Vegan Gingerbread Cake (Gluten-Free) – Elavegan

This quick and easy vegan gingerbread cake is soft, moist, packed with warming spices, and perfect for the holidays! Plus, it’s also gluten-free, oil-free, refined sugar-free, and can be topped with a creamy frosting!

Holiday Vegan Gingerbread Cake with Frosting

What pumpkin chocolate chip bread (and pumpkin pie) is to fall, this vegan gingerbread cake is for Christmas! With the combination of robust warming spices and sweet molasses, this gluten-free gingerbread cake is perfect for the holidays.

It smells and tastes fantastic, and unlike hard gingerbread cookies, it’s moist, fluffy, soft, and can optionally be enjoyed with a creamy cashew-based pudding ‘frosting’ for added yumminess.

As decadent as this Christmas gingerbread cake appears, though, it’s also surprisingly healthy. As written, the recipe is oil-free, refined-sugar-free, lightly sweetened, and contains mainly whole grains. All while maintaining traditional gingerbread’s slightly dense yet spongy, fluffy, moist consistency.

Plus, it’s super versatile. You can adjust the sweetness and spice levels to taste, omit the creamy frosting, and enjoy this ginger molasses cake as a sheet cake, layer cake, or turn it into mini loaves or muffins!

Best of all, it’s a great ‘quick and easy’ Christmas recipe that requires just a couple of bowls, a whisk, and optionally, a blender/ food processor if you’re making the frosting.  While baking, your kitchen will smell like Christmas and make you want to bake even more, like these cinnamon star cookies, coconut macaroons, and vegan raspberry thumbprint cookies!

The Ingredients

This gluten-free gingerbread recipe is comprised almost entirely of ingredients easily found in most well-stocked pantries.

Wet Ingredients

• Applesauce: Use unsweetened applesauce or mashed overripe banana to bind in place of eggs and add moisture to the vegan gingerbread cake.
• Coconut milk: Full-fat canned coconut milk provides the vegan ginger cake with a moist, tender crumb. Alternatively, use another plant-based milk with 2 tablespoons of oil (vegetable, coconut, etc.).
• Sweetener: I use maple syrup, but other liquid sweeteners like agave or brown rice syrup would work, too.
• Dark molasses: This is important for achieving the proper gingerbread flavor. Use unsulphured dark molasses rather than blackstrap molasses (which is bitter). If you aren’t a fan of its flavor, use just 2-3 tablespoons of molasses with an extra 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup. If all you have is blackstrap molasses, use one tablespoon of it, along with 3 tablespoons of maple syrup.

Dry ingredients

• Flours: I used a combination of oat flour and white rice flour (brown rice flour works, but the cake won’t be as fluffy) to create a vegan, gluten-free gingerbread cake that’s fluffy and cake-like but gluten-free. If you don’t have oat flour, grind oats in a blender or coffee/spice grinder until floury.
• Gingerbread spice: Use a store-bought version or make it yourself by combining:
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Salt: To balance and enhance the flavors within this ginger molasses cake.
• Leavening agents: This vegan gingerbread recipe relies on baking powder and baking soda for lift and fluffy texture.

The Frosting

• Cashews: Use raw, unsalted cashews. Other nuts, like macadamia nuts, may also work. For a nut-free version, try sunflower seeds, though their flavor is more robust.
• Plant-based milk: Use any non-dairy milk – almond, coconut, soy, rice, cashew, etc.
• Cornstarch: To help thicken the frosting. Arrowroot flour should also work.
• Granulated sweetener: Use any – that includes coconut sugar, date sugar, organic white (or brown) sugar, or even sugar alternatives like Erythritol (which I used).
• Vanilla extract: Use natural vanilla for the best quality and flavor.

Optional Add-Ins

• Citrus: Gingerbread and orange or lemon pair wonderfully. You could add a teaspoon of lemon/ orange zest to the cake batter or even a few drops of orange extract to the cashew pudding frosting. Alternatively, make a simple citrus glaze instead of the pudding frosting, using orange juice or lemon juice.
• Ginger: To ramp up the ginger flavor, use fresh ginger OR add a small handful of finely chopped candied/crystallized ginger into the batter.
• Nuts: Add some chopped walnuts or pecans to the batter for extra texture.
• Raisins: I like to soak them in rum first for the best flavor and plump texture.
• Apple/pear: Finely chop 1-2 (depending on their size) of your favorite baking apples or pears to mix into the batter.
• Whipped coconut cream: Instead of the cashew frosting, use lightly sweetened coconut cream (the thick cream from a can of chilled full-fat coconut milk).

