orange juice, orange zest, buttermilk, baking soda, and spices.
- Lightly spray a 10-cup bundt pan with a baking spray such as Baker's Joy. This particular brand of spray contains flour, which helps release the gingerbread bundt cake from the pan. (image 1)
- Sift the flour and spices into a bowl, then whisk until mixed. (image 2)
- Cream the butter and sugar together with a mixer for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy. (image 3)
- Add in the molasses. Add the eggs one at a time, putting in 2 tablespoons of flour with each egg to prevent the batter from curdling. (image 4)
- Add the buttermilk, coffee, orange juice and zest, and the rest of the flour mixture and blend on medium-low speed until combined. (image 5)
- Scrape down the sides and mix again on low speed to ensure a good mix. (image 6)
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. (image 7)
- Bake at 350°F for 45-50 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the deepest part comes out with a couple moist crumbs attached. (image 8)
- Let it cool for 10 minutes in the bundt pan, then turn the gingerbread bundt out onto a wire cooling rack. Let it cool for 30 minutes on the wire rack, then dust with powdered sugar. (image 9)
- Once the cake has cooled completely, slice it and enjoy! (image 10)
Recipe FAQs
It is a dessesrt that's baked in a tube-shaped pan with rounded and fluted sides.
Commonly ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mace are used to create a nice gingerbread flavor in baked goods. Hints of orange zest deepen the flavor while light brown sugar and molasses add a rich, caramel-like flavor to it.
Pair it with some butter to counteract the sweetness or some whipped cream to enhance it. To drink, enjoy a cup of tea or coffee, which balances out the sweetness of gingerbread. It will also pair well with the flavors of citrus and cream cheese.
It can be either one. In colonial America, gingerbread was referred to as a cake. This recipe is based on Martha Washington's gingerbread recipe from the 1700s.
Leftovers: This dessert will keep at room temperature for up to 5 days stored in an airtight container or wrapped well in plastic.
Freezer: Slice and seal it in a plastic zip-top freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature or in the microwave.
Serving Gingerbread Bundt Cake
While this bundt technically doesn't need a glaze or frosting, if you want to try it with icing, a cream cheese frosting would be a good choice.
One of the best things to enjoy with this dessert is a hot cup of coffee. However, you could also have it with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream or even brandy butter.
If you're looking for other winter puddings, make sure to try our recipes for vegan sticky toffee pudding and treacle sponge pudding.
Expert Tips
- Use a kitchen scale to quickly and accurately measure the ingredients. A scale also saves you from dirtying more measuring cups!
- Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature. This will produce a smoother, better textured dessert.
- Grease the bundt pan with lining paste. It's faster than using flour and butter, won't damage your nonstick pans like oil spray, and always ensures an easy removal.
- Be careful not to overbake, or the gingerbread bundt will be dry. A skewer poked into the deepest part should come out with just a few moist crumbs on it.
- Let the gingerbread bundt cake cool for 10 minutes before turning it out of the pan. Don't wait too long, or it will stick.
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Recipe
Gingerbread Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons orange zest, from 1 large orange
- ¼ cup orange juice, from 1 large orange
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 2 tablespoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground mace
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup molasses
- ½ cup warm buttermilk
- ¼ cup black coffee, at room temperature
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 10-cup bundt pan with a non-stick spray with flour in it, or grease and flour the pan thoroughly.
- Sift in the flour and baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mace into a large bowl. Whisk until blended.
- Place the softened butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until smooth. Add the brown sugar and beat on medium-high speed until fluffy and lightened in color, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after 1 minute of mixing.
- Pour in the molasses and beat until well mixed. Add the eggs one at a time, adding two tablespoons of the flour mixture with each egg to prevent the mixture from curdling. Beat until smooth.
- Warm the buttermilk for 20 seconds in the microwave, stirring halfway through. Put a wooden or glass utensil in the milk as you microwave it to break the surface tension, which will prevent explosions.
- Add the buttermilk, coffee, orange juice, orange zest, and the rest of the flour mixture to the batter and stir on a low speed until combined, then beat until the batter is smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and level the surface with a spatula.
- Bake in the middle of the oven at 350°F for 45-50 minutes, until a metal skewer inserted into the center of the bundt comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
- Cool it in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes.
- After it has cooled for half an hour, sift a light dusting of powdered sugar on top. If you're using a cream cheese glaze instead, wait until it is completely cooled, about 2 hours.
- Serve in slices, warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Measure ingredients with a kitchen scale for quicker, more accurate measurements.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Do this quickly by submerging the eggs in hot tap water for 10 minutes. Cube the butter and microwave it in 5-second intervals until softened.
- Grease the pan with a baking spray such as Baker's Joy, or a simple lining paste to prevent sticking.
- Be careful not to overbake, or it will be dry. A skewer poked into the deepest part of the cake should come out with just a few moist crumbs on it.
- Let the gingerbread bundt cool for 10 minutes before flipping it out of the tin. Don't wait too long, or it will stick.
Nutrition
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
Sue
Delicious, moist cake with a nice mix of ingredients-not found in your usual gingerbread recipe. Especially loved the flavor from the orange zest. Served at Christmas with Vanilla Salted-Carmel ice cream. This cake is a winner!!
Emma
Thank you so much, Sue! I'm glad that you enjoyed the cake so much!
Connie Sue Gault
I can’t wait to make so many of your recipes in my new kitchen. Your recipes are easy to make and well explained. Love the photos
Emma
You're so sweet, Connie! Please let us know which recipes you make in your new kitchen.
Alex
This cake is so ginger-y and SO tasty! I love the soft, moist texture; this cake smells like Christmas. I'd give it 10 stars if I could!
Emma
Thank you, Alex! 😋 I'm so glad that you enjoyed the gingerbread cake.
Beth
The rich flavor of this spiced cake is utterly divine! It's like having gingerbread cookies in cake form. For me, it was love at first bite--Christmas in a slice!
Emma
I'm thrilled that you enjoyed this cake that much, Beth! Thanks for your kind words.