Gingerbread Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This Old Fashioned Gingerbread Bundt Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting is the perfect festive dessert for the holiday season.  Fill your home with the old-fashioned fragrance of Christmas- ginger, cinnamon and cloves.  The beautiful addition of frosted cranberries on top makes this cake an elegant addition to your holiday table.

My version of gingerbread cake is inspired by a cake I often enjoyed at my friend Bekah’s house when we were kids.  I often slept over at her house from Saturday night to Sunday morning before going to church together.  Her mom, Kathryn, would often serve a gingerbread cake for a special Sunday morning breakfast. 

The recipe was one she had inherited from her granny and the tradition included pouring heavy cream on top.  No surprise that we would dig right in!

I decided to make my cake in a Bundt pan as a simple way to create a beautiful presentation.  I knew that an orange cream cheese icing would be a delicious complement to this spicy, aromatic cake.  The frosted cranberries are the literal “topping on the cake!”  If you prefer a simpler presentation, replace the cream cheese frosting with a dusting of powdered sugar.  So pretty!

I hope my Gingerbread Bundt Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Icing will become a part of your family’s holiday tradition, or enjoy it anytime, including at breakfast doused in heavy cream!

Discover a variety of holiday-inspired recipes: Candy Cane Thumbprint Cookies, Pumpkin Pie Pecan Bars, Chai Tea Ice Cream, Comforting Custard Drink.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Fills your home with aromas of the holidays! (just like my Walnut and Date Scones)
• This cake makes a beautiful Christmas table centerpiece.
• The creamy citrus icing really compliments the warm spices in the cake.
• This recipe is still incredibly delicious if you simplify the prep and skip the icing and the frosted cranberries.
• Freezer-friendly! (Freeze the cake without the icing)
• Comforting flavors (just like my Olive Oil Carrot Cake)

Ingredients

• Molasses - choose "light" or "fancy" molasses for baking.
• Spices - if your cloves, cinnamon and ginger have been in your cupboard for a long time they may have lost a lot of their flavor. Invest in fresh spices for the most flavorful cake.
• Butter - you can use salted or unsalted. If you use salted butter then decrease the amount of salt added to the recipe slightly.

See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

How To Make Gingerbread Bundt Cake

Here are the step-by-step instructions to make this recipe.

Step 1: Whisk together the dry ingredients.

Add the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk together until thoroughly combined.

Step 2: Combine butter and sugar

In a separate medium bowl, combine the melted butter and sugar. Beat for two minutes until well combined.

Step 3: Add egg and molasses

Add the egg and beat until combined. Blend in the molasses.

Step 4: Add dry ingredients and combine, then add hot water.

Add the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined.

Now add the hot water and mix the batter until it is smooth.

Step 5: Pour batter into bundt pan and bake.

Pour the batter into a greased 10-cup bundt pan. Bake in a preheated 350-degree F oven for 40 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Allow to cool for 10 to 20 minutes and then remove the cake from the pan onto a wire rack. Allow the cake to cool completely before icing.

Step 6: Make the cream cheese icing.

Be sure your cream cheese is at room temperature.

Combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth.

Gradually add in the orange juice as you continue beating to achieve a smooth texture.

Add the vanilla and orange zest and combine.

Pour the icing over the top of the cake allowing it to drip down on either side.

Step 7: Make frosted cranberries and add them to the cake.

First, make your simple syrup. Combine the ¼ cup sugar and ¼ cup water in a medium saucepan. Heat the syrup over medium heat, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar. Do not bring to a boil.

Add the cranberries to the simple syrup, stirring gently to coat.

Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove the cranberries to a wire rack over a pan to catch the drippings.

Wait for about an hour for the cranberries to dry and then roll them in the ⅓ cup sugar.

Add the frosted cranberries to the top of the iced cake for a beautiful presentation.

Expert Tips

• Properly grease your Bundt pan: grease your pan well with coconut oil or vegetable oil and then dust with flour and tap out the excess. After baking, wait 10-20 minutes for the cake to cool before turning it out on a cooling rack.
• Measure the flour carefully and accurately. The best way to do this is to spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife.
• When adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mix just until combined. Overmixing can result in a denser cake.
• Be sure to add the hot water after you have combined the dry and wet ingredients. If you add the hot water directly to the wet ingredients you risk cooking the egg on contact.
• Use a cake tester or toothpick to check for doneness. Insert it into the center of the cake; if it comes out with a few moist crumbs (not wet batter), the cake is done.
• For the cream cheese icing, adjust the amount of orange juice to achieve your desired consistency. Add more juice for a thinner icing or more powdered sugar for a thicker one.
• When decorating the top of the cake you can also add some fresh rosemary sprigs for a festive touch.
• You can bake the cake a day in advance and store it, tightly wrapped, at room temperature. Add the icing and cranberries just before serving.

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