Gingerbread Baby Cakes with Candied Orange Peel: Tasty, seasonal Mini Bundt Cakes with the classic gingerbread flavors that are perfect for the holidays!! With a dollop of whipped cream and homemade candied orange peel, they are a terrific Christmas dessert! 

Gingerbread Baby Cakes on white plates with candied orange peel garnishes

Gingerbread Baby Cakes

I probably should have studied my bottle of molasses before beginning this recipe. The ingredient list called for unsulfured molasses. I quickly ran into Whole Foods and snatched some Blackstrap molasses off the shelves along with some fresh ginger.

Little did I know the flavor was much stronger, bitter and less sweet than the Brer Rabbit Mild Molasses in my cupboard which was ALSO unsulfured. Thank goodness I made just half a batch…I know I would love these made with ordinary molasses, but I just didn’t have time for a re-do.

I did manage to eat half Mini Gingerbread Bundt Cake below. It didn’t taste half bad with a big dollop of sweetened whip cream, but I bet I’ll sing another, more positive tune, with my next attempt. If you love ginger, you’ll also enjoy my favorite Chewy Ginger Cookies!

Mini Gingerbread Bundt Cakes on plates with candied orange peel

Candied Orange Peel

I altered the recipe only by leaving out the black pepper (and using the wrong molasses!)…I was planning to send these back to the dorms with my youngest and I knew the college crowd’s palates wouldn’t appreciate the bite of pepper in their dessert. Brownies and chocolate chip cookies were more their speed.

I did whip up some candied orange peel to garnish these mini cakes. I remember my mom making her candied citrus each Christmas, but my sisters and I were not impressed. We, like my son and his friends, were holding out for something less exotic. I guess it took a couple of decades for my palate to mature, as this candied peel was excellent and such a gorgeous garnish for these baby cakes.

Partially eaten Gingerbread Baby Cake on a white plate with whipped cream and a fork
 
This Tuesdays with Dorie is hosted by Karen of Karen’s Kitchen Stories…and the recipe can be found on her blog or in Baking with Julia. I’ve shared the orange peel I made for garnishing.
 
Gingerbread Baby Cakes - Mini holiday cakes garnished with candied orange peel

Candied Orange Peel Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield 1 cup

A sweet citrus treat or garnish! Adapted from Epicurious.

Ingredients

  • 1 large orange, top and bottom trimmed flat (about 1/4 inch removed)
  • 2 cups sugar, divided
  • 1 ½ cups water

Instructions

  1. Cut through peel from top to bottom to make 4 equal-sized segments. Remove peel, including pith, from each quadrant. Cut each piece into ¼-inch strips.
  2. Cook in a pot of boiling water for 15 minutes. Drain, rinse, then rinse again.
  3. Bring 1 ½ cups sugar and 1 ½ cups water to a boil, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves.
  4. Add peel and return to a boil. Simmer for about 45 minutes till peel is soft. Drain.
  5. Toss peel in the remaining ½ cup sugar, separating strips.
  6. Transfer strips to a sheet of foil and let them stand until the coating is dry, 1-2 days.

Notes

May freeze for up to 2 months.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 205Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 3mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 1gSugar: 52gProtein: 0g

Calorie count may be skewed as it takes all the sugar syrup into consideration.

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