I’m a pretty firm believer in eating seasonally, especially when it comes to fresh produce. However, in the dessert world, I live on the wild side. A Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake in the middle of summer — why not? A Tropical Carrot Cake in December — go for it! And today, this gingerbread chai bundt cake in March? Yes, please. This cake uses pantry staples, making it really easy to make during a pandemic, but also really easy to make any time of the year. Granted, you have cream cheese for the filling. If you don’t, you can still make it without the center.
It’s really comfort food at it’s finest. Cake that tastes like Christmas with warming spices, a tart cream cheese filling, and a sweet icing that softens all of the powerful flavors. It’s straightforward and easy, just a bit time-consuming because you have to dig out all the correct spices. :-p
If gingerbread isn’t speaking to you, take a look at these other beautiful bundt options: Cinnamon Roll Bundt Cake, Italian Lemon Bundt Cake, and Marble Bundt Cake.
Gingerbread Chai Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Filling
Cake
- 12 tbs. butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup molasses
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 2 tsp. tsp. ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
- 1/4 tsp. Ground all-spice (or pumpkin pie spice)
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. pepper
- 3/4 cup milk
- 8 oz. Cream cheese, softened
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp. butter, melted
- 1 tbsp. milk, water, or cream
- 1/4 tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla
- pinch salt
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Grease a 10-cup Bundt pan; set aside.
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
In a large bowl, or stand mixer, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time. Add the molasses, beating until smooth. On low speed, add the flour mixture until just incorporated.
Slowly add in the milk. Beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Don’t over-mix.
Pour half the batter into the prepared pan. Place dollops of the softened cream cheese in an even layer in the center, staying away from the edges. Spoon the remaining batter over the cream cheese. Transfer to the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10minutes before inverting the cake onto a cooling rack.
To make the glaze, mix together the ingredients until smooth. Adjust the milk and powdered sugar to reach the desired consistency. Drizzle the glaze evenly over the cake and let set 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe from Half Baked Harvest.
A Bee Bakes 