World’s Best Pumpkin Gingerbread Bundt Cake, with Toffee Sauce

Pumpkin Gingerbread Bundt 2/3
Pumpkin Gingerbread Cake with Toffee Sauce – recipe in post

“It’s bigger than love. Brighter than all the stars combined. Dwarfing the sun, burning within my heart and mind.” – Ben Gibbard, “Bigger than Love”(based on letters between F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda)

Do you ever have those moments when you’re thinking about something, trying to get your head together, and a song comes on the radio that just clicks? Like the most impeccably timed lyrics imaginable, and one chorus later everything makes sense?

And sure, maybe thirty seconds into the song it turns out to be about something entirely different, and yes, maybe you’re just imposing whatever message you were hoping to hear over the singer’s words, and okay, perhaps it’s a little crazy to think the answers to one’s problems could be summed up in one catchy verse…

But sometimes, whether I’m making it up or not, that perfect song at that perfect time can get me past whatever mental block I’m having. Like drain-o for my brain-o. Then, of course, the tune gets stuck in my head and I’m still replaying it days later… what was that about unclogging my head?

Is there a song that speaks to you right now, or that you just can’t stop humming in the back of your head? Do tell!

Pumpkin Gingerbread Bundt 1/3
Pour!

This Pumpkin Gingerbread cake is based off a recipe from The English Kitchen – Marie calls it “The World’s Best Gingerbread Cake”, and so far I’ve found no evidence to the contrary.

One could reason, then, that this is The World’s Best Pumpkin Gingerbread Cake… but I can’t say I’ve eaten enough of them to have any proof of that. I can say, however, that it blew all my expectations out of the water. Unlike some other recipes I’ve tried, this one doesn’t skimp on the spices. It is most definitely a ginger-bread cake. Then the pumpkin comes along and mellows the spice just slightly, making for the perfect balance of flavors. On its own, the cake is incredibly moist and not overly sweet… with the toffee sauce, it is a force of will not to devour whole.

Pumpkin Gingerbread Bundt, textToffee Sauce, text

Pumpkin Gingerbread Cake with Toffee Sauce
Cake adapted from Marie at The English Kitchen
Toffee sauce adapted from my English Sticky Toffee Pudding
Makes one 9-10 inch bundt cake

2 cups (8.5oz) all-purpose flour
2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 cup (8oz) boiling hot water
3/4 cup (6oz) unsulfured molasses
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 cup (8oz) unsweetened pumpkin puree (make your own, here)
6 TBSP (3oz) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup (5.6oz) dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg, room temperature

Toffee Sauce
1 stick (4oz) unsalted butter
1 cup (7.5oz) dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup (4oz) heavy or double cream
2-3 TBSP orange liquor, or rum, or other – optional

Method
1.   Preheat oven to 350f. (176c.) — grease and flour a 9-10 inch bundt pan.
2.   Whisk together the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt. Set aside.
3.   Add the molasses and baking soda to the boiling water, stir to combine, then set aside to cool.
4.   In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, and beat until fluffy and lightened in color.
5.   On low speed, add the pumpkin puree and the cooled molasses mixture. Once combined, stir in the dry ingredients until just blended — do not over-mix.
6.   Pour batter into your prepared pan and bake on the center rack for 35-40 minutes, or until the top of the cake is firm and springy to the touch and a tooth pic inserted in the center comes out clean.

Toffee Sauce
1.   In a heavy sauce-pan, combine butter, cream, and brown sugar over medium-high heat. Stir continuously until the sauce reaches a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Continue stirring for another 8-10 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.
2.   To test if the sauce is thick enough, spoon a small amount onto a cool plate and tip the dish to the side – this will give you an idea of how thick the sauce will be once it has cooled.
3.   Once the sauce is thickened to your liking, remove from heat and stir in any liquor or flavorings, if using.

When ready to serve, pour the toffee sauce over the cake. Any extra toffee sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to the expiration date of the cream — left-overs will firm up when chilled, and can be eaten as a dip with apple slices, or re-warmed and spooned over ice cream.

Pumpkin Gingerbread Bundt 3/3

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28 Responses to World’s Best Pumpkin Gingerbread Bundt Cake, with Toffee Sauce

  1. corrie October 24, 2012 at 3:22 pm #

    My goodness!!! This looks scrumptious! I’m gonna have to try this our for sure.

    • Willow October 24, 2012 at 3:42 pm #

      Thanks, Corrie – I hope you do! Let me know what you think, if you make it. :D

  2. Angie's Recipes October 24, 2012 at 4:02 pm #

    This is heavenly! The toffee sauce looks extremely delicious.

  3. Maggie October 24, 2012 at 5:46 pm #

    Oh my oh my! I love this cake. I wonder if I could do it in a regular cake pan or two, since I don’t own a bundt pan (gasp!). Gorgeous photos!

