Gingerbread Bundt Cake Recipe — Moist Spiced Holiday Cake

This gingerbread bundt cake is incredibly moist with a rich ginger-molasses flavor and a bright lemon glaze. It’s an elegant, simple Christmas dessert that feels warm and cozy.

This post was updated December 11, 2024 with new photos and a slightly updated recipe to help the cake stay moist longer.

Gingerbread is a holiday staple, but this gingerbread bundt cake deserves a place on your Christmas baking list. It combines warm spices, unsulphured molasses, brown sugar and a hint of lemon to brighten the flavors. The crumb is tender and moist thanks to a blend of butter and a bit of oil, plus both sour cream and milk. A simple lemon glaze finishes the cake with a touch of sweetness and acidity, making it an elegant yet straightforward dessert that tastes like the season.

Making the Perfect Gingerbread Bundt Cake

Read these tips before you bake. They’ll help the cake release cleanly from the pan and keep the texture even and moist.

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). I usually prepare the pan right before spooning in the batter — this helps the cake release more easily.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl: all-purpose flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking powder, baking soda and salt. The spices are pronounced to deliver a full gingerbread flavor.
3. In a separate large bowl, cream the softened butter with brown sugar, granulated sugar and lemon zest until fluffy. The lemon zest helps lift and brighten the spice profile.

4. Beat in the oil, unsulphured molasses and vanilla extract. Use regular molasses — blackstrap is too bitter for this cake.
5. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition to keep from overworking the batter.

6. With the mixer on low, add about one-third of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, then whisk in the sour cream. Alternating dry and wet additions prevents overmixing and creates a uniform crumb.

7. Add another third of the dry ingredients, then whisk in the milk. Finish with the remaining dry ingredients, mixing only until you no longer see lumps or streaks of flour. I often finish the last additions by hand with a whisk to avoid overmixing.

8. Prepare a 12-cup bundt pan with pan release or a generous coating of softened butter and flour. Make sure the pan release gets into all crevices so the cake unmolds cleanly. You can buy pan release or make your own by combining equal parts butter (or shortening), flour and oil and beating until smooth.
9. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

9. Bake for about 50–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top feels firm to the touch. Baking time can vary with different ovens and pan shapes.

Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes, then invert it onto a plate to finish cooling. Once cooled, drizzle with a simple lemon glaze made from powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice. The glaze adds a bright contrast to the deep molasses and spice flavors.

This gingerbread bundt cake is rich with warming spices, moist from the combination of butter, oil, sour cream and milk, and perfectly balanced by the lemon glaze. It’s refined in its simplicity and ideal for holiday gatherings.

Gingerbread Bundt Cake

By: Fiona Dowling

Incredibly moist, richly spiced ginger-molasses cake finished with a sweet-tart lemon glaze — a simple, elegant holiday dessert.

Prep: 25 mins

Cook: 55 mins

Total: 1 hr 20 mins

Servings: 14 slices

Equipment

• 12-cup bundt pan

Ingredients

Gingerbread Bundt Cake

• 3 cups all-purpose flour (375 grams)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter (168 grams), softened
• 1 1/4 cup brown sugar (262 grams), packed
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50 grams)
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil (60 ml)
• 2/3 cup unsulphured molasses (160 ml), do not use blackstrap
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (15 ml)
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sour cream (180 ml)
• 3/4 cup milk (180 ml), whole or 2%

Lemon Glaze

• 1 1/2 – 2 cups powdered sugar (165–220 grams)
• 1 – 2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed

Instructions

Gingerbread Bundt Cake

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and lemon zest until fluffy.
• Mix in the oil, molasses and vanilla extract.
• Beat in the eggs one at a time.
• With the mixer on low, add about one-third of the flour mixture, then whisk in the sour cream.
• Add another third of the dry ingredients, whisk in the milk, then finish with the remaining dry ingredients. Stop mixing as soon as the batter is uniform; finish by hand if needed.
• Prepare the bundt pan with pan release or butter and flour.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
• Bake about 50–60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and the top feels firm.
• Cool in the pan at least 20 minutes, then invert onto a plate to finish cooling.

Lemon Glaze

• Whisk 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon lemon juice. If too thick, add more lemon juice; if too thin, add more powdered sugar. The glaze should be white and thin enough to drizzle.
• Drizzle over the cooled cake.

Notes

1. Bundt Pan: Use a non-stick 12-cup bundt pan. Avoid pans with very intricate designs to help the cake release.
2. Greasing the Pan: Grease thoroughly with pan release or a butter-flour-oil mixture to coat all crevices.
3. Glaze: Lemon juice can be swapped for milk for a neutral glaze, or simply dust the cake with powdered sugar instead.
4. Storage: Store covered at room temperature up to 2 days or in the refrigerator up to 4 days. Freeze unfrosted, wrapped tightly, for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before glazing. Avoid thawing at room temperature to prevent a gummy center.

Nutrition

Calories: 457kcal
, Carbohydrates: 70g
, Protein: 5g
, Fat: 18g