These adorable mini gingerbread bundt cakes are a delicious way to celebrate the winter season!
Happy Holidays, everyone! How was your Christmas? How has your Hanukkah been so far? I hope that the holidays have been a wonderful experience for you all - no matter what you celebrate!
I had one of the best Christmases I've had in a while. It was filled with lots of great company and laughter and good food. My daughter got so many wonderful gifts she's been wanting for a while and still was able to remember that the best part of Christmas is being with those you love.
How to Make Gingerbread Bundt Cake
It is pretty easy to make this gingerbread bundt cake. And I even have a little gif that shows a little bit of the process for you below the recipe card.
First, start with good ingredients and tools. I am a huge fan of Bob's Red Mill for their flour. If you don't have it available, just use the best that you have around. I also use a nice brandy - don't worry, we don't use a lot!
I also recommend using Nordicware bundt pans. The quality of their pans is unsurpassed. They will last generations to come. I used this particular bundt pan to make these mini houses.
Overall, the steps are fairly simple and you can relax making the mini gingerbread cakes on the weekend or even a relaxing weeknight.
- Hydrate your figs with the brandy
- Cream butter, sugar, and spices.
- Beat in eggs.
- Add flour, buttermilk, and brandy.
- Bake.
How to Decorate and Finish Your Gingerbread Bundt Cake
They are perfect with a dusting of powdered sugar. I love it because it looks like snow covering the little houses. You can also add a glaze to it. I recommend an eggnog glaze, vanilla glaze, or lemon glaze which all also has a snowy look. Brandy icing also goes well and ties in to the flavor of the cake.
You can even make a few options and allow everyone to finish their individual cake as they like.
What Does This Gingerbread Bundt Cake Taste Like?
Normally, I love a lot of ginger bite like with the triple ginger spice cookies and gingerbread scones, but these cakes are a bit more mellow with the ginger and it is complemented with a blend of orange, brandy, and other warm spices for a really tasty treat.
It is warm with plenty of spice and holiday cheer thanks to the brandy and orange. I also add cardamom, which is a personal favorite holiday spice, but you can opt to remove it if it's not a favorite of yours.
The cake is moist and dense without being too heavy. The figs add a delightful pop of flavor that I absolutely love.
Originally, I wanted to do a chocolate stout gingerbread cake, but I prefer the lighter color of this cake which shows the details of the cake better and reminds me more of wooden houses. But the chocolate stout gingerbread cake was amazing. I will definitely share that with you soon.
Want to Bake Some More?
I've got you covered. You absolutely love to try my Gingerbread Cake topped with a little gingerbread scene. If you love chocolate and peppermint, these chocolate peppermint cupcakes are amazing. Everyone will love these homemade milano cookies and these giant double chocolate cookies (P.S. If you love giant food, giant cinnamon roll for the win!) If you would like to relax with a cozy drink, my homemade hot chocolate and apple cider hot toddy are so good.
Recipe Card
Gingerbread Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup dried figs
- ¼ cup brandy
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- zest of one orange
- 1 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 ½ tablespoons grated fresh ginger
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 3 tablespoons molasses
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour plus more for figs
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour the bundt pan and set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix together the figs, brandy, and vanilla together.
- Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds and set aside for 10 minutes, then strain out the liquid.
- Reserve the liquid and figs.
- In your mixing bowl, beat the sugar, butter, orange zest, spices, and fresh ginger together until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time and mix well between each addition. Beat in the molasses.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt together.
- Add one-third of the flour to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. Add the buttermilk and mix until combined.
- Add in another third of the flour and mix until combined. Add in the liquid from the figs.
- Add in the remaining flour and mix until combined. Stir in some flour into the figs and fold them into the batter.
- Evenly divide the batter into the bundt pan and bake for about 25 - 30 minutes (longer if using a regular bundt pan) until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle.
- Allow to cool for about 10 minutes in the pan, then take out the cakes and cool on a wire rack. You may need to cut off the bottoms of the cake so the houses can stand.
- Serve with powdered sugar or icing.
Karen Anderson says
My husband & SIL don't care for figs. Can something else be used? Maybe apricots?
Amanda Powell says
Apricots may work, but I haven't tried it that way. Dates may also work
Seana Turner says
I'm gonna try it, Amanda! I think I still have a cake house mold up on the top shelf of my pantry. Nothing smells better than this baking, right?
Will says
You mention molasses in the ingredients list, but not in the recipe at all. I made the mistake of following the recipe to the letter, only to realize after putting the cakes in the oven that I hadn't used the molasses at all.
Based on the ingredients list order relative to the steps, it seems the molasses should be added around step 4 with the eggs. Please, if you could, update the recipe with the addition of the molasses where it belongs in the step progression.
Thank you!
Amanda Powell says
Thank you for the feedback, I am not sure how I missed that and I am sorry that you ended up with a molasses-free cake. I am fixing it right now. I hope the cake was still good sans molasses
Nkechi says
Ig @EatWhateveryouWant
Twitter @AlwaysEating__
Amy L says
My favorite cake is carrot with cream cheese frosting. I love your little gingerbread cakes - so cute!
Amy L says
I follow both https://instagram.com/aleach61/
Vera K says
My favorite cake is carrot cake. I have it about once in 3 years and I LOVE it.
Vera K says
I follow Bob's Red Mill and A Cookie Named Desire.
Kimberly C says
This sounds so good, I love gingerbread!! My favorite cake is a spice cake with a simple frosting, vanilla or maybe cream cheese.