Gingerbread house cake is a beautiful dessert to serve at any holiday dinner! Although these cakes might look complicated, they’re actually not! I’ll show you how easy they are in the steps below.
Gingerbread House Cake
Aren’t these gingerbread house cakes delightful? I just love ’em!
Bundt cakes are a beautiful way to make a homemade cake without frosting. The bundt cake pan creates the most beautiful shape and helps the cake to cook more evenly.
Today’s recipe is a delicious gingerbread cake. It’s topped with powdered sugar for the perfect touch that looks just like a sprinkling of snow.
You can serve this recipe as an afternoon snack cake, a festive dessert, or a Sunday brunch treat. It tastes great with a cup of coffee or tea!
Although these cakes might look complicated, they’re actually quite easy to make! All you need is a gingerbread cake pan, a delicious cake recipe, and a few bundt cake tips and tricks. I’ll walk you through all of that here. Please read this blog post thoroughly to get the best results!
Nordic Ware Gingerbread Cake Pan
I am a BIG FAN of Nordic Ware bundt cake pans! They are so well built and come in the most beautiful designs. When I saw this gingerbread house duet pan I knew I had to have it! The pan I have makes two medium-sized gingerbread houses. So I made two batches to get four cakes in total.
There are actually two more sizes of this style of gingerbread house you can purchase:
- Nordic Ware cozy village pan – makes 5 mini cakes that are just the cutest.
- Nordic Ware full size gingerbread house pan – makes 1 larger sized gingerbread house.
Although these cakes might look intimidating, I promise you they’re actually not! This is one of the easiest styles of cakes that you can make! That’s why I love them so much – no need to decorate with fancy icing techniques – the design of the cake pan does all the hard work for you.
Gingerbread House Cake Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make the gingerbread cake, including a few tips:
- All-Purpose Flour: This recipe uses 2 cups of all purpose flour.
- Spices: You’ll need ginger powder, cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves. These play a big role in making this cake taste like gingerbread!
- Sugar: You need a white granulated sugar for the recipe. You can use regular white sugar, organic cane sugar, or lakanto monk fruit sweetener (it’s sugar free). All of these can be used in a 1:1 ratio.
- Molasses: This will give that beautiful gingerbread color and taste, so don’t skip it.
- Unsalted Butter: This should be at room temperature. You can leave it on the counter for an hour or two to get there. If you forget and the butter is still cold, add it to a dish in the microwave for 5 seconds at a time. It usually takes about 15 seconds for mine to be room temp.
- Milk: You can use regular milk or a dairy-free alternative (almond milk, coconut milk, oat milk etc.)
- Eggs: You’ll need two large eggs for this recipe.
- Confectioners Powdered Sugar: This is used to create the snowy scene on top of the gingerbread cakes.
How To Make Gingerbread House Cake
- Spray The Gingerbread Pan – Use non-stick cooking spray on the inside of the gingerbread pan (I used avocado oil spray). Make sure every part of the pan is coated! Please don’t skip this step as it’s crucial for having the cake come out easily.
- Dry Ingredients – First mix the dry ingredients together then set aside.
- Wet Ingredients – Next, cream the butter and sugar with a hand mixer. Add eggs and mix again. Add the milk and molasses and mix again.
- Mix, Pour, Bake – Add the dry ingredients bowl to the wet ingredients bowl in thirds… Add ⅓ of flour bowl to wet bowl and mix together. Then add another ⅓ and mix, and add the last ⅓ and mix. Now you can pour the batter into the pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when poked in the center.
- Cool And Cut Off Domes – Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Use a sharp knife to gently slice off the domed top to create a flat base for the gingerbread houses sit nicely on a plate. Then, gently flip the pan onto a rack to cool. The cakes should slide out nicely.
- Snow – Add 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar to a small fine-mesh strainer and gently tap it overtop of each of the gingerbread house cakes. This will create a wintery snow effect. Cut into slices and serve with whipped cream, and coffee or tea.
Storage Tips
Leftovers: Leftovers can be stored in the fridge or on the counter, depending on the humidity of where you live. Store in an air-tight container or covered with plastic wrap.
