A bold new take on gingerbread bundt cake

In our opinion, gingerbread is only worth eating if its flavour is unmistakably bold and spicy.

For our gingerbread bundt cake, the standard liquid combination of mild molasses and water seemed lacklustre.

Robust molasses had more presence in our scaled-up cake, and we replaced the water with stout for a deeper flavour profile. The beer gave the cake a malty tang that tasters loved. Powdered ginger provided a spicy kick, and a little cinnamon and allspice contributed warm notes.

Guinness is the test kitchen’s preferred brand of stout for this cake.

Be sure to use finely ground black pepper here. And do not use blackstrap molasses in this recipe.

An equal amount of orange or lemon juice can be substituted for the ginger ale in the glaze.