One of my favourite parts about the holiday season is the abundance of festive decor surrounding you where ever you go. Hanging in many doorways and windows is perhaps one of the most traditional Christmas items, the wreath. This combines my two favourite things, plants and Christmas, and so I was inspired to create a 'wreath cake', using a bundt tin to create the wreath shape. Here is my recipe for a vegan gingerbread bundt cake with a creamy white chocolate ganache-style icing - the perfect centre piece for any holiday table.
I wanted to create the ultimate cake for Christmas day - for those of us who don't like the traditional fruit cake. The sponge is a warming gingerbread flavour which combines perfectly with a creamy, rich white chocolate ganache-style icing.
Rather than a traditional full wreath, my Pinterest obsession has led to my falling in love with asymmetrical half-wreaths. Their simplicity adds a Scandinavian-chic vibe to any room which I have attempted to replicate in my cake decoration with green folliage and snowy pine cones (neither of which are edible sadly).
Vegan Gingerbread Bundt Cake
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Total time: 60 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients
For the sponge
215g plain flour
100g caster sugar
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground ginger
60ml vegetable oil (or alternative oil e.g. coconut)
240ml plant-based milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
For the icing
50g dairy-free butter
100g icing sugar
50g dairy-free white chocolate
2 tsp plant-based milk (as needed)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180°C (or 160°C for fan ovens) and grease and flour the bundt tin.
Combine the 240ml milk with the apple cider vinegar in a small bowl and set aside for around 10 minutes (this makes vegan 'buttermilk').
Combine all the dry cake ingredients in a large bowl and mix well, making sure there are no lumps.
Whisk the vegetable oil into the 'buttermilk', pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently until combined (do not overmix).
Pour the mixture into the bundt tin and bake for approximately 40 minutes.
Leave the sponge to cool in the tin before inverting to remove the cake.
Meanwhile, prepare the icing by whisking the spread in a bowl until light and creamy.
Slowly add in the icing sugar and continue whisking to form a smooth buttercream.
Melt the white chocolate (I used a microwave), cool a little and stir into the buttercream, if the mixture is a little thick you can add a splash of milk as required.
Once the cake has cooled, spread the icing over to cover all the sponge.
To decorate I used a fork to create the bark texture, added vegan snowflake sprinkles and used icing sugar as 'snow'.
Notes
Store in a sealed container for up to 5 days.
For a plain vanilla frosting, omit the white chocolate and double the other icing ingredients - You could also add a little ginger!
If you don't have a bundt tin you can use a regular cake tin and cut a circular hole out of the middle - I've not actually tried this myself but I don't see why it wouldn't work...
Get creative with the decoration - Add some red berries and holly, gingerbread people or mini festive figurines!
Serves perfectly with some dairy free custard and a little seasonal fresh fruit.
Thanks for reading, I hope you have a wonderful holiday season and enjoy baking my vegan gingerbread bundt cake. If you do try any of my recipes I'd love to know how they turn out - tag me on Instagram @josiewalshaw!
Josie xox