Deep, dark chocolate gingerbread Bundt cake full of warming spices. This chocolate gingerbread Bundt cake with cream cheese frosting is a show stopper dessert around the holidays!
What may look like your run-of-the-mill chocolate Bundt cake, one bite of today’s cake will surely take you for a surprise. Deep in the chocolate crumbs you will taste a medley of warming winter spices, pungent and dark molasses, and a bold ginger taste ready to scare off your gingerbread cookie. And ordinary chocolate Bundt cake? Ha! This is none of the sort.
Originally intending to make a pumpkin chocolate Bundt cake of sorts last weekend, I found myself eager to try something a little new. While I love pumpkin dearly, I am beginning to embrace the flavors of the upcoming holidays. There are no flavors I associate more with holidays than gingerbread or molasses, so into my chocolate Bundt cake went… Christmas.
Into the cake batter goes cocoa powder, whole milk, molasses, eggs, and brown sugar. I used oil as my fat in the recipe because I’ve learned that oil produces a much softer, moist slice of cake as opposed to butter. While I love butter in my cookie recipes, when I’m not looking for an item to spread and to remain moist over time – I find oil does the trick. Especially a cake with so much flavor from the ginger, molasses, and spices – you will not miss the butter in this recipe at all. Box cake mixes (which have the texture I was looking for) are baked using oil, not butter.
For the festive spicesโif you’re anything like meโyou’re going to lend a heavy hand pouring your cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves into the mix. The two teaspoons of ginger are necessary (you’re making gingerbread after all). I typically get sprinkle happy when it comes to spices in my baked goods, but the spice amounts below were even spot-on to my taste tasters. Just the right amounts, they said.
Spice is always nice.
The cake is left ultra moist from the oil, molasses, and dark brown sugar. More often than not, I favor using dark brown sugar in my baked goods because it adds a larger scale of flavor depth.
1/2 cup of dark molasses gives the cake a huge flavor punchโa little bit of molasses can go a long way, but in a dense chocolate Bundt cake, a whopping 1/2 cup is not overpowering at all. Use unsulphured or dark molasses (do not use blackstrap; I prefer Grandma’s brand). I prefer dark molasses because it has a more robust flavor than light molasses (comparable to the taste difference between light brown sugar and dark brown sugar).
*Tip: Spraying your measuring cup with non-stick spray before measuring the molasses will save you a lot of sticky trouble!
The cake’s texture is soft, yet denseโexactly how you can imagine the taste of gingerbread and chocolate cake if the two combined forces. You’ve got your pungent, slightly spicy, and thick slice of gingerbread with a delicate and moist piece of chocolate cake all in one bite. The chocolate flavor comes through a bit more in this cake than it does in chocolate ginger cookies. Each crumb is ultra moist, chocolatey rich, and tender. Texture perfection, if you ask me. There are so many complex flavors happening in this cake that it is practically impossible to stop eating it. If you love the flavors together here, you’ll enjoy them in my chocolate gingerbread sandwich cookies, too!
The frosting was an afterthought and while this cake is simply glorious on its own, I felt a tangy and creamy layer overtop was the perfect addition. The cream cheese frosting is a Sally special… the perfect ratio of cream cheese to butter, confectioners’ sugar to vanilla, and a splash of milk to get things moving in the mixer. The white frosting is quite thick and smooths beautifully over the dark chocolate BundtโI love the color contrast of the two!
I topped the the frosting with a light drizzle of chocolate sauce. From the spices in the batter, the frosting piled on top, to the chocolate drizzleโapparently “more is better” is my motto today. Gingerbread waffles are an amazing holiday breakfast, but THIS is how I like my holiday gingerbread dessert. ๐
More Gingerbread Recipes
- Gingerbread Muffins
- Upside-Down Pear Gingerbread Cake
- Gingerbread Cookie Bars & Gingerbread Cookies
- Gingerbread Whoopie Pies
- Homemade Gingerbread House (with free template)
- Gingerbread Cake
Chocolate Gingerbread Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 10-12
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Deep, dark chocolate gingerbread Bundt cake full of warming spices. This chocolate gingerbread Bundt cake with cream cheese frosting is a show stopper dessert around the holidays!
Ingredients
Chocolate Gingerbread Cake
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup (120ml) unsulphured or dark molasses (do not use blackstrap; I prefer Grandma’s brand)
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (60ml) water
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup (60ml) whole milk
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 cup (41g) unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 4 ounces (113g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2–3 cups (240-360g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2–4 Tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- optional: chocolate sauce, for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325ยฐF (163ยฐC). Spray a 9-inch Bundt pan with nonstick spray. Dust with cocoa powder and tap out excess. Set aside.
- Make the cake: Over medium-low heat, melt together the oil, molasses, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup water in a medium saucepan until all of the brown sugar has dissolved. Transfer to a large bowl and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Whisk the eggs and milk into the molasses mixture after it has cooled (to avoid heating and scrambling the eggs). Set aside.
- Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg into a medium bowl. Gently fold the flour mixture into the molasses mixture until just combined. There will be lumps remaining. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes until cake is pulling away from the sides and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow cake to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
- As the cake cools, make the frosting: In a large bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add the confectioners sugar. Add the vanilla and the milk, 1 tablespoon at a time until you’ve reached the desired thickness. Add a little more sugar or milk if necessary to achieve a spreadable frosting.
- Invert cake onto a cake stand or a large serving platter. Frost cake immediately before serving and drizzle with chocolate sauce (optional).
- Cake remains fresh for up to 4 days stored in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-inch Bundt Pan | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Fine Mesh Sieve | Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand)
- Cake adapted from Martha Stewart.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I made this cake for the Superbowl party and all my guests thought it was wonderful! I thought the cake was the correct sweetness, very moist and so good from the spices. Will definitely make this again.
This was delicious! My only challenge was the airbubbles in the final cake form didn’t create the polished bundt aesthetic I wanted. Any tips on getting the air bubbles out?
Hi Mo! Gently tapping the filled Bundt pan on the counter a few times before baking can help get rid of air bubbles.
This year was my first time hosting Christmas dinner and I decided to make this cake. It was an absolute hit! It was incredibly moist with the warmth of the ginger just bursting through the chocolate. I did take the advice of another commenter and replaced half the amount of molasses with maple syrup. I also made a bourbon cream cheese frosting for a little extra oomph and let me tell you, that was an inspired choice. I’m genuinely surprised that I have any left as most of my guest went back for a second or third slice. But with it being so dense, a little slice went a long way. At least now I get to enjoy it with coffee for the next few mornings, a perfect match.
Canโt wait to make this! If Iโd like to bake it a cute Christmas tree shaped sheet pan, would you adjust the baking time?
Hi Carly, This recipe should work in this pan, but we’re unsure of the bake time. Our cake pan sizes and conversions guide may be helpful. Let us know how it goes!
Could you make this recipe into cupcakes?
Definitely! Careful not to fill the liners more than about half way full. Chocolate cake batter rises pretty tall while baking.
Would you be able to use this for little loaf cakes instead of a bunt pan?
Definitely!
This cake is delicious! I felt it was sweet enough for my taste, so instead of the cream cheese frosting, I piped a line of royal icing along the ridges made by my bundt cake pan, and it was just enough frosting for me. I will be making this again.
Is it possible to make this without the cocoa powder? What would you sub instread?