This classic gingerbread cake has the perfect balance of warm spices and sweet molasses. A slight hit of bourbon in the cake and glaze make this cake a party all its own!
This cake uses the Nordic Ware gingerbread house mold, but you can substitute it for any bundt pan, and the cake will look just as festive!
This cake is so easy to make, and it is a great Christmas centerpiece and a wonderful alternative to a gingerbread house. It's so much easier to make and doesn't require any additional candy or decor to make it look like the perfect holiday cottage.
Old fashioned gingerbread is one of my favorite desserts for December, and this is the best and such an easy gingerbread recipe!
Key ingredients:
Vegetable/canola oil - this recipe uses oil instead of butter. There is a bit of water in butter that evaporates while baking and butter cakes dry out faster than oil-based cakes. Flavorless oil helps to add and keep moisture in this cake.
Sour Cream: Sour cream adds moisture and a light and velvety texture to cakes. Since this cake doesn't have any butter, sour cream is used for texture and a bit of tang.
Molasses: Molasses is super important in old-fashioned gingerbread cakes; it sweetens, moisturizes, and colors the bundt cake.
Ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves: these spices are what give the gingerbread its gingery flavor. They are perfectly balanced to complement each other and provide the right amount of spicy warmth to the cake.
Bourbon: totally optional, but bourbon adds depth of flavor and additional warm and spicy notes to the cake and the glaze.
How to make this recipe:
This recipe is so easy and doesn't even require a mixer!
Time needed: 1 hour
- Preheat the oven and spray a 9 cup bunt pan with oil.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and salt together.
- Whisk the sour cream, molasses, oil, vanilla, eggs, brown sugar, and bourbon in a large bowl.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until the flour mixture has been fully incorporated.
- Dust the bundt pan with a bit of cocoa powder and fill the pan with the cake batter.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.
- Make the glaze by combining the powdered sugar, bourbon, and milk in a bowl and stir until no clumps are left.
- Pour the glaze over the cake and serve!
Tips for this recipe:
- Fully whisk the wet ingredients so that the sour cream gets fully incorporated. This will ensure an even texture to the cake.
- Spray your bundt pan with oil and then dust with cocoa powder. This will ensure that it comes out clean and doesn't leave any white flour marks.
- If you want to omit the bourbon, leave it out of the cake, substitute milk for bourbon, and add 2 teaspoons vanilla in the glaze.
FAQ's:
I used this 9 cup gingerbread house mold but use any 9 cup mold.
Oil. There is a bit of water in butter that evaporates while baking and butter cakes dry out faster than oil-based cakes. Flavorless oil helps to add and keep moisture in this cake.
Although best served the day of, an unglazed gingerbread cake will keep for up to 3 days in an air-tight container. Once glazed, it will keep for 1 day.
LOOKING FOR MORE HOLIDAY RECIPES?! CHECK THESE OUT!
Gingerbread Cake with Bourbon Cream
Molasses Cookies with Bourbon French Buttercream
Mint Chocolate Brownie Cookies
THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING ABOUT THIS AWESOME PIE! IF YOU MAKE IT BE SURE TO LEAVE A COMMENT AND/OR GIVE THIS RECIPE A RATING! I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR EVERYONE'S THOUGHTS!
Print
Moist Bourbon Gingerbread Bundt Cake
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 1 9 cup bunt cake 1x
- Category: dessert
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: american
Description
This classic gingerbread cake has the perfect balance of warm spices and sweet molasses. A slight hit of bourbon in the cake and glaze make this cake a party all its own!
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 ⅔ cup flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 4 teaspoons ground ginger
- 3 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons allspice
- ¾ teaspoon cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup sour cream
- ½ cup molasses
- ⅔ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
- 3 eggs
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup bourbon
For the glaze
- 1 cup powder sugar
- 3 tablespoons bourbon
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and spray a 9 cup bunt pan with oil.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and salt together.
- Whisk the sour cream, molasses, oil, vanilla, eggs, brown sugar, and bourbon together in a large bowl.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until the flour mixture has been fully incorporated.
- Dust the bundt pan with a bit of cocoa powder (or flour) and fill the pan with the cake batter.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.
- Let cool for 5-10 minutes, and then flip the pan to remove the cake and let it finish cooling on a cooling rack.
- Make the glaze by combining the powdered sugar, bourbon, and milk in a bowl and stir until no clumps are left.
- Pour the glaze over the cake and serve!
Notes
- Fully whisk the wet ingredients so that the sour cream gets fully incorporated. This will ensure an even texture to the cake.
- Spray your bundt pan with oil and then dust with cocoa powder. This will ensure that it comes out clean and doesn't leave any white flour marks.
- If you want to omit the bourbon, leave it out of the cake, substitute milk for bourbon, and add 2 teaspoons vanilla in the glaze.
Keywords: Gingerbread cake
Jacquelyn Sorensen says
Tried to print recipe, got 11 pages with a few words on each, and no recipe! Help!!
pate giltner says
Hi!! Thanks so much for wanting to try it! Try the print recipe through the print recipe button in the recipe card. That button tends to work a little better than the one at the top of the post.
Dottir says
How do you balance the pan in the oven? Would you set it inside a pot or is there an easier way that escapes me?
Pate Giltner says
I just place mine on the oven rack, but you could also place it on a baking sheet.