(NBC Today – Jocelyn Delk Adams) – Instead of cookies every Christmas holiday season, my family baked cakes. So, I wanted to add the classic flavors of gingerbread to a cake, and this one is absolute perfection.

Ingredients

POUND CAKE
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 packed cup light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup molasses
4 large eggs, room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
2 tablespoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup buttermilk
1½ tablespoons vanilla extract

GLAZE
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 tablespoon milk
edible snowflakes, for garnish

SWAP OPTION: Don’t have buttermilk? You can substitute by making adding 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup of milk and letting it stand for 10 minutes.

Preparation (Click here to watch video)

FOR THE POUND CAKE:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 F and spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with nonstick baking spray or grease with shortening/butter and flour and set aside.
  2. In the bowl of your stand mixer, add together butter, both sugars and molasses, and beat on high speed until light and fluffy for about 5 minutes.
  3. Next, add in eggs one at a time and mix until well-incorporated.
  4. Slow mixer to lowest speed and carefully add flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, allspice and cloves in increments and mix until well-combined.
  5. Lastly, mix in buttermilk and vanilla until smooth.
  6. Pour cake batter into prepared pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
  7. Remove cake from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes, then invert cake into cooling rack or serving plate, cool until room temperature, then prepare glaze.

FOR THE GLAZE:
Once cake is completely cooled, whisk together powdered sugar, maple syrup and milk. Add more milk or syrup if needed. Glaze should be pourable but not too thin.

TO ASSEMBLE:
Drizzle glaze over cooled cake. Garnish with snowflakes and serve.