Gingerbread Forest Cake

This whimsical Gingerbread Forest Cake can serve double duty as a centerpiece on your holiday table, and your delicious holiday dessert! It's impressive, yet super easy to make.

I'm hoping this fun recipe for this snow-covered Gingerbread Forest Cake will inspire you to play with your food this holiday season.  

This charming holiday gingerbread cake will delight both young and old alike.  

**Please Note - The printable recipe card with detailed instructions, complete ingredient measurements, and nutritional information for making Gingerbread Forest Cake is available at the end of this post. OR you can hit the "jump to recipe" button (found above) to be taken directly to the recipe.

This recipe was originally shared in 2014. This post has been updated with additional information, including a recipe card complete with nutritional information, but the recipe itself has remained unchanged.

The ingredient list:

• all-purpose flour
• ground ginger
• ground cinnamon
• kosher salt
• baking powder
• baking soda
• butter
• boiling water
• dark brown sugar
• molasses
• eggs
• ginger paste
• pure vanilla extract
• confectioners sugar
• plastic deer or other assorted animals
• tall trees or bottle- brush trees

Kitchen tools and equipment needed:

• mixing bowls
• whisk
• spatula
• large glass measuring cup
• measuring cups and spoons
• bundt pan
• baking spray
• sugar shaker or sieve
• wire cutters (optional for trimming trees)
• cooling rack

How this gingerbread forest cake came to be:

Many years ago I did something similar to this Gingerbread Mountain Cake and used it for our Christmas eve centerpiece.

This year I knew that I wanted to recreate the design but in a simpler way. Below is a picture of the one I had done previously.

I loved the bottle brush trees that I used on the cake pictured above.

This year, however, I found the tall trees that I thought would make a very fun and dramatic statement, so I decided to use them in place of the bottle brush trees.

The choice is yours, of course. Use what you have, or use whatever type of trees you see fit for your gingerbread forest cake.

If this Snow Covered Gingerbread Forest Cake is something you're interested in replicating, you can find the tall, snow-covered trees, along with little plastic deer, in the toy train department of your local hobby and craft store. And you can easily purchase them on-line. 

From there, the rest is left up to your imagination.

Or, you can even make the gingerbread cake without the forest embellishment, as it is a delicious cake all on its own!

How to make a gingerbread forest cake:

• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
• Pour the boiling water over the butter and allow the butter to melt completely.
• Transfer the butter/water mixture to a medium bowl, and whisk in the light brown sugar, molasses, ginger paste, and vanilla extract.
• Add the eggs to the wet ingredients and whisk well to combine.
• Pour the butter mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk well to combine.
• Pour the batter evenly into a prepared bundt pan.
• Bake for 50-60 minutes.
• Cool completely.
• Dust with powdered sugar and decorate with trees and deer.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Special Note about cutting the trees and decorating the cake:

Depending on the kind of trees you choose to work with, wire cutters may be needed.  

Be careful cutting the branches of the trees and do not let children attempt this task unless supervised by an adult.  

Hand strength is required so little children should not be allowed to cut the trees.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Can this holiday bundt cake be made in advance?

Yes!

You can make this up to 2 days in advance of serving, and store it, covered, in the refrigerator.

For best flavor, allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving.

Serving suggestions:

You can either serve it plain, or with the following toppings.

• whipped cream
• ice cream (your favorite flavor)
• caramel sauce
• chocolate sauce
• crushed gingersnap cookies to gild the lily

Additional whimsical Christmas recipes:

*Gingerbread House Recipe and Full Tutorial (shown below)

This Gingerbread House Recipe and Tutorial is a comprehensive instruction along with tips and tricks so you can learn from our successes, as well as our mistakes.

*Rudolph the BREAD-Nosed Reindeer (pictured below)

Give your homemade bread baking skills a whimsical twist by making this Whole Wheat Rudolph the Bread-Nosed Reindeer. Or, you can use store-bought frozen bread dough and follow the instructions for forming and shaping.

*Grinch Guacamole (shown below)

With a few simple ingredients and some easy instructions, you can warm the hearts of your family and friends with this gloriously easy to make realistic looking Grinch Guacamole. 

*Gingerbread Mountain Cake (shown below) THIS IS THE PLACE!!

Below is the printable recipe card along with the exact ingredient measurements and nutritional information for making today's easy gingerbread bundt cake recipe.

Printable Recipe Card

I sincerely hope you've enjoyed today's easy gingerbread bundt cake recipe as much as I've enjoyed bringing it to you!