Citrus Gingerbread Bundt Cake

Merry Christmas! We're celebrating with a Citrus Gingerbread Bundt Cake. How about you?

A little something festive and spiced to serve this holiday season... this cake is full of orange and lemon zest, thick molasses, and ground ginger, cinnamon and clove.

Citrus Gingerbread Bundt Cake comes together in a flash. And with the help of a stylish bundt pan and a thick drizzle of icing, you've got yourself a very snazzy looking dessert! In fact, this time I've year, I dare say you can even get away with serving this cake for brunch.

Citrus Gingerbread Bundt Cake

Ingredients

For the cake

·       ¾ cup butter, softened

·       ½ cup dark brown sugar

·       1 1/3 cup molasses

·       1 cup hot tap water

·       1/3 cup orange juice

·       Zest of 2 oranges

·       Zest of 2 lemons

·       1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

·       2 eggs

·       3 cups flour

·       1 tsp baking soda

·       1 tsp baking powder

·       3 tsp ground ginger

·       3 tsp ground cinnamon

·       ½ tsp ground cloves

·       ½ tsp salt

For the glaze

·       1 ½ cup powdered sugar

·       ½ tsp vanilla extract

·       1-3 tbsp milk

·       Orange and lemon zest for garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 350F. Liberally grease a bundt pan with non-stick spray.

For the cake… In the bowl of a standmixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar on medium high speed until fluffy. Scrape down the bowl with a spatula. Pour in the molasses, hot tap water, and orange juice. Beat again on medium speed until smooth and combined. Beat in the orange and lemon zest and the vanilla extract. Scrape down the bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, mixer between each addition. Beat on medium speed until the eggs are both incorporated. Scrape down the bowl.

Sprinkle the flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt over the wet ingredients. Incorporate the flour and spices into the batter on low speed. Gradually increase the speed to medium to keep the flour in the mixing bowl. Continue to mix until just combine – do not overmix or you will create a tough cake.

Spoon the cake batter evenly into the greased bundt pan. Ensure batter makes its way into all the edges and nooks of the pan. Smooth the surface of the batter.

Bake cake for about 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with just a crumb or two.

Allow the cake to cool for about 15 minutes before inverted it out of the pan and onto a cake stand or serving platter. Allow the cake to cool to room temperature.

For the glaze… whisk together the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. While whisking, add the milk one tablespoon at a time until reaching your desired consistency. I prefer a very thick but pourable glaze. If you prefer a much thinner glaze, continue to splash in milk.

Spoon the glaze over the cooled cake. Allow the glaze to drip down the sides of the cake. If desired, garnish the top of the cake with a bit of orange and lemon zest.

Serve thick slices of the cake at room temperature.

Serves 10-12

Gluten Free Friendly!

I recommend swapping the flour for Cup4Cup.