Freezer Instructions: This cake can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. To store, let it cool completely first. Wrap each one in parchment paper or plastic wrap and place them in a freezer bag. Seal tightly and remove as much air as possible. Thaw frozen cake overnight in the fridge before using.
Gingerbread Cake Tips
Technically, this type of pan is a bundt cake pan. These can feel tricky to work with when you’re just starting. Follow these easy tips to get the best results!
- First, Check Size Of Pan – Before baking, make sure to check how many cups your bundt pan will hold. This recipe is for a 5 cup bundt cake pan (I used the Nordic Ware gingerbread house duet pan). You can usually find the size written on the outside of the pan. If not, you can measure by pouring water into the bundt pan with a measuring cup and counting how many it holds.
- Spray The Pan – A critical step is to spray the inside of the gingerbread pan with non-stick cooking spray. Make sure every corner and space inside is coated. If not, the cake might stick in that spot. If too much spray pools at bottom of pan during this step, just use a paper towel to absorb it.
- Avoid Air Bubbles – After pouring the batter into the pan, gently tap the gingerbread pan on the counter three times. This will help to remove any air bubbles that may form inside the cake.
- Let Cool 10 Minutes – For best results, Nordic Ware pans are designed to cool for 10 minutes before flipping the cake onto a cooling rack.
- Slice Off Dome – The cake will dome while baking. You want it to be flat so the gingerbread house sits nicely on a plate. You can use a sharp knife to carefully slice off the top. Go slow, the cake can break during this step. If it does break don’t worry, a little powdered sugar mixed with milk can be used as a glue to help it stick back together.
- Flip On To Cooling Rack – After 10 minutes of cooling in the pan, these cakes should come out easily. You can flip them on to a rack to cool before serving.
- If The Cake Is Still Not Separating – If you’re still struggling with the cake coming out of the bundt pan, try gently running a butter knife along the edges between cake and pan, being careful to follow the shape of the pan. You can also use a flimsy spatula in the larger sections to help the cake separate from the pan.
If you enjoy making cakes in bundt pans as much as I do, then you’ll love my banana bundt cake recipe! My guests always love this easy and delicious cake.
Did you love this gingerbread house cake? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Gingerbread House Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 3 tsp cinnamon
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ginger powder
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter - room temperature
- ⅓ cup white granulated sugar - or monk fruit sweetener (sugar-free)
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup milk - dairy or non-dairy
- ½ cup molasses
Toppings:
- 1 Tbsp powdered confectioners sugar
- whipped cream - optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray the inside of the nordic ware gingerbread house duet pan with cooking spray (I used avocado oil spray). Use a brush to make sure all corners and ridges are coated with the oil. If oil pools at bottom of pan, gently dab it with paper towel to soak up.
- In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients together: all purpose flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, ginger powder, ground nutmeg, ground cloves and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream the room temperature butter with sugar using a hand mixer (or by hand with a fork or pastry cutter).
- Add in the eggs and mix again.
- Add the milk and molasses to the bowl and mix them in.
- Add ⅓ of the dry flour bowl to the wet ingredients bowl and combine using the hand mixer.Add another ⅓ of flour and mix, then add the last ⅓ of flour and mix.
- The batter should be smooth and the end. Don't overmix – just enough for it to be even.
- Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and scoop the batter into the greased gingerbread house pan. Gently tap three times on the counter to help remove potential air bubbles.
- Place a baking sheet in the oven, then place the cake pan on top to hold it sturdy. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked in the center.
- Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Use a sharp knife to gently slice off the domed tops of each gingerbread house so that they are flat (do this gently as it can break the cake).
- Gently flip them onto a rack to cool. The cakes should slide out easily (if not see troubleshooting tips).
- Add 1 Tbsp of confectioners icing sugar to a fine mesh strainer.
- Gently tap overtop of each gingerbread house to create a snowy effect. Add the cakes to a serving plate, slice and enjoy! Note: I like to serve with coffee or tea and a dollop of whipped cream.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving.