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Love ginger? Then you will love this vegan gingerbread cake! It has an amazing, moist texture and is topped with this sweet-and-spicy ginger glaze that gives it an incredible, festive flavor. It’s a must-make during the holidays! 1 bowl; options for gluten-free, nut-free. This post was originally published nov 18, 2014. The recipe has been simplified and updated.
Table of Contents
This is a super moist and super spiced vegan gingerbread cake with triple ginger: fresh, dried, and candied.
It is made in just one bowl using everyday ingredients. You can add other ingredients into the batter, like chopped pecans or walnuts, candied ginger, or raisins. You can also add in some fresh grated ginger for even more gingery flavor in the cake!
I make this amazing ginger glaze topping for the cake with fresh ginger, brown sugar, and candied ginger, and it takes the spice of the cake to an amazing level! The cake is super moist, super spice, and perfect with a cup of masala chai or coffee or gingerbread latte!
This ginger molasses cake has both candied ginger and fresh ginger as well as that amazing ginger topping in addition to fall spices and a deep flavor of molasses. All the flavors get stronger as the cake sits. You can omit a form of ginger or reduce some to taste preference.
Add other nuts or seeds of choice, chocolate chips, or dried fruit, if you like. The more the merrier when it comes to this vegan gingerbread cake!
Why You’ll Love Vegan Gingerbread Cake
- incredible, moist texture with molasses
- amazing spiced flavor with holiday spices, and ground ginger
- sticky-sweet ginger glaze ups the ante giving this cake an explosion of gingery flavor!
- 1-bowl batter
- Soyfree recipe. gluten-free, and nut-free options
More Vegan Christmas Desserts
- Chocolate Gingerbread Fudge
- Spiced Fruit Cake
- Vegan Baklava Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Bark
- Eggnog Pound Cake
Vegan Gingerbread Cake
Equipment
- 9×5" loaf pan
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
Spices
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground clove
- 1/8 teaspoon allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Wet Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 3/4 cup non-dairy milk, warmed
- 3 tablespoons molasses
- 2 tablespoons non-dairy yogurt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional Additions to the Cake
- 2 tablespoons or more of either or combination of chopped candied ginger, , chopped walnuts/pecans, raisins or chocolate chips
For the Ginger Glaze
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 ” piece fresh ginger, sliced into thin slices
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped candied ginger
- 2 tablespoons chopped pecans
Instructions
Make the gingerbread cake.
- Preheat the oven to 375° F (190° C) and line a 9×5” loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, and all of the spices, and press and mix really well.
- Warm up the non-dairy milk, if you haven’t already. Then, make a hole in the middle of the dry ingredients, and add the milk. Then add in the oil and the molasses and mix in. Mix in the hole first, so that the molasses mixes into the warm milk a little bit, and then start to mix it into the flour a little bit. Then, add in vanilla extract and non-dairy yogurt, and continue to mix until you get a smooth batter.
- If the batter is too thick (this depends on how you measured the flour, the consistency of the molasses, and etc.) you can add in another tablespoon of milk to help it become a smooth batter. You don't want it to be too thin, but you also don't want it to be too lumpy and stiff.
- Once you have the batter, add in your additions of choice, and fold them into the batter.
- Then, transfer the batter to the lined loaf pan. Even it out with a spatula, and then bake it for 35 minutes.
- At this point, check with toothpick to see whether the cake is already done. If not, reduce the heat to 350° F (177° C), cover the the pan with parchment paper, and continue to bake for around 10 to 15 more minutes or until the toothpick from the center comes out completely clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully remove it using the parchment paper, and let it continue to cool, covered lightly with a towel, for another 10 to 15 minutes.
Make the ginger glaze while the cake cools.
- In a skillet, add the brown sugar, water, ginger slices, and lemon juice, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Mix really well until the sugar mixes in, simmer for another minute, and then switch off the heat. Fish out the fresh ginger slices
- Fold in the candied ginger and pecans.
- Let this cool for 5 minutes or so, so that the glaze thickens slightly. Then, drizzle this all over the cake. Spread the candied ginger and pecans all over and then drizzle on the rest of the sauce, if there is any left, all over the cake.
- Let the gingerbread cake sit for 10 to 15 minutes for the glaze to soak in a little bit, then slice, serve, and enjoy. You can also serve this with some coconut cream or ice cream.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- all-purpose flour – see recipe notes to make it Glutenfree
- baking powder, baking soda, and salt – To condition the batter.
