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This Vegan Chocolate Gingerbread Cake has an amazing flavor profile. Ginger, candied ginger, dark chocolate add a pleasing bitter combination with gingerbread spices. 1 Bowl. Vegan Soyfree Nutfree Recipe GF option Jump to Recipe
Ginger and Chocolate in baked goods work very well together in the cold season. The craving for spice and chocolate gets satisfied with every bite! Warm gooey chocolate, loads of ginger and gingerbread spices.
This loaf has cocoa, fresh ginger and gingerbread spices in the wet and candied ginger and chopped up dark or regular chocolate in the dry. It bakes into a slightly dense pound cake like loaf that is best served warm. If storing for longer, warm before serving so that the chocolate can melt a bit and get gooey and delicious. Its almost like a gingerbread brownie! Serve as a snack or top with whipped coconut cream or a chocolate frosting for dessert.
More Holiday Bakes
- Pumpkin Cake with Chocolate Pumpkin Frosting. GF option
- Cinnamon Swirl Cake
- Eggnog Pound Cake
- Easy Coffee Cake – Cinnamon Streusel Cake GF option
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Marble Cake
- Applesaue spice cake GF option
Gluten-free
- GF Cashew Butter Chocolate Marble Cake.
- Gluten-free Cinnamon Roll Bread yeast-free.
- GF Carrot Banana Bread – Also grain-free.
- Sweet Potato Crumb Cake. GF
Vegan Chocolate Gingerbread Cake
Ingredients
Wet:
- 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp non dairy milk, , boiling hot
- 1/4 cup cocoa
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 3 tbsp oil, or use more non dairy milk
- 1 tsp vinegar, or lemon juice
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup brown sugar, or cane sugar + 1 tbsp molasses (1/3 cup if using semi sweet chocolate)
- 2 tsp minced fresh ginger, optional
Dry:
- 1.25 to 1.5 cups flour, (I use a mix of all purpose and whole wheat)
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp gingerbread spice, ,less or more to preference (or 3/4 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, dashed of ground cloves, nutmeg)
- 1/4 cup chopped vegan chocolate, , dark or semi sweet or a mix
- 1/3 cup chopped candied ginger
- 2 tbsp mini chocolate chips for topping, optional
Instructions
- Grease or line a loaf pan with parchment. Preheat the oven to 350 deg F (180 C).
- In a bowl, mix the hot non dairy milk and cocoa until combined. Add the rest of the wet ingredients and mix well.
- Add 1 cup flour, spices, salt, baking powder and baking soda to the wet. Mix the dry ingredients lightly before combining into the wet. (Or alternatively, mix in another bowl and then add to the wet)
- Add the chocolate, candied ginger and 1/4 cup flour and mix in to make a muffin like batter. Add more flour if too flowy. This batter is good to bake into muffins, mini loafs or cake pan. If baking a large loaf, add a few tbsp more flour until the batter is stiff, and then drop into prepared loaf pan. Use a clean spoon or spatula to even it out.
- Sprinkle mini chocolate chips on top if desired. Bake for 45 mins. Check with a toothpick from the middle. (muffin 22 min, shallow cake pan 35 mins)
- Cool for 10 mins then remove from pan. Cool to room temp before slicing. Serve warm (warm to melt the chocolate if already cooled) as a snack or top with whipped coconut cream or a chocolate frosting for dessert.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Would Bobs Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free work?
direct sub will not work
This cake is so good. Chocolaty, a bit spicy (I added a lot of fresh, grated ginger), and absolutely delicious. I used buckwheat flour and baked it in a cake pan and it turned out great. Already ate a third of it 😋 will be baking this many times this winter. Thank you.
Awesome!
I am a cake lover. This is the best of all the vegan cakes I’ve made in 9 years. It is moist, full of in-depth flavors, full of textures with the ginger and chocolate chips, and best of all, it feels light! Most vegan cakes come across as dense. I doubled the recipe and made it in a 13″ by 9″ pan. Thank you for the recipe! I’m making it again this week for a party!
awesome!
Hi Richa, love the sound of this bread. A question though, will the applesauce add apple-y flavour to the bread? Similarly will the mashed banana add banana type flavour? I’m thinking tahini? Which of these or another sub will be flavourless when added the recipe.
Thanks a lot.
What is the function of the applesauce? I don’t have any in the house and it’s only 1/3 cup so could I leave it out or use vegan “butter” instead? Maybe use mashed banana? It’s such a small quantity that I don’t think it will taste like banana after baking.
yes use mashed banana or pumpkin or a fruit puree. its for added moisture. you can also use half mashed banana andhalf oil/butter
Is this actually what heaven looks like in the form of a cake? Because I think I am peering at it right now from my computer. 😉 But in all seriousness, this chocolate gingerbread cake looks TO DIE FOR. I regret not recreating it for Christmas! Definitely will have to do so ASAP to make up for lost times!
This looks lovely but I’d also like to make just a ginger cake without the chocolate. Any ideas for subbing the cocoa? Thank you:-)
theres one on the blog already 🙂 https://fettabbau-trim.today/2014/11/vegan-gingerbread-cake.html%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Can’t wait to try this! Love ginger! Make your chocolate ginger cookies regularly.😋
Fabulous recipe,!! We dislike candied ginger any ideas of a sub? But we like gingerbread. Could I just omit e candied ginger? Don’t think I would add more chocolate chips as it would increase the saturated fat content – thanks
yes just omit it. add some more ground ginger if you like
Yummy! I was a little nervous about all the candied ginger – but it was great. Also, the smell of the vinegar in the batter was a little off putting – but no issues when baked. Next time I might add a pinch of salt. Thanks Richa.
awesome! yes the small amount of vinegar bakes out so there isnt any flavor left. i forgot to add salt to the ingredients, but there shouldbe 1/4tsp