Nyakers Gingersnap Cake recipe (with a cream cheese frosting) is a classic holiday spiced bundt cake. Gingersnap cookie crumbs give it fabulous flavor and a unique tender crumb. The aroma is magical!
This soft and warm gingersnap cake topped with a thick tangy cream cheese glaze is the knockout bundt cake of the year!
This cake is full of holiday charm and features one of our favorite seasonal flavors. Gingersnaps have their own flavor profile that’s more than holiday spice, but not exactly gingerbread. Gingersnaps have a sharp peppery note to them that comes through, in a toned down way, in this cake.
This easy holiday bundt cake gets it distinctive flavor, aroma, and texture from a surprise ingredient: gingersnap crumbs!
Yes, crushed gingersnap cookies are baked right into the cake, and let me tell you, it makes such a difference. And they aren’t just any gingersnaps (although you can use what you can find,) I used the famous Nyackers cookies, the ones that come in the pretty decorated tin imported from Sweden. The flavor is so vivid ~ it’s pure Christmas.
Can’t find Nyackers?
Grab another brand of gingersnaps, but try to find the thin crisp variety, not the thicker kind. Anna’s and Trader Joe’s carry them, just to name a couple. Nabisco would be my last choice because they don’t have that authentic flavor.
I love to use gingersnap crumbs for holiday pie crusts, like in my Cranberry Gingersnap Pie.
I like to crush the gingersnap extra fine, so the result is almost like a gingersnap flour. Do it in your food processor. If you don’t have a food processor, try putting the cookies in a heavy baggie and using a rolling pin, but get them as fine as possible.
The cake bakes up beautifully, and you’ll smell that unmistakable gingersnap aroma. When you slice into it you’ll see it has a really nice tender, loose crumb. I love the golden color.
Whenever I’m stuck for what to make for a holiday party, or I just need something festive to put on the kitchen counter when my girls are coming home for the holidays, I often turn to a bundt cake. They’re homey, delicious, and so easy.
Other bundts I love ~
- Caramel Apple Bundt Cake
- Glazed Old Fashioned Buttermilk Doughnut Bundt Cake
- Chocolate Sour Cream Doughnut Bundt Cake
- Glazed Gingerbread Bundt Cake
Happy holiday baking!
Gingersnap Cake
Equipment
- a standard bundt pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups brown sugar, lightly packed
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 Tbsp vanilla paste (use 2 tsp vanilla extract instead)
- 3/4 cup buttermilk ( use whole milk or half and half instead)
dry ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup finely crushed gingersnap crumbs, plus a few more for garnishing the cake
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp` ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 1/4 tsp salt
cream cheese frosting
- 1/4 cup whipped cream cheese
- 1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted (sift after measuring)
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice, I used a Meyer lemon (you might need a little more or less juice)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F Butter and flour your bundt pan
- Cream the butter and sugar together until nice and light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of a the bowl a couple of times to get everything incorporated.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, blending each one in before adding the next, and scraping down the sides of that bowl as necessary.
- Blend in the buttermilk and vanilla until smooth.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together and then add slowly to the wet, with the mixer on low. Blend just until there is no more dry flour left.
- Turn the batter into the pan and smooth out the top. Bake for about 40 minutes on the middle rack, until the cake is risen and a toothpick comes out without wet batter on it. Don't over bake this cake.
- Let the cake cool for 15 minutes, then loosen the edges and turn out onto a cooling rack. Let cool completely before frosting.
- To make the frosting beat the cream cheese and sugar, with one tablespoon of the lemon juice. Gradually add more lemon juice, a few drops at a time, until you get a thick spreadable glaze. Beat until smooth and lump free. Spoon over the cake and top with additional gingersnap crumbs, if you like.
Notes
Hi, Sue! Would this gingersnap cake, as a bundt cake, taste good WITHOUT the frosting, if I wanted to ship it as a gift item to another state? I would prefer sending a frosted cake, but I don’t think the frosting would make it.
I sort of think it needs the frosting, or something. You could dust with powdered sugar, or you could make the frosting and pack separately, like in a zip lock baggie (with extra air pushed out so it wouldn’t dry out) It’s a fairly plain cake without the topping.
I made this for an office function. I took heed about not over baking/mixing. Ingredients were just incorporated and I took it out 23 seconds before the timer went off. The cake didnt rise much and seemed quite heavy, not the great crumb you show above. I love your recipes but this one didnt work out for me. The taste was fantastic. I just wish it would have been a bit lighter.
I’m sorry it wasn’t a perfect hit for you Angie. The cake is definitely a little on the denser side, probably due to the crumbs in the batter, I think of it as a coffee cake type treat for that reason. You might experiment with leaving out the crumbs and replacing with more flour. You’d want to increase the spices in that case.
This cake is awesome! I’m going to find me some of these cookies and make this for my family.
Wow! This gingersnap cake looks AMAZING. I love gingersnap cookies, so I’m sure I will love this recipe. Can’t wait to make this for Christmas.
It’s a gingersnap lovers dream 🙂
We are all about the ginger desserts at the moment and this looks delicious.
Such a delightful and delicious dessert for the holidays!
I’m wondering if this cake would freeze well, unfrosted. Trying to make ahead for Christmas! Looks so yummy!
This bundt should freeze well Carole.
How creative and deliciois this cake looks. Perfect for holidays — must try!
What a neat recipe! Gingersnaps are one of my favorite cookies, and we sometimes use them in baking. Haven’t had them in a cake, though! Terrific idea — very creative. Thanks!
Thanks John, I’ve actually baked cookie crumbs into desserts a few times and always love the result. I did it with graham cracker crumbs in my Nutella S’mores Bars and they’re one of my faves 🙂