- brown sugar – For sweetness and flavor in the batter and to sweeten the ginger glaze.
- spices – This cake is packed with festive flavors from ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg.
- oil – For moisture.
- warm non-dairy milk – For moisture.
- molasses – For moisture, sweetness, and flavor.
- non-dairy yogurt – For moisture and tang.
- vanilla – For flavor.
- optional additions – You can add lots of fun mix-ins to the cake batter, if you like, such as candied ginger, chopped nuts or seeds, chocolate chips, and dried fruit.
- fresh ginger – To add heat to the ginger glaze.
- lemon juice – To bring out the flavors in the ginger glaze.
- candied ginger and pecans – Add this to the glaze after cooking it for texture and even more amazing flavor!
Tips
- The thickness of the batter will depend on a lot of factors, like how accurately you measured the flour, the consistency of your molasses, etc. If it’s too thick/lumpy, add a tablespoon of non-dairy milk to help it become a smooth batter. You don’t want it to be too thin, but you also don’t want it to be too lumpy and stiff.
- If you don’t want to make the glaze on the stovetop, you can make a simple glaze with just sugar and non-dairy milk. Or you can make a cream cheese frosting with some non-dairy cream cheese, maple syrup, a pinch of ground spices like ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, and then spread that all over the cake as well.
- To store, slice and keep the cake in a closed container in the fridge for up to five days, or freeze it in a freezer-safe container for up to two months.
How to Make Vegan Gingerbread Cake
Preheat the oven to 375° F (190° C) and line a 9×5” loaf pan with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, and all of the spices, and press and mix really well.
Warm up the non-dairy milk, if you haven’t already. Then, make a hole in the middle of the dry ingredients, and add the milk. Then add in the oil and the molasses and mix in. Mix in the hole first, so that the molasses mixes into the warm milk a little bit, and then start to mix it into the flour a little bit. Then, add in vanilla extract and non-dairy yogurt, and continue to mix until you get a smooth batter.
If the batter is too thick (this depends on how you measured the flour, the consistency of the molasses, and etc.) you can add in another tablespoon of milk to help it become a smooth batter. You don’t want it to be too thin, but you also don’t want it to be too lumpy and stiff.
Once you have the batter, add in your additions of choice, and fold them into the batter.
Then, transfer the batter to the lined loaf pan. Even it out with a spatula, and then bake it for 35 minutes.
At this point, check with toothpick to see whether the cake is already done. If not, reduce the heat to 350° F (177° C), cover the the pan with parchment paper, and continue to bake for around 10 to 15 more minutes or until the toothpick from the center comes out completely clean.
Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully remove it using the parchment paper, and let it continue to cool, covered lightly with a towel, for another 10 to 15 minutes.
Make the ginger glaze while the cake cools.
In a skillet, add the brown sugar, water, ginger slices, and lemon juice, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Mix really well until the sugar mixes in, simmer for another minute, and then switch off the heat. Remove the fresh ginger slices.
Fold in the candied ginger and pecans.
Let this cool for 5 minutes or so, so that the glaze thickens slightly. Then, drizzle this all over the cake. Spread the candied ginger and pecans all over and then drizzle on the rest of the sauce, if there is any left, all over the cake.
Let the gingerbread cake sit for 10 to 15 minutes for the glaze to soak in a little bit, then slice, serve, and enjoy. You can also serve this with some coconut cream or ice cream.
Frequently Asked Questions
To make this gluten-free, make a mix of 1 cup almond flour, 1/2 cup oat flour, and 1/2 cup potato starch and use 1 3/4 cup of that mixture in the cake. Also, instead of the 3/4 cup of milk, use 1/3 cup of non-dairy milk and 1/3 cup of club soda.
Once you mix the batter, you want to bake the gluten-free cake immediately, because otherwise it will lose the airiness that it would have gotten from the club soda. If you don’t want to use club soda, you can add 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid in with the dry ingredients.
You do want to add some kind of leavening into the batter before baking for the best results. This is very important for gluten-free baking, otherwise it kind of becomes too flat or too dry.
This recipe is soy-free as long as you use a soy-free non-dairy milk and yogurt.
To make it nut-free, use seeds instead of the walnuts/pecans or just omit, and make sure your non-dairy milk and yogurt are nut-free.
