This chocolate gingerbread cake is wonderfully moist, with deep cocoa, warm spices and molasses. It’s finished with a glossy chocolate ganache but is equally lovely dusted with powdered sugar. A perfect holiday dessert.
This chocolate gingerbread bundt blends two beloved flavors—rich chocolate and classic gingerbread—into a cake full of cozy, layered taste. Cocoa, warm spices, brown sugar and molasses combine for a complex palate, and a drizzle of dark chocolate ganache elevates the finished cake. Think of it as a spiced chocolate cake or a gingerbread with a chocolate twist.
The texture is one of the highlights: moist and slightly dense like a traditional bundt, but not heavy. The crumb has a gentle spring and holds to your fork, making each slice satisfying and tender.
Making the Perfect Chocolate Gingerbread Cake
This recipe is adapted from both my gingerbread bundt and chocolate bundt recipes and balances butter and oil—the butter for flavor, the oil for lasting moisture. Eggs, sour cream and boiling water keep the crumb tender. I prefer sour cream in bundt cakes because it yields a slightly denser, more substantial texture than a light, airy cake.
For chocolate, I recommend Dutch-process cocoa for a deeper, richer flavor and darker color. The spice blend—ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg—creates the warm gingerbread profile without overwhelming the chocolate. Molasses deepens the classic gingerbread notes, and brown sugar and vanilla round out the taste.
Adding boiling water activates, or “blooms,” the cocoa, intensifying the chocolate flavor while also loosening the batter for a moist finish.
Recipe Tip
When combining dry ingredients and sour cream into the batter, alternate additions: add about one-third of the dry mix, then half of the sour cream, and repeat, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. This method prevents overmixing and yields an even crumb.
Overmixing can make the cake dry and tough, so mix only until combined.
Serving Tips
I like a glossy chocolate ganache poured over the cake for added richness and eye appeal.
- For a simpler finish, dust the cake with powdered sugar.
- It’s also excellent with a warm butterscotch sauce or a cream cheese frosting if you prefer a sweeter topping. For decorating only the top, halve the frosting recipe.
More Christmas Desserts to Try
- Gingerbread Cheesecake
- Chocolate Peppermint Bundt Cake
- Peppermint Bark Cheesecake
- Eggnog Bundt Cake
- Classic Old Fashioned Gingerbread
Chocolate Gingerbread Bundt Cake
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Equipment
-
12-cup bundt pan
Ingredients
Chocolate Gingerbread Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250 grams)
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder (60 grams)
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (112 grams), softened
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil (60 ml) or canola oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (105 grams)
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup molasses (do not use blackstrap)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream (240 ml), full-fat, room temperature
- 1/2 cup boiling water (120 ml)
Chocolate Ganache
- 4 ounces dark chocolate (112 grams), about 2/3 cup chips (50-60% or semi-sweet works)
- 1/2 cup whipping cream (33-35% fat)
Instructions
Gingerbread Bundt Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease a 12-cup bundt pan with pan release or a generous coating of butter and flour, making sure to get into all crevices.
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine and remove lumps.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars until creamed, then beat in the oil.
- Add vanilla, then beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.
- On low speed, add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in three additions. Between each addition, beat in half of the sour cream. Start and finish with the dry ingredients. Scrape the bowl after each addition and avoid overmixing.
- Whisk the boiling water into the batter until smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the center of the oven for 50–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. The top should feel slightly springy. Oven times vary, so check doneness early and late as needed.
- Cool the cake in the pan for at least 20 minutes, then carefully invert onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
Chocolate Ganache
- Chop the chocolate finely if using a bar, and place it in a heatproof bowl.
- Heat the cream until just about to boil, either in short bursts in the microwave or gently on the stove. Do not let it burn.
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit 2–4 minutes, then whisk until smooth and glossy.
- Place the cooled cake on your serving plate and pour the warm ganache over the top, allowing it to drip down the sides.
Notes
- Cocoa: Dutch-process yields a richer flavor and darker color. To make a milder chocolate cake, increase flour to 2 1/4 cups and reduce cocoa to 1/2 cup.
- Spices: For a subtler spice, reduce the amounts: 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon cloves. For stronger spice, increase ginger to 1 tablespoon and adjust the others proportionally.
- Sour cream: Use full-fat sour cream at room temperature for best texture.
- Pan release: Store-bought pan release works well. To make your own, beat together 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup butter until smooth. Brush into the pan with a pastry brush and store any extra in the fridge.
- Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerated up to 5 days. The cake (without ganache) freezes well for up to 2 months—wrap tightly and thaw in the fridge to avoid a gummy texture.
- Nutrition: Values are estimates based on one slice with ganache from a 12-slice cake.
Nutrition
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