Chocolate Gingerbread Cake
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This chocolate gingerbread cake is incredibly moist with rich cocoa, warm spices and molasses. It’s topped with a drizzle of chocolate ganache, but is equally delicious with a sprinkle of powdered sugar on top. It’s perfect for the holidays!
This chocolate gingerbread bundt cake marries two classic flavors – rich chocolate and gingerbread – to create a cake that’s incredibly flavorful. The warm spices, brown sugar and molasses pair perfectly with the rich cocoa – then a drizzle of dark chocolate ganache on top really turns this cake into a showstopper. You can think of it as a spiced chocolate cake, or gingerbread with a touch of cocoa.
What you’ll especially love about this bundt cake it the texture. It’s moist and dense in the way you’d expect from a bundt cake, without being too heavy. It’s the kind of cake that’s slightly springy in texture and sticks to your fork.
Making the Perfect Chocolate Gingerbread Cake
The recipe is adapted from both my gingerbread bundt cake and chocolate bundt cake. It uses both butter and oil for fat – the butter adds more flavor and the oil keeps the cake moist for longer. Then the eggs, sour cream and boiling water keep the cake moist. For bundt cake recipes, I love using sour cream because it creates a cake that’s a little more dense, as opposed to light and airy.
The chocolate flavor comes from using Dutch process cocoa – I prefer Dutch process over natural because it has a richer flavor. Then a combination of spices – ginger, cinnamon, ground cloves, and nutmeg – create the perfect warm and cozy flavor. This cake is quite heavily spiced, but not as much as typical gingerbread so that the spices don’t overpower the chocolate flavor. The molasses then rounds out the gingerbread flavor, with hints of brown sugar and vanilla to complement.
The boiling water not only adds moisture, but it also helps the cocoa powder to bloom. This means that the cocoa is activated to give a richer flavor.
Recipe Tip
When incorporating the dry ingredients and sour cream into the batter, you’ll alternate between additions of the dry ingredients and sour cream adding about 1/3 at a time. This process of alternating between additions – and not just dumping all the dry ingredients in at once – is essential so that the cake has a consistent crumb and to prevent overmixing.
Overmixing can lead to a dry, tough cake.
Serving Tips
I love to serve this cake with a drizzle of chocolate ganache on top. I love the glossy look and the additional chocolate.
- Alternatively, you could simply dust the cake with powdered sugar on top.
- It’s also delicious with a butterscotch sauce. You can use the recipe I use from my classic gingerbread here.
- Decorate with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting on top. If you just want to decorate the top, then divide the frosting recipe by 2.
More Christmas Desserts to Try
- Gingerbread Cheesecake
- Chocolate Peppermint Bundt Cake
- Peppermint Bark Cheesecake
- Eggnog Bundt Cake
- Classic Old Fashioned Gingerbread
Chocolate Gingerbread Bundt Cake
Equipment
- 12-cup bundt pan
Ingredients
Chocolate Gingerbread Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250 grams)
- ¾ cup cocoa powder (60 grams)
- 2½ teaspoons ground ginger
- 1½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (112 grams), softened
- ¼ cup vegetable oil (60 ml), or canola oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- ½ cup brown sugar (105 grams)
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup molasses, cooking or fancy, do not use blackstrap
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream (240 ml), full-fat, room temperature
- ½ cup boiling water (120 ml)
Chocolate Ganache
- 4 ounces dark chocolate (112 grams), I used 50%, semi-sweet chocolate works too, about 2/3 cup chocolate chips
- ½ cup whipping, 33-35% MF
Instructions
Gingerbread Bundt Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃). Lightly grease a 12-cup bundt pan. I prefer to use pan release – you can either use store bought or make your own (I've included instructions in the recipe notes). Be sure to get into every crease of the bundt pan. I like to use a pastry brush for this.
- In a medium bowl sift together the flour, cocoa, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Give the bowl a whisk so that everything is evenly combined. Sifting is necessary to ensure there are no lumps.
- In a separate large bowl, beat together the butter and sugars until creamed. Then beat in the oil.
- Add the vanilla into the butter mixture, then mix in the eggs 1 at a time. After beating in each egg, turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- With the mixer on a low speed, mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture about ⅓ at a time. Between each ⅓ of the dry ingredients, beat in ½ of the sour cream. You'll start and end with the dry ingredients. After each addition, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. You can do this with a wire whisk, or with an electric mixer on a low speed. Do not overmix.
- Whisk the boiling water into the batter until smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for about 50-60 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. The top should feel slightly springy to the touch. Note that ovens can vary by 10-15% – your cake could therefore take longer than 60 minutes.
- Cool the cake in the pan for at least 20 minutes before carefully inserting onto a wire rack to continue cooling.
Chocolate Ganache
- If using a chocolate bar or baking squares, finely chop the chocolate first.
- Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
- Heat the cream until almost boiling – either in short intervals in the microwave or in a saucepan over low heat while gently stirring. Do not let the cream burn!
- Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Let it sit for about 2-4 minutes, then whisk until smooth.
- Place the cake on the plate that you plan to serve it on. Pour the warm ganache over the top, letting it drizzle down the sides.
Notes
- Cocoa: I prefer to use Dutch process for a richer flavor and darker color. If you prefer your cake to be less chocolate-y, I recommend using 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (instead of 2 cups as listed in the recipe) and 1/2 cup cocoa (instead of 3/4 cup as listed in the recipe.
- Spices: For a more subtle hint of spice use 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves instead of the amounts listed in the recipe. For a more pronounced spice flavor, use 1 tablespoon ginger, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger.
- Sour Cream: Use full fat. It should be at room temperature.
- Pan Release: Pan release can be purchased at specialty baking store or online. To make your own, beat together 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup oil until smooth. Spread the pan release onto your pan using a pastry brush. Store in an airtight container in the fridge (this will make enough to last you a long time).
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. The bundt cake (without ganache) can be made ahead and cooled fully. Then wrap in plastic (going around the hole in the middle). Then wrap in heavy duty foil (you don’t need to go around the hole) or place in a large freezer bag or freezer container. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge. Do not thaw on the counter, as the cake can become gummy.
- Nutrition: Details provided are an estimate only based on 1 slice with ganache, assuming the cake is sliced into 12 uniform pieces.
I have read this recipe multiple times. No where is the oil mentioned in adding ingredients. Nor is there a temperature to pre heat mentioned.