This cake is bursting with warming flavors from the gingerbread spices, which contrast really deliciously with the tart-sweetness of the pomegranate glaze. And it is beautiful and elegant enough to serve as the centerpiece/dessert on your holiday table!
One thing to keep in mind is that this cake is quite large. A 10-inch Bundt cake pan (affiliate link) holds up to 12 cups (a 9-inch Bundt cake pan holds up to 10 cups), and this recipe calls for nearly 3 cups of flour. So, yes, it makes A LOT of cake, which is perfect for the holidays because (a) you likely have more mouths to feed than ordinary, and (b) everyone likes extra cake during the holidays (because calories don’t count during the holidays)!
If you take a look at the ingredient list and are thinking, “wow that seems like a lot of X ingredient,” don’t be alarmed. For one, as I just mentioned, this recipe makes a lot of cake batter. And two, the key to a seductively delicious and rich gingerbread cake is not skimping on the spices. I’ve seen so many gingerbread dessert recipes that contain a paltry amount of ginger/cinnamon/allspice/etc., and I am appalled. Okay, appalled is a bit strong, but I really do think the key to an excellent gingerbread cake is generously sprinkling in those warming winter spices.
Another key to success with this cake is to use a generous amount of molasses, which is essential to achieving the deep, robust flavor characteristic of gingerbread. While I love blackstrap molasses for its health benefits, I don’t recommend using it here because the recipe calls for a rather large amount (a half cup), and that much blackstrap molasses will give the cake a distinctively bitter taste. I use a plain unsulphured molasses like this. The other sweetener in this cak eis brown sugar. I typically use light brown sugar, but if you are looking for even more rich molasses-like flavor, you can use dark brown sugar.
Regarding the other ingredients, this is a pretty simple cake recipe made with readily available ingredients. I used almond milk and sunflower oil, but you could easily use another plant-based milk (I don’t recommend using anything too thick or it will weigh down your batter) and another neutral oil of your choice. You could even use olive oil, but I recommend sticking to one that has a neutral, light taste.
Now for the pomegranate glaze, which I adore. I use freshly squeezed pomegranate juice from a whole fruit to get the most beautiful pink color. If it juicing a pomegranate sounds too time intensive, not to worry, as you need just a few tablespoons of the juice. An easy way to juice whole pomegranate seeds is to place them in a zip-top, resealable bag, smooth out the air bubbles, and then crush the seeds with a rolling pin or some other heavy instrument. Then, open the seal of the bag at one corner and carefully pour the juice into a bowl with a fine mesh sieve sitting on top, straining the juice into the bowl and leaving behind the seeds. You can of course buy bottled pomegranate juice, but the color won’t be as lovely and 100% pure pomegranate juice can be very pricy.
Since the glaze is rather sweet, you can cut back on the amount of brown sugar in the cake if you are trying to limit your sugar intake (up to half, if you desire). And for the final topping, use up those leftover whole pomegranate seeds for a nice crunch, a bite of fresh juiciness, and a beautiful presentation.
Finally, if you don’t have a Bundt pan, you can still make this delicious cake. You can use either (a) two round 8-inch cake pans or (b) two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pans (affiliate links), both of which have a volume of 6 cups, which is half the volume of one 12-cup Bundt pan. Of course, the cakes will be less tall than a Bundt cake, so you’ll need to reduce the bake time (keep yourself planted in the kitchen and start checking for doneness at 25 minutes).
If you try this Pomegranate Glazed Gingerbread Bundt Cake, be sure to leave a comment below and tag me with your creations on Instagram! Wishing you all a wonderful, safe, and relaxing holiday!
Big Vegan Flavor
Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.
Pomegranate Glazed Gingerbread Bundt Cake
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups (330g) all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Heaping 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup (240 mL) unsweetened plant-based milk (such as almond milk, oat milk, or soy milk)
- 3/4 cup (180mL) sunflower oil (or other neutral oil)
- 1/2 cup (120mL) unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap)
- 1 cup (192g) organic brown sugar, packed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Pomegranate Glaze Ingredients
- 2 cups (240g) organic powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed pomegranate juice + more as needed for color and texture
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
Cake Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C and position the oven rack in the middle of the oven.
