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Home Recipes Gingerbread Bundt Cake
GF Gluten-Free DF Dairy Free VG Vegetarian NF Nut-Free

Gingerbread Bundt Cake

Jump to Recipe Rate Recipe
Posted:12/22/20
Updated:12/22/20
gingerbread bundt cake

A healthier take on a holiday recipe, Whole Grain Gingerbread Bundt Cake! An effortlessly beautiful cake to serve friends and family. Made with whole grain flour, applesauce, molasses and gingerbread spices. Dairy-free recipe.

gingerbread bundt cake this recipe

Bundt cakes! They’re easy to make, effortlessly gorgeous and often times you don’t even need to worry about frosting.

This Gingerbread cake was a long time coming! It’s something I worked on for weeks.

Gingerbread in the winter time is kind of like fall and pumpkin. I mean, sure there’s a “season” but who says when that season actually has to end?

So let’s keep on keepin’ on with the gingerbread all winter long!

The Perfect Holiday Cake Recipe

sliced gingerbread bundt cake with powdered sugar on marble round

If you or someone you know loves molasses and spice, this cake needs to happen in your kitchen.

It’s soft, moist and I may or may not have been slathering pieces of it with nutella (yeah, it’s amazing).

Ingredients Needed

  • whole grain flour – I use “whole wheat pastry flour” because it will yield the lightest, best cake texture. However, you can also use half whole wheat, half all-purpose. Or all whole wheat white. Or even half whole wheat white and half all-purpose.
  • gingerbread spices – can’t have gingerbread cake without gingerbread spices!
  • baking soda & salt – leavening and salt balances flavor.
  • molasses – adds the rich flavor of molasses you know and love in gingerbread cookies
  • brown sugar – a little more sweetness though you could also sub coconut sugar, or granulated sugar if you’d like.
  • applesauce and oil – by using both applesauce and oil, we keep the cake a little lighter but also moist!
  • eggs – the eggs help create structure in the cake. I haven’t tested a vegan version (yet!).
  • vanilla extract – it’s always a good idea for a little flavor boost.
  • non-dairy milk, such as oat – I used oat milk here making this recipe dairy free and nut free. But feel free to use your favorite (dairy or not).
ingredients for gingerbread cake in bowl

How to Make a Gingerbread Cake

This gingerbread cake the perfect cake for the holidays. Whether you need a Christmas cake recipe or just love ginger and spices, you will want this on your dessert table!

Step 1 – mix the dry ingredients

Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease 10-12 cup bundt pan; set aside.

In medium-large bowl, add all dry ingredients (flour, baking soda/powder, salt, spices). Whisk to combine and set aside.

Step 2 – mix the wet ingredients

In large bowl beat together sugar, oil, applesauce and molasses until combined (medium-high speed with electric mixer). Add in eggs and vanilla, beating on medium speed until combined.

Step 3 – combine ingredients

Begin adding bowl of dry ingredients, alternating with milk (about 1/2 cup of flour alternating with about 1/4 cup milk) mixing on low speed until just combined. Do not over-stir or cake will be tough.

Step 4 – bake

Immediately pour batter into greased bundt pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Cake is done when inserted toothpick comes out with little to no crumbs.

  • gingerbread cake batter in bundt pan

Step 5 – cool and dust with powdered sugar

Be sure to let the cake cool in the pan, about 15 minutes before flipping it out. When you’re ready to remove the cake from the pan, gently bang the pan on the counter then place a cooling rack over top of the pan and flip. The cake *should* come right out.

Allow gingerbread cake to rest for another 15 minutes before adding the powdered sugar dusting.

TIP: If you add the sugar when the cake is still very hot, the sugar will just dissolve into the cake.

baked gingerbread bundt cake

Questions about this Gingerbread Cake Recipe…

How long will this gingerbread cake keep? – You can make this cake 1-2 days ahead of time. I would cover tightly with plastic wrap (or bee’s wrap!) and store in a covered container if possible. It can sit at room temperature, and is best enjoyed within 3-4 days.

Can I use a gluten-free flour blend? –  Yes, but make sure it’s a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour. I use Bob’s Red Mill and it (pretty much always) turns out really well when subbing for whole wheat flours.

Is this recipe dairy-free? – Yes! I used oat milk in this recipe but you can use soy, cashew, almond or coconut (or a blend). You can also use traditional cow’s milk if preferred.

