Gingerbread Bundt Cake

This Gingerbread Bundt Cake is a festive bakery-style dessert made at home. This show-stopping treat will impress everyone at your next holiday party! It’s simple to make using a store-bought cake mix.

Ready to make your kitchen smell like a holiday dream? This Gingerbread Bundt Cake takes all the warm, spicy goodness of traditional gingerbread and creates the most moist and delectable holiday cake you’ve ever had.

When it comes to desserts, they can be daunting, especially cakes. But this gingerbread bundt cake is super simple and easy to prepare thanks to a boxed cake mix as the base of the recipe. We add a packet of vanilla pudding mix to give it an extra tender and moist texture.

Every time I bring this to a holiday party, so many people ask me for the recipe. Be sure to add this cake in your holiday rotation along with other festive desserts like our Red Velvet Bundt Cake and Cherry Berry On a Cloud!

Why You’ll Like This Recipe

• Quick and Easy: Using a cake mix simplifies the preparation process, making this festive gingerbread bundt cake a breeze to whip up in no time.
• Festive Flavors: The combination of winter spices and blackstrap molasses creates a warm, nostalgic flavor that brings all the happy feels of the holidays.
• Impress family and friends: It’s a great cake for any celebration or gathering that will look and taste like a bakery-style dessert. With its bold festive flavors, it’s a great cake to make during the fall and winter – especially celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas!
• Customizable Toppings: Decorate this holiday dessert with festive toppings to match your party theme, making it uniquely yours!

Ingredients

Scroll Down to the Bottom of this Post for Ingredient Amounts Listed in the Printable Recipe Card 

For the Cake

• Spice Cake Mix: The base of the cake that provides a spiced flavor and fluffy texture.
• Ground Ginger: Infuses the cake with its signature warm spice.
• Ground Cinnamon: Adds warmth and sweetness.
• Ground Cloves: Contributes a rich, aromatic quality that deepens the flavor.
• Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix: Ensures a moist and tender crumb.
• Molasses: Dark molasses provides a deep, rich sweetness and deep color.
• Sour Cream: Adds moisture and tanginess, resulting in a softer cake.
• Eggs: Binds the ingredients together and contribute to the cake’s structure.
• Water: Hydrates the ingredients.
• Canola or Vegetable Oil: Keeps the cake tender and moist.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• Cream cheese: Base of the frosting. Make sure it’s truly soft for the texture to be correct.
• Salted butter: Balances out the cream cheese in flavor. Unsalted butter can be used as well. Simply add a pinch of salt if doing so.
• Powdered sugar: Sweetens the icing just right and helps hold its structure.
• Vanilla extract: Adds a nice floral note.
• Festive Topping Options: Crushed gingerbread cookies, candied ginger, chopped nuts, holiday sprinkles, sugared cranberries, and pomegranate seeds.

Tools You’ll Need

• Mixing Bowls
• Hand Mixer 
• Rubber Spatula
• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Ziptop Bag or Piping Bag and Tips
• Bundt Pan

How to Make Gingerbread Bundt Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a Bundt pan with butter or nonstick spray
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the spice cake mix, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and instant vanilla pudding mix, molasses, sour cream, eggs, water, and oil. Mix with a whisk or hand mixer on medium speed just until combined and smooth.

3. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

4. Cool for 10 minutes, then invert the cake onto a cake plate. Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting. 
5. For the icing, in a medium bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese and butter with a spatular or hand mixer on medium-high speed until creamy and smooth. 

6. Add powdered sugar and vanilla, and mix again until smooth. 

7. Fill a pastry or Ziploc bag and cut off the corner. From the outside in, squeeze and pull a line of frosting up and over the cooled cake, into the center hole. Repeat around the whole cake. Slice and garnish as desired.

Expert Tips and Substitutions

• Don’t skip the pudding mix. This enhances the festive spices, ensures it’s never too dry and that you’ll get the best results!
• Fully soften the cream cheese for the frosting as well as the butter. Use room temperature ingredients to ensure it has the right consistency and mixes evenly. Also, DO NOT add the frosting until you have a cool cake!
• Grease the bundt pan thoroughly. This ensures it unmolds with a beautiful shape.
• Don’t over-bake the bundt. This will make it tough and hard in texture.
• Substituting Molasses: For a lighter cake, consider using a combination of honey or maple syrup with light brown sugar or dark brown sugar in place of molasses.
• Box Cake Mix: While spice cake mix is recommended, you can use gingerbread cake mix for an even bolder ginger flavor.
• Add-Ins: Want a little extra texture? Toss in some chocolate chips or chopped nuts to the batter before baking. Orange zest is an excellent flavor addition too!
• Pan Size: You can also bake this cake in a 13×9-inch baking dish. Layer cakes are great for the holidays as well. To do this, bake the batter in 2 square or round pans and adjust the bake time accordingly. You can also make gingerbread cupcakes with this recipe!

Storage

Store the cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

You can also freeze the cake as well for up to 2 months. We recommend slicing the cake and storing in individual slices with plastic wrap and in a container or aluminum foil for ease.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Favorite Holiday Treats

• Creamy Hot Chocolate
• Whipped Shortbread Cookies
• Ritz Cracker Cookies
• Rice Krispie Date Balls