- Generously grease a 10-inch (12-cup) Bundt cake pan (or a 9-inch, 10-cup Bundt cake pan) with a neutral oil, cooking spray, or vegan butter, and sprinkle with flour and dust off any excess flour. You want to make sure you really grease the pan well; otherwise, you will have trouble inverting the cake and some of the cake might stick to the bottom of the pan.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
- Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and then add the almond milk, oil, molasses, brown sugar, and vanilla.
- Using an electric mixer on slow speed, combine the dry and wet ingredients until you have a smooth, thick batter, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Pour the cake batter into the greased Bundt pan and smooth the surface with a rubber spatula. Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, until the cake is firm and springs back when touched. If you are using a 9-inch (10-cup) Bundt pan, you will likely need to bake the cake for an additional 5 minutes.
- Allow the cake to rest until it is cool enough to touch. Then, carefully invert it onto a cooling rack. Then drizzle with the Pomegranate Glaze and serve.
Pomegranate Glaze Directions
- Place the powdered sugar in a large bowl. Add the lemon juice and then the pomegranate juice, one tablespoon, at a time, whisking until smooth and thick. The glaze should be glossy in appearance and the texture should be sticky and pourable. If it is too thin, whisk in more powdered sugar. If it is too thick, add more pomegranate juice.
Does the milk need to be dairy-free or will this work with regular cows’ milk? Thanks!!
Hi Alice, we’re vegan and don’t cook with regular milk, so I’m afraid we cannot advise you about whether it will work in this recipe.
Ah sorry, I didn’t realize! Google brought me here (based on the delicious looking cake). I’ll report back if I make it this weekend!
This was a HIT! We served it for Thanksgiving and the entire family loved it. It was also incredible the next day with coffee for breakfast. I loved that it wasn’t overly sweet, but SO flavorful. It was so moist and had a great crumb. A true hit.
And it was SO easy to make. One bowl cakes are my favorite for simplicity. I’l be making this again very soon!
Awesome, cTay. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
Best gingerbread cake ever. This recipe has never failed me. I’ve made it more than 8 times. I change the icing a bit to make it more versatile. But this is a completely foolproof recipe.
Everyone loves it!!!
Wow, we’re delighted to hear this recipe is such a favorite, Sharada! :)
Hi! Wonderful recipe! Can you tell me how to store this? Can I make it a day (or two) ahead of time? Would I store it in the fridge or covered on the the counter?
Thanks so much!
Hi Allison, yes you can make it ahead of time! You can store the cake covered at room temperature for 2-4 days. We like to pour the icing on before serving for presentation, but if you have to add the icing ahead of time, it’s still fine to store at room temperature since it’s just sugar and juice.
Thanks so much!
Hi beautiful Nisha … I saw your amazing blogs and I’m going to bake a vegan cake for my sons birthday tomorrow. I have chosen this one as it looks amazing and easy ingredients… why for you fluffy vegan gingerbread cake you use aquafuba and coffee ?
Hi! Do you know how you’d adapt this for the instant pot? I’m so intrigued by the thought of baking with one, and it might work well with a denser cake like this!
That’s a great question! I’ve made cakes in the Instant Pot several times. This particular pan is too large to fit in the Instant Pot. If you have a 6 quart Instant Pot, a 7-inch cake pan will fit. I have this 6-cup Bundt cake pan that I use in my Instant Pot: https://amzn.to/2SBASzM
This pan holds 6 cups, whereas the cake pan I used for this recipe holds 12 cups, so you can try halving the recipe.
I’ve also found that cakes with all-purpose flour come out pretty dense in the Instant Pot, so I like to use cake flour instead. For cook times, I use high pressure on the pressure cook setting and would recommend cooking for 30 minutes (if not done, then add 5 more minutes). Allow a natural pressure release.
Hope that helps!
I made this for our new year’s eve party and it was the most popular dish on the table! Everyone loved it, including my very picky son. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Hi Laurette! So glad to hear that this cake was a hit at your New Year’s Eve party! Makes me happy to hear when picky kids like my recipes :) Hope your new year is off to a great start!