Gingerbread Bundt Cake

I actually baked this cake a few months back, when the New Zealand winter was edging in and I wanted to bake something warm and spicy.

The typical New Zealand gingerbread loaf is sweetened with bucket-loads of golden syrup (a paler version of treacle) which I personally find a little overwhelming as it tends to dominate all the other flavours. Don’t get me wrong, golden syrup has it’s uses (especially in ANZAC cookies), but I can’t really appreciate it in gingerbread loaf.

This recipe is inspired by a slice of gingerbread loaf I tried years ago that was instead sweetened with applesauce. Without the overwhelming flavour of the golden syrup I could really taste all the bits of candied ginger and carefully balanced medley of spices.

Determined to recreate this perfect gingerbread loaf, I started last Christmas with four (yes, FOUR) failed attempts. I just couldn’t get the liquid proportions right and every time I took it out of the tin it collapsed into a deliciously fragrant, sweet and spicy pile of ooze. My house positively reeked of Christmas, but my loaf was liquid. Looking back, I don’t know how I managed to make it liquidify four times in a row but there you have it.

So this time round I really pared back the liquids and baked it in a bundt tin. Fact: bundt tins are easy. Loaf tins aren’t. This coming Christmas I will get this gingerbread into a loaf tin and it will work. Meanwhile, here is my gingerbread bundt cake:

Gingerbread Bundt Cake Recipe
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour
1 stick / 4oz / 115g unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup unrefined cane sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon fine ground sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon mustard powder
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ cup candied ginger, cut into tiny cubes
½ cup water
2 apples, finely grated (about ¾ cup)
zest of one orange
1 cup icing sugar
Juice of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 350F / 180C, fan forced. Grease a 9 inch cake tin or bundt tin and dust with flour.

In a medium mixing bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, spices, and candied ginger.

In a small mixing bowl, mix together the water, finely grated apple, and orange zest.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl, then quickly beat for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy.

Mix half the flour mix into the egg mix, then add half the wet mix. Repeat.
Bake until a toothpick or thin knife comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes.

Mix the icing sugar with the lemon until smooth and loose enough to drizzle easily.  Wait until cake is completely cooled and drizzle over.

Makes a 9″ bundt cake.