No surprise here – I’m usually in charge of dessert at our Holiday meal! And this year, I’m keeping things simple with a repeat of last year’s cake, a Molasses Spice Cake. It was such a hit and features my favorite holiday flavours, I figure why mess with a good thing.  Topped with a delicious maple glaze and packed with flavour, you’ll definitely want a second piece, so leave room!  Word of caution though, only try this cake if you’re a fan of molasses and spiced holiday treats.

I only had black strap molasses at home, so I used that, which gave the cake a much darker colour and intense flavour.  If you’re not a raving fan of molasses, try regular molasses for a subtler, more gingerbread-like flavour.

If the beautiful spiced molasses flavour wasn’t enough, the cake has a super moist and almost fudge-y texture, which pairs perfectly with bright and colourful sugared cranberries, for true holiday decadence.  We’re definitely fans of this cake around here, but I’d love to know what you think, please feel free to share in the comments below.

Cake

Ingredients

Cake
3 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup molasses
4 eggs

Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 10-15 cup (large) bundt pan by carefully greasing and flouring. Set aside.

In a medium bowl combine flour, spices, baking soda, and salt. Whisk or sift to eliminate lumps. Set aside.

In a measuring cup, whisk together buttermilk and vanilla extract. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, granulated sugar, and butter. Using a hand mixer, cream together on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Add molasses and beat until combined. Add eggs and beat until combined.

Next, alternating, add about 1/3 portion of flour mixture and beat on low until combined. Then add about ½ of the buttermilk- vanilla mixture and mix. Repeat until all ingredients are fully incorporated into the batter.

Pour batter into prepared bundt pan. Smooth the batter with a spatula. Tap bundt pan on counter and swivel a few times to eliminate any air bubbles.

Baked in the oven for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of bundt comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.

Let bundt cake cool on a cooling rack for about 1 hour.  Meanwhile prepare glaze by whisking together powdered sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, and allspice.  When cake is cool, drizzle glaze over the top of the bundt cake and top with sugared cranberries (recipe below).

Sugared Cranberries

Ingredients