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If there’s anything that truly screams Christmas, it’s gingerbread. Therefore, I can’t think of a better way to kick the holiday season off than with this Cream Cheese Swirled Chai Gingerbread Cake. This sweet, super moist gingerbread cake is made with brown sugar, molasses, and a touch of vanilla extract. It’s spiced up with the warming flavors of chai and baked with a swirl of cream cheese throughout the center. The final touch is a generous drizzle of buttery lemon glaze. This perfectly sweet and spiced up version of gingerbread cake is so delicious. Perfect for baking on cold December days while cozied up inside!

This post is sponsored by Land O’Lakes.

overhead photo of Cream Cheese Swirled Chai Gingerbread Cake with 3 pieces of cake cut

There’s nothing I love more than a festive dessert. I know I’ve said this many times, but this time of year is truly my favorite. Something about the holidays always brings out my most creative side. I love the types of recipes I share in November and December more than any others throughout the year. This gingerbread cake turned out even better than I envisioned, so I am so excited to share the recipe with you guys.

Not only is this cake delicious, it’s also simple to make. This truly is a wintery cake…warming, lightly spiced, a touch buttery, and slightly decadent… just about as close to perfect as a cake can get.

overhead photo of Cream Cheese Swirled Chai Gingerbread Cake before baking with the cream cheese layer showing

overhead photo of Cream Cheese Swirled Chai Gingerbread Cake before baking

Here are all the details you need to know.

This time of year, my fridge is stocked with my favorite Land O Lakes® Extra Creamy Butter. You may not know this, but the variety of butter you use can really make a difference, especially when baking. I love the rich buttery flavor and hints of salt in Land O Lakes® Extra Creamy Butter. It creams wonderfully into batters and always turns out a moist delicious cake.

The first step is to cream the butter with brown sugar and molasses. The sugar adds sweetness, while the molasses adds that classic gingerbread color and rich flavor. Once the wet ingredients have been thoroughly mixed in, add the dry.

side angled photo of Cream Cheese Swirled Chai Gingerbread Cake with the glaze being drizzled over the cake

For my dry mix, I use the basics…flour, baking powder, and baking soda.

But for the spices? I didn’t use just ginger. I also incorporated the spices used in a steaming cup of chai tea…ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, and pepper. It’s the ultimate spice blend that gives you a very gingery gingerbread cake, hinting of the flavor of chai.

side angled photo of Cream Cheese Swirled Chai Gingerbread Cake

Once the batter is mixed up, there is one last key ingredient, cream cheese. At the last minute, I decided to add a swirl of creamy cream cheese to the center of this cake. Something about all the spices and rich molasses paired with cream cheese sounded so good to me.

And you know? The cream cheese ended up truly complementing all the spices. It adds a nice creaminess to every bite…so delicious.

Layer the batter with the cream cheese and bake. As the cake bakes, your house will be filled with the smells of ginger and cinnamon. At this point, holiday music should be playing. And in a wintry movie world, a fire will be roaring, snow will be falling, and the lights on your tree will be twinkling away.

The perfect picture, right? To me, yes. But again, I love this cozy time of year. If it snowed every day this month, I’d be happy. It’s a great excuse to stay inside and bake…specifically this gingerbread cake.

overhead close up photo of Cream Cheese Swirled Chai Gingerbread Cake with multiple slices of cake cut

Finish with something extra sweet…and lemony.

Originally, I had a completely different icing in mind for this cake, but after my first round of testing, I knew I wanted an icing that would lighten the cake while enhancing its flavors.

Enter this lemony, buttery, vanilla icing. It has hints of sweet butter, lemon, and plenty of vanilla. It’s perfect for finishing this spiced gingerbread cake and adds just the right amount of sweetness.

overhead photo of Cream Cheese Swirled Chai Gingerbread Cake with multiple slices of cake cut

Serve this cake…

every chance you get this month.

No really, I can’t begin to tell you how much I love this cake. I’ve already made it several times over the last two weeks. It’s the easiest cake to mix up, and it always comes out looking impressive with the swirl of cream cheese inside and that pretty off-white icing on top.

I’ve enjoyed this cake slightly warm with a cup of cocoa. I’ve also gifted it twice to friends as a holiday thank you (it wraps up beautifully in a cute little gift box).

So my suggestion? Take some time off this weekend for a little holiday baking. Nothing is better than a gingerbread cake baking in the oven on a cozy wintery weekend.