Please read the recipe card below for the full ingredients list, measurements, complete recipe method, and nutritional information.

How to Make Vegan Gingerbread Cake?

This Christmas gingerbread cake requires minimal skill and no fancy tools (except a blender, and even then, only if you make the frosting) but yields perfectly spiced cake every time.  

• First, leave the cashews to soak in cold water overnight or boiling water for about 30 minutes until super tender. Then, drain the water and pat them dry.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 °F/177 °C, and line a 6×9-inch (15 x 23 cm) cake pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on all sides for easy removal.
• Then, add all the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk.
• Next, add all the wet ingredients to the mixture and stir/whisk until just combined. Be careful not to over-mix it.
• Pour the gingerbread cake batter into the prepared pan and bake it in the oven for around 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (a few crumbs are fine, but not wet).
• Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes before transferring it to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling completely.

If you plan to add the cashew frosting, leave the cake in the baking tray.

Cashew Frosting

• Meanwhile, to prepare the ‘pudding’ style topping, add all the frosting ingredients (except the cashews) to a saucepan. Whisk vigorously until lump-free, then bring it to a boil, allowing it to simmer for 1-2 minutes, constantly stirring, until the mixture thickens.
• Transfer that mixture, along with the soaked cashews, to a high-speed blender and blend until completely smooth and creamy.

A food processor will also work, but it takes longer to get the job done. Then, give the frosting a taste and adjust the sweetness.

• Finally, pour the cream over the cooled vegan gingerbread cake, spread it evenly with a spatula, then transfer it to the freezer for 1 ½-2 hours, to set (or the refrigerator overnight). When ready, slice and enjoy!

Storing Instructions

Store: The leftover Christmas gingerbread cake will store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Freeze: Freeze the cooled vegan gingerbread cake for up to 3 months, with or without the topping, in an airtight container. Allow it to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before enjoying it.

How to Serve?

How you serve this gluten-free gingerbread cake will differ based on whether you add the frosting. Without it, it’s popular to microwave a slice (or warm it in the oven at 350 °F/177 °C for a few minutes), then serve it with vegan custard, ice cream, or a dollop of vegan whipped cream.

A slice of this vegan ginger cake would also pair well with a serving of chai, hot chocolate or a latte/ coffee.

FAQs

Can I make vegan gingerbread muffins with this recipe?

That should work. Just reduce the baking time until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean (a few crumbs are fine). I think they would take between 20-25 minutes.

Can I make it into a loaf, mini loaf, or other cake shapes?

• For gingerbread loaves: Use a regular loaf pan, bundt pan, or several mini loaf pans and adjust the baking time. I suggest about 35-40 minutes for a large one, or 25-30 minutes for mini loaves.
• Layered cake: Double the batter and divide it between two 7 or 8-inch round cake pans. Baking time will vary, first check at 22 minutes.
• 9×13 cake: Double the batter, then monitor the cake while baking. It should take somewhere between 25-35 minutes.

Baking time varies, so bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Can I use regular wheat flour?

If you aren’t gluten-free, this vegan gingerbread cake recipe should work fine with 250 grams (about 2 cups) of regular all-purpose flour or a 50/50 blend of white and whole wheat flour instead.

Recipe Notes and Top Tips

• Use kitchen scales: For the best results, measure the ingredients using grams on a kitchen scale.
• Adjust the spices/sweetness: You can increase or decrease the amount of gingerbread spice you use, to taste. If you find the cake too subtle, you could even add a pinch or more to the frosting. Likewise, if desired, add more sweetener (granulated/powdered) to the cake or frosting.
• Use fresh spices: If any of them are old, the flavor and ingredient ratio will be off.

More Vegan Holiday Desserts

If you try this easy vegan gingerbread cake recipe, I’d love a comment and ★★★★★ recipe rating below. Also, please don’t forget to tag me in re-creations on Instagram or Facebook with @elavegan and #elavegan—I love seeing them.

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