Richa, thank you for the lovely recipe! I had a little bit of troubled stomach from lunch (from a power salad from a new vegan eatery in town) so decided I need to carbo load for dinner and googled your ginger bread recipe. It’s Spring but this loaf felt perfect for my situation! I wanted to let you (everyone else) know that I subbed all the flour for Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour and my gluten free vegan ginger loaf is perfect! It feels so light and springy, actually. I also love the trifecta of fresh ginger, powder ginger, and candied ginger in this recipe. It really is the perfect amount of sweetness. Thanks for helping me feel better & the delicious loaf!
My candied ginger just turned into gummy bear blobs. I cant think how to mix it in either dry or wet. This was the first time I tried to do a vegan richa recipe. They always looked so straightforward. Oh well. And folding in the nuts and chips? Oh well, was just going along mixing dry ingredients and dumped them in. Oh well.
hmm i am not sure what that happened. my ginger always comes out soft and gives a burst of flavor when you bite into it. Maybe a different brand? What about the texture of the bread, how was the baked bread?
Oh, it turned out fine. Ran it thru a cuisinart and it all lumped in together and turned into quite a splendid cake/bread. The hit of the holiday season.
Hey Richa,
This looks AMAZING! Can this be made entirely with spelt flour or does that other 1/2 cup have to be white flour? Would almond flour/meal work for that 1/2 cup??
all spelt will work.
This is the best gingerbread cake. ever. I have a recipe I”ve made for years but this one wins hands down. Thank you Richa!
Awesome!!
And it’s even better today!! (ie the next day) 🙂
yes, spiced breads and cakes are better the next day!
Hi. When you bake two loaves at a time, do you adjust the temp or time? I have made this recipe a bunch of times, and everyone loves it, but each time, the loaves come out a little underdone. I have to guesstimate the temp because my oven isn’t digital. Is there something I can do differently? As usual, your recipes are 100% in my book.
Test from the enter of the loaf with a toothpick and keep baking. Sometimes the ovens dont heat up as much as they say or heat more. So that and the pans etc change the baking time. I would check intervals of 10 mins after the initial 35 mins until a toothpick from the enter comes out clean.
Richa…I am new to being vegan and I want to say that I have tried so many of your recipes (along with others). Yours are hands down, reliable and never fail to please. I like that you use real ingredients and not a lot of “fake” ones (ie, vegan cheese, vegan butter etc…). I don’t know how this gingerbread will taste, but the smell in my house is AMAZING right now.
Thanks! hope it turned out amazing!
This loaf is amazing! It barely lasts a few hours in my house!
The candied ginger in the wet gets ground up with the flax seed meal into much smaller pieces which adds much more flavor. You can skip that and use just some in the dry.
This was FREAKING AMAZING! It was adored: not “pretty good for vegan/healthy/earthy-crunchy,” just straight-up yummy, the best gingerbread quick-bread I’ve had or made. Hearty but not heavy, dense but moist & chewy, and bursting with flavour.
I followed the recipe as written using chia seeds (whole b/c love the crunch, but would use flax or ground if making for a more suspicious-of-healthy-tasting-stuff crowd), except:
* skipped all the nuts/nibs/mix-ins to appease picky eaters–except the candied ginger (that *stays* because if anyone doesn’t like ginger then this is the wrong bread anyway!);
* upped the pumpkin-pie spices by <1 tsp overall (use Minimalist Baker's PPS recipe/sub so pre-mixed but ~same proportions plus bit of nutmeg), but only b/c I love in-your-face spices and usually ~double all except cloves. No need here, just wanted a touch more because… me;
* doubled recipe for 2 loaves, then realized my loaf pans were a bit small so divided among 3 instead. No prob, was wonderfully forgiving w/ only partially full loaf pans. Just took them out a bit early, when they looked/felt/toothpicked done.
100% chance I'll make again, maybe trying craisins, orange or lemon zest or–this recipe is brilliant because it's _so_ very good "as is" but also suggests endless variations. But next trying your triple-ginger cookies. Or soy-free pound-cake (thx for answering Q there.) Or daal, chickpea loaf, aloo gobi GAH too much good stuff! My fam & friends thank you heartily 🙂
YAY! I love all the excitement!!!
A perfect cake, gf, no yeast and no egg. And, ginger too…. Well,,that is just wonderful.
I am gradually getting just half a dozen jars to get mixes in one evening and have a really good supply of things in my cold store. ,I can,pick them,up over the next two weeks(?) or so and make a really quick mix.
Will,it be alright that long? I’m am not quite sure if it is safe and just want to check!
the dry mix will stay fine for 2 weeks.