PS. Looking for more gingerbread recipes…check out some of these oldies but goodies!

side angled photo of Cream Cheese Swirled Chai Gingerbread Cake with bite taken out of cake slice

If you make this cream cheese swirled chai gingerbread cake, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Watch the how to video:

Cream Cheese Swirled Chai Gingerbread Cake.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 12
Calories Per Serving: 355 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Ingredients

  • 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) Land O Lakes® Salted Extra Creamy Butter, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup molasses
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground all-spice
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3/4 cup whole milk
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

Vanilla Lemon Icing

Instructions

  • 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 10-cup Bundt® pan with butter, making sure to get into all the nooks and crannies.
    2. To make the cake, in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter, brown
    sugar, and vanilla until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Add the molasses, beating until smooth. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Mix on low speed until just combined, making sure the batter is completely mixed.
    3. Slowly add in the milk. Beat until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Be careful not to overbeat the batter.
    4. Spoon half the cake batter into the prepared pan. Gently dollop the softened cream cheese over the batter and spread in an even layer. Spoon the remaining batter over the cream cheese. Transfer to the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool 15 minutes and then invert the cake onto a plate.
    5. To make the glaze, in a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter, powdered sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla, and milk until smooth. If needed, thin the glaze with additional milk.
    6. Drizzle the glaze evenly over the cake and let set 10 minutes. Serve at slightly warm or room temperature.

Notes

Storing: this cake keeps well for 3-4 days at room temperature. 
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horizontal photo of Cream Cheese Swirled Chai Gingerbread Cake

{This post is sponsored by Land O’Lakes. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep Half Baked Harvest cooking!}

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Comments

  1. how many ounces are in a serving? can i use this recipe for a bread loaf, if not, what is the bread loaf recipe?

  2. 3 stars
    I was so excited to make this cake, but unfortunately, it did not turn out for me. I baked it according to the directions (checking the center at 40 and then 45 minutes), but the cake fell apart when I tried to take it out of the bundt pan, and the cream cheese layer was somehow dried out. Flavor wise, too, the chai spices did not come through very strongly. There’s not much that’s more disappointing than flipping a Bundt pan to have it all fall apart on the rack.

    1. Hi Andi,
      Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback. Sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! Was there anything you adjusted in the recipe? Let me know how I can help! xT

  3. 5 stars
    This cake is TO DIE FOR. It’s so good! I did make a few small tweaks. I used 1/4 cup of maple syrup in place of some of the molasses, and left out the cardamom, as the only cardamom I have is in pods and it takes forever to grind. I also reduced the amount of lemon juice in the glaze for a very subtle hint and added a bit of sugar to the cream cheese. Overall, this cake is my new favorite recipe from you! Everyone loved it, even my dad, who typically doesn’t like gingerbread. Also, I got two of your cookbooks for Christmas and I’m so happy! I’m already planning to use recipes for New Year’s dinner! Abigail

    1. Hey Abigail,
      Happy Holidays!!☃️ I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! I hope you love the cookbooks! xT

  4. 5 stars
    I make this cake every year for Christmas! And it is such a hit. The flavor is great. One callout is the baking time. I find 40 minutes gets it a little too browned/crisp. Next year I might reduce to 35 min.

    1. Hey Sarah,
      I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Merry Christmas! 🎁🎄

  5. 5 stars
    Just made it, came out beautiful with regular butter. Molasses flavor is mild, I used Wholesome organic molasses. The glaze was very thin with 2.5 tbs lemon juice ams 1 tbs milk so watch for that. However, I like lemony flavor. Sprinkled with confectionery sugar as my glaze was invisible. Would post a photo but don’t see that option. Thanks for another great recipe! Happy holidays!

    1. Hey Sonya,
      I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Merry Christmas! 🎁🎄

  6. 5 stars
    Just made it, came out beautiful with regular butter. Molasses flavor is mild, I used Wholesome organic molasses. The glaze was very thin with 2.5 tbs lemon juice ams 1 tbs milk so watch for that. However, I like lemony flavor. Sprinkled with confectionery sugar as my glaze was invisible. Would post a photo but don’t see that option. Thanks for another great recipe! Happy holidays!

    1. Hey Sanja,
      I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Merry Christmas! 🎁🎄

  7. My family is not a fan of molasses, so should I reduce the molasses to half a cup, or dilute it with water? And, if I do reduce it, should I replace it with water? Abigail

    1. Hi Abigail,
      I would try using maple syrup in place of the molasses. Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope it turns out well for you! xx

  8. Love your site. I really want to make the Chai Gingerbread cake but don’t like the cream cheese. Wondering about leaving out cream cheese layer.

    1. Thanks so much Mary!! You can just skip the cream cheese:) Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx

  9. 5 stars
    Made this for a holiday party tonight. The cake turned out great. The glaze not so much. I may have added too much lemon juice. It was quite thin. It still looks good on the cake. I have not cut into the cake yet, but the batter was yummy!

    1. Hey Julie,
      Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your review! Love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Sunday!🎄

      1. Hi Tara,
        No, regular butter will be just fine for you to use:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT

  10. Could I make this in a jumbo muffin tin, still with a layer of cream cheese, and then freeze the finished, glazed product?

    1. Hey Brogan,
      Sorry, are you wanting to make this into muffins? Sure, that would work for you! Let me know how the recipe turns out, I hope you love it! xx