Can I make this recipe vegan by substituting the eggs? – I have not been able to test that yet, so I’m afraid I don’t have a good answer to that. Sometimes using an egg substitute like flaxseed “eggs” work, but not always. Eggs will help provide lift and structure so subbing them out could cause some texture issues.

Can I add a glaze? – For sure! I was actually contemplating a lemon glaze for this recipe, but because the bundt pan design was so pretty (it’s the “Jubilee“) , I opted for a simple powdered sugar dusting. If you want to add a glaze, start with about 1 cup powdered sugar, and 1/2 tablespoon to 1 tablespoon liquid (water, milk, lemon or orange juice) – adjust glaze consistency to your liking.

If you make this recipe, don’t forget to comment and review below! I love hearing from you and it helps others learn about the recipe too! Xx Ashley

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Gingerbread Bundt Cake

sliced gingerbread bundt cake with powdered sugar on marble round
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★★★★★

5 from 5 reviews

A healthier take on a holiday recipe, Whole Grain Gingerbread Bundt Cake! An effortlessly beautiful cake to serve friends and family. Made with whole grain flour, applesauce, molasses and gingerbread spices. Dairy-free recipe.

  • Author: Ashley
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 10 servings 1x
  • Category: dessert
  • Method: oven
  • Cuisine: American Holidays

Ingredients

Scale

Dry ingredients

  • 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour (see notes)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons ginger
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves  (if you don’t have these spices on hand don’t worry about buying them)
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Wet ingredients

  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup oil (light olive, sunflower, etc.)
  • 2/3 cup applesauce
  • 1/3 cup molasses
  • 3 large eggs, room temp
  • 1 TBSP vanilla extract
  • 1 cup milk (of choice), room temp

confectioners sugar for dusting

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease 10-12 cup bundt pan; set aside.

  2. In medium-large bowl, add all dry ingredients (flour, baking soda/powder, salt, spices). Whisk to combine and set aside.

  3. In large bowl beat together sugar, oil, applesauce and molasses until combined (medium-high speed with electric mixer). Add in eggs and vanilla, beating on medium speed until combined.

  4. Begin adding bowl of dry ingredients, alternating with milk (about 1/2 cup of flour alternating with about 1/4 cup milk) mixing on low speed until just combined. Do not over-stir or cake will be tough.

  5. Immediately pour batter into greased bundt pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Cake is done when inserted toothpick comes out with little to no crumbs. Allow cake to cool in pan about 15 minutes before removing from pan. Let cake to cool a bit longer before adding powdered sugar dusting.

Notes

Cake was photographed with honey, so if you notice your cake is a bit darker, this is correct! Using molasses will make the cake a darker color. That being said, if you don’t like molasses flavor as much, you can make this cake with honey and still have gingerbread spices come through!

Keywords: gingerbread bundt cake, gingerbread cake, gluten free gingerbread cake

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @fitmittenkitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #fitmittenkitchen

photography by: Roberta Dall’Alba

About Ashley

"Ashley Walterhouse is the founder of Fit Mitten Kitchen, based in the Greater Lansing Area of Michigan, AKA “the Mitten.” Ashley grew up as a picky eater but later discovered that eating healthy was actually easy and fun. She started FMK in 2015 as a way to share her newfound love of developing healthier recipes for all to enjoy."

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Reader Interactions

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Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  1. Roberta Dall'Alba says

    1/29/2020 at 9:45 am

    We loved this!:)

    x
    Roberta

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  2. Angela Warm says

    12/9/2020 at 2:35 pm

    This was really delicious and super easy to make.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      12/10/2020 at 9:39 am

      So glad you liked! Thanks so much for your comment

      Reply
  3. Hilary says

    1/21/2021 at 8:13 pm

    Amazing!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  4. Sarah says

    2/8/2021 at 4:46 pm

    I loved it! The cake was perfectly soft and fluffy. Would totally recommend it! The spices make it a perfect treat around christmas.
    Used granulated sugar and freshly grated ginger, so i didn‘t add any milk, but it worked very well.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  5. Rachel Diskin says

    11/2/2022 at 6:13 pm

    I made this with 3 flax seed eggs to go completely vegan and it’s perfect! It falls toward the less sweet side of the scale, but it’s perfect for me 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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