Laura’s Gingerbread Bundt Cake

This festive looking cake is a recipe by Laura Vitale, a popular YouTube and Food Network personality.  The cake is called Gingerbread Bundt Cake, and I know it is going to be a mainstay in my holiday baking repertoire.  It has just the right amount of rum (in the icing) to make it interesting, yet not overpowering.  And trust me, your house will smell fabulous while it bakes.

I found it helpful to watch her video (linked above) as she demonstrates in depth each step in the process.

Gingerbread Bundt Cake by Laura Vitale

For the cake:

3 Cups of All Purpose Flour
1-1/2 Tbsp of Ground Ginger
1 Tbsp of Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Allspice
1/2 tsp of Ground Cloves
1 tsp of Baking Soda
1/2 tsp of Salt
1 cup (2 sticks) of Unsalted Butter, softened at room temperature
1 Cup of Molasses
1-1/2 cups of Brown Sugar
1/2 cup of Granulated Sugar
4 Eggs
1/2 cup of Sour Cream
3/4 cup of Whole Milk
Zest of 1 Orange
2 tsp of Vanilla Extract

For the glaze:

2 Tbsp of Unsalted Butter, softened at room temperature
4 oz of Cream Cheese, softened at room temperature
1-1/2 cups of Confectioners Sugar
2 Tbsp of Rum
1 tsp of Vanilla
About 2 to 3 Tbsp of Milk

Preparation:

1) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, spray a bundt pan well with some non-stick baking spray and set aside.
2) In a large bowl, stir together the flour, spices, baking soda and salt, set aside.
3) In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and both kinds of sugar for about a minute, then add the eggs, molasses, orange zest and vanilla and continue to mix until well combined, add the sour cream and make sure it’s well stirred in.
4) Add the dry ingredients and the milk and allow it to mix until you have a nice smooth mixture, pour into your prepared pan and pop it in the oven to bake for about an hour and 15 minutes. At the 1 hour mark, check it and if it looks like the edges are getting too brown, turn the temperature down to 325 degrees for the remaining baking time. 
5) Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 20 minutes, then invert onto a rack over top of a baking sheet and allow to cool completely.
6) To make the frosting, in a large bowl, cream together the butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, rum and vanilla until really smooth, then add a drizzle of milk at a time to get it to a nice smooth consistency. 
7) Pour over the cake then sprinkle the top with some festive holiday sprinkles.