    • Willow October 24, 2012 at 5:50 pm #

      Absolutely – I made a second cake in a 9 inch square pan and it worked perfectly. Any pan should do!

  4. Eileen October 24, 2012 at 8:41 pm #

    This cake looks amazing! GINGERBREAD!! The pumpkin and toffee sauce just puts it over the edge. :)

  5. Richa October 24, 2012 at 9:02 pm #

    if it looks this good. it probably is the best! gorgeous!

  6. Rebecca Elliott October 25, 2012 at 2:16 am #

    What a lovely fall cake! Just gorgeous. Can’t wait to try it. Your site is very pretty.

  7. Hannah October 25, 2012 at 9:27 am #

    Beautiful cake, looks so decadent with the toffee sauce!

  8. Jennifer October 25, 2012 at 5:04 pm #

    I love bundt cakes, they always some how seem more impressive. I will definitely try this one, very seasonal. As for the song recently stuck in my head Feel Again by One Republic.

    • Willow October 25, 2012 at 7:05 pm #

      Nice, I like it! And I know what you mean… I love the look of bundt cakes!

  9. Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious October 25, 2012 at 5:11 pm #

    I totally know what you mean! I recently had this song come out and the chorus seriously just solved all my problems right then and there!

    Oh and this cake – AMAZING! It’s absolutely stunning!

  10. From Valeries Kitchen October 28, 2012 at 5:22 pm #

    Oh my God girl, are you trying to kill me? This looks amazing! Pinning.

    Willow, your photos are insane. I hope you know how talented you are.

  11. 2cocoNuts October 28, 2012 at 9:50 pm #

    omg excellent cake!!!I will try it ;)

  12. Vanessa Larson October 29, 2012 at 6:53 pm #

    This looks amazing! I love pumpkin and I love gingerbread so I can’t wait to try this!!

  13. shannon weber October 29, 2012 at 9:15 pm #

    willow, your photos of this cake are breathtaking! truly, you’re one of my favorite food photographers; it’s just gorgeous. Plus, i’d eat that entire cake, because i know it has to be incredible.

    • Willow October 29, 2012 at 9:24 pm #

      Okay, now that is just flat out not possible… little old me? I’m so, so flattered, Shannon – you have no idea! :D

  14. Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes November 2, 2012 at 2:44 pm #

    This has to be the BEST Pumpkin Gingerbread ever- you made it Willow, how could it not be the best?

    I love the moodiness of the photos and the pops of the little orange pumpkins!

    Tell me, what program are you using to create the type on your pictures? I miss picnic and have yet to find a program I like….what have you found to work the best for written applications to photos?

    • Willow November 2, 2012 at 3:15 pm #

      I currently have Corel Paintshop on my computer… hoping to upgrade to PS Lightroom, though. I liked being able to edit in picnic after my photos were uploaded to flickr, but I have yet to find a replacement for that. As it is, I save my original image, then do the text and save a separate copy of it (so I still have the original).

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  16. Laura Dembowski November 22, 2012 at 3:52 am #

    That looks incredible. It’s all my favorite flavors rolled into one amazing dessert.

  17. Anonymous January 23, 2013 at 1:25 pm #

    I more or less followed the recipe the first time, using the metric mesurements for sugar, as that turned out to be less than the cups, and it was still too sweet for me. I’m trying it now with no sugar, molasses and pumpkin only as sweeteners.

    • Willow January 24, 2013 at 3:47 pm #

      I’m sorry to hear it was too sweet – it is definitely very sweet with the toffee sauce, but without it The Fiance and I both found it to be well balanced. I just double checked the measurement for the brown sugar in the cake, and by weight it seems to be correct… were you measuring the ounces by volume?
      Either way, I hope it turns out more to your liking without the sugar. Please stop by and let me know how it goes!

  18. Julie W November 9, 2014 at 8:09 pm #

    This was both beautiful and delicious, the perfect dessert for fall. I baked it a cathedral Bundt pan, added Kraken rum to the sauce, and served it warm with cold whipped cream to which a little Greek yogurt was added for tang. A keeper!

    • Willow Arlen November 12, 2014 at 10:01 pm #

      Yay, I’m so glad you liked it! The addition of a little greek yogurt to the whipped cream is brilliant, I’ll have to do that next time. :)

  19. Tam May 1, 2016 at 5:25 am #

    Hi there.. 2016 and this cake is still giving joy. I made it yesterday with a white chocolate drizzle and it was magic. Thankyou.

  20. Teena January 28, 2018 at 7:19 pm #

    Thank you so very much for posting this super yummy recipe! I have now been making it frequently since i found your post waaaaay back in 2012! It has become a recipe that is much asked for and loved by friends and a family :)

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