This Old Fashioned Gingerbread Bundt Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Icing 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 Bekah and I 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!
More Holiday Recipes:
- Candy Cane Thumbprint Cookies
- Peppermint Crinkle Cookies
- Chocolate Orange Pudding Cake
- Olive Oil Carrot Cake
- Cranberry Wild Rice Soup
Frequently Asked Questions
Choose a bundt cake pan with a non-stick coating. It is still important to grease your pan well with a cooking spray or by using a brush and vegetable oil. Be sure to grease every nook and cranny. Butter is not the best choice for greasing a bundt pan as the milk solids may cause sticking. Sprinkle flour into the pan and tap the sides to distribute it evenly. When the cake is finished baking, it is important to let it cool for 10 to 20 minutes. Then invert your cake over a wire cooling rack. Let cool completely before adding icing.
Choose fancy molasses for baking as opposed to blackstrap molasses which has gone through additional boiling in processing. Fancy molasses is lighter and sweeter and is also known as cooking molasses. Blackstrap molasses is more often used for savoury recipes such as baked beans and barbecue sauce.
Any cake with a cream cheese frosting should be stored in the refrigerator. You shouldn’t let it sit out any longer than two hours.
Recipe Steps
Combine the first 6 dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
Cream the room temperature butter and sugar together. Beat for two minutes until well combined.
Add the egg and beat until combined. Blend in the molasses.
Add the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined.
Now add the hot water and mix the batter until it is smooth.
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.
Tips for Making Gingerbread Bundt Cake
- Grease your pan well with vegetable oil and then dust with flour. After baking, wait 10-20 minutes before turning out your cake.
More Recipes to Enjoy
Peanut Butter Swirl Black Bean Brownies
These peanut butter swirl black bean brownies are so fudgy and so delicious. The texture can’t be beaten! They seriously are like fudge.
These gluten-free buckwheat flour brownies are fudgy and chocolatey. They really call for a tall glass of ice-cold milk.
Gingerbread Bundt Cake
Gingerbread Bundt Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cake
- 2 ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- 1 cup hot water
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup fancy molasses
Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- ¼ cup orange juice
- orange zest from half an orange
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
Frosted Cranberries
- 1 ½ cup fresh cranberries
- ¼ cup sugar for simple syrup
- ¼ cup water
- ⅓ cup sugar for rolling
Instructions
Gingerbread Cake
- Combine the first 6 dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Cream the room temperature butter and sugar together. Beat for two minutes until well combined.
- Add the egg and beat until combined. Blend in the molasses.
- Add the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined.
- Now add the hot water and mix the batter until it is smooth.
- 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.
Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
- 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.
Frosted Cranberries
- 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.
- The cranberries will keep in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
Notes
- Let the cake fully cool before icing.
Nutrition
If you make this recipe please leave a comment and give this recipe a rating! I aim to respond to every single comment. I am so grateful when you trust me and try one of my recipe creations in your own kitchen. I love to hear how it went! Let’s connect on Instagram and tag me in your food pics!
‘Til next time,
Allison W says
This looks so beautiful! Can't wait to try this for a beautiful holiday dessert