Shortcut Gingerbread Bundt Cake
A moist, warmly spiced gingerbread bundt cake made the easy shortcut way with a doctored spice cake mix, rich molasses, and a velvety cream cheese glaze that drips beautifully into the swirl bundt grooves.
Ingredients
For the Gingerbread Bundt Cake
- 1 box spice cake mix
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup molasses
- 4 large eggs
- ¼ cup milk or water
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon cloves (optional)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 –3 tablespoons brown sugar (optional)
Cream Cheese Glaze
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 4 tablespoons butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Milk added 1 tablespoon at a time until pourable
Optional Garnishes
- Sugared cranberries
- Fresh rosemary sprigs
- Orange zest curls
- Powdered sugar for dusting, if skipping glaze
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 10-cup swirl bundt pan thoroughly, making sure every groove is coated. Baking spray with flour works best.
- In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, sour cream, oil, molasses, eggs, milk or water, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, optional cloves, vanilla, and optional brown sugar.
- Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl halfway through.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan, then tap the pan lightly on the counter to release air bubbles.
- Bake for 40–50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted deep into a groove comes out clean or with moist crumbs.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes.
- Place a cooling rack on top of the pan, flip, and lift the pan straight up to release the cake. For extra moisture (highly recommended): After unmolding, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap while it’s still warm and place it in the freezer for several hours or overnight. This traps the steam and gives the cake an ultra-moist, velvety texture—just like my Nothing Bundt Cake copycats. Let it thaw for at least an hour before frosting.If you’re short on time, simply let the cake cool completely on the rack before glazing.
- Beat the softened cream cheese, softened butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
- Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until the glaze is thick but pourable—similar to warm honey.
- Spoon or pour the glaze slowly over the cooled cake, letting it run into the swirl grooves or cascade down the sides. (Glaze Amount Note: This recipe makes enough glaze to fully cover the cake. Use more or less depending on how much of your bundt pattern you want to highlight.)
Notes
- Powdered Sugar Option (Instead of Glaze): Prefer a simple finish? Dust the completely cooled cake generously with powdered sugar for a lighter, “snow-kissed” look that highlights the swirl pattern.
- Optional Holiday Garnishes: For a festive touch, add sugared cranberries, fresh rosemary sprigs, or a few curls of orange zest around the base of the cake.
- Don’t overbake: Gingerbread is meant to be soft and moist. Start checking at 40 minutes.
- Pan prep is key: Grease every groove of the swirl pan for the cleanest release.
- Even better the next day: The gingerbread spices deepen and the texture becomes even richer.
- Make ahead: Bake the cake a day in advance and glaze just before serving.
- Freezing: Freeze unglazed slices for up to 3 months.
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