Arbequina Gingerbread Mini Bundt Cake #Sponsored

 This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Quail & Olive.

Complimentary product was provided for this post and this page may contain affiliate links.

However, all opinions expressed here are my own.

Colder weather and upcoming holidays always puts me in a baking frame of mind. And I had just picked up a mini bundt pan at The Quail & Olive*, so I wanted to think of something to bake in that. My first thought for holiday cakes is always gingerbread!

 

Seriously, I love gingerbread in every form. You might say I'm slightly obsessed with that flavor profile.

My Gingerbread Obsession

I am not joking when I say that I have gingerbread obsession. Really. Gingerbread is a family favorite and we love exploring different kinds of gingerbread cookies. We've made Danish Honningkagehjerter and Mexican Puerquitos (Gingerbread Pigs); I have created a Speculaas recipe that's similar to what I remember from the Netherlands...it's not perfect, but it'll do! I posted some Sherlock-inspired Gingernuts and Pierniczki (Polish Gingerbread Cookies). And those are just the cookies.

On the savory side of things, I have shared a Gingerbread Stuffing and for a French Winophiles Fête: Foie Gras on Pain d'Épices. But it's been awhile since I've made a gingerbread cake...and I was inspired by the Arbequina olive oil from The Quail & Olive. The arbequina olive is small, but highly aromatic fruit. In Europe, it is mostly grown in Catalonia; here, in California, it has recently become the dominant cultivar. I have been using the Arbequina in a lot of my baking because it leans to the delicate side with just a whiff of cinnamon. So, it's perfect for baking.

Ingredients 

makes one mini bundt cake plus nine regular-sized muffins 

or a dozen regular-sized muffins

• 1/2 cup olive oil (I used the Arbequina)
• 3/4 cup dark molasses
• 3 cups flour 
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1" knob of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 1/2 cup organic dark brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• optional: organic powdered sugar for dusting, melted chocolate for drizzling

Procedure

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Generously grease a mini bundt pan and muffin hollows and set aside. You can also use paper liners for the muffins if you wish.

Place all of the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.

Stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until everything is moistened and just combined.

Divide the batter into the mini bundt and muffin pan. Place the pans in the oven.

Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake until the tops are cracked and the centers set, approximately 16 to 18 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.

Allow to cook in the pans for 10 minutes before inverting the bundt pan and the muffins. You can serve these warm - that's how we like it - or room temperature.

If you are dusting the gingerbread with powdered sugar and/or drizzling with melted chocolate, do that just before serving. But this moist, spiced cake is just as delicious naked!

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*Disclosure: I receive compensation in the form of complimentary products for recipe development 

and generating social media traction. All opinions are my own.