Classic Old-fashioned Gingerbread cake that is vegan, oil-free, whole grain and out of this world delicious, moist and full of amazing flavor from cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and molasses. There is a delicious gluten-free version as well.
I’m so happy to have this post up for this Vegan Gingerbread Cake! It is by far the best gingerbread cake that I have ever had!! Anybody would love this cake. It is so moist, rich, full of amazing gingerbread spices and incredibly easy to make.
It is only 8 ingredients and nobody would ever know that it is vegan and oil-free because it is that delicious!
Meet one of my all-time favorite cakes. I’m a huge spice cake lover and my favorite is gingerbread. The smells and depth of flavor….I can’t get enough. I originally started testing this cake recipe last holiday season. But I never got around to making it exactly perfect or posting in time last year, so here we are. Better late than never, right?
This is my favorite gingerbread cake to date. I used to make one back in the day that was filled with eggs, oil and sugar. Not only is this one healthier by a mile, it is better. That is how unbelievably delicious this cake is.
I admit I’m super picky when it comes to gingerbread cake. I need all the classic gingerbread spices found in old-fashioned gingerbread cake and especially, cloves! Cloves provide that extra deep flavor that specifically make gingerbread taste like that undeniable gingerbread. Classic gingerbread should be slightly dense, without being heavy, but spongy, fluffy soft and incredibly moist. They are notorious for their amazing, moist texture. This is due to the molasses and typically butter/oil content. If you look at classic gingerbread cakes, they always have that perfect flat, moist top. Once I finally nailed the recipe, it was pure glory. And the texture, my friends…I came up with the most perfect flour blend ever for this cake. The texture and crumb of this cake is amazing. It’s firm, slices beautifully, doesn’t fall apart and is perfectly soft.
Classic gingerbread cake is topped with simple powdered sugar or whipped cream. This is so a frosting doesn’t compete with the flavor awesomeness happening underneath.
I created my own Gingerbread Spice to use all season and it is divine in this cake. Not too spicy, but just enough to feel it in your throat and that touch of nutmeg and cloves in every bite. You will literally taste each spice as you are eating a slice.
The biggest surprise of all is that this cake is low-fat! My intention was not in any way to create a low-fat cake, it was just by accident, lol. Through my many trials, it was this blend of ingredients that was magic. There are NO nuts, coconut, oil or butter. All the moisture comes from 2 very important ingredients…applesauce and molasses. Without these, your cake will be dry as a bone. They are both magical in flavor and texture. I know some gingerbread cakes have a ton of molasses in them but I’m not a fan. This cake has the perfect amount for me.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN GINGERBREAD CAKE
First, you need to gather the gingerbread cake ingredients::
- spelt flour
- brown rice flour
- cornstarch
- baking soda
- Gingerbread spice blend (see below)
- pure maple syrup
- molasses
- unsweetened applesauce
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8×8 square pan (I used aluminum) with parchment paper strips going in each direction,
To a large bowl, add the spelt, rice flour, cornstarch, baking soda, spices and salt and whisk very well.
To the same bowl, add the syrup, applesauce, molasses and hot water. Whisk gently in large circles until everything is combined and smooth, making sure to get the flour at the bottom, but DO NOT over-mix.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top and evenly to the corners. Bake on the middle rack for 25 minutes or when a toothpick is completely clean.
Cool the cake completely in the pan before slicing.
This cake is dedicated to my friend Natalie over at Feasting on Fruit because she really loves *moist* cakes! 😉
Vegan Gingerbread Cake (Gluten-free Option)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (192g) spelt flour (*SEE NOTES AT VERY BOTTOM FOR SUBS!*)
- 1/4 cup (40g) brown rice flour
- 2 tablespoons (16g) cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 4 teaspoons gingerbread spice (SEE NOTES AT BOTTOM)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3/4 cup (240g) pure maple syrup, room temp
- 1 cup (240g) unsweetened applesauce, room temp
- 1/4 cup (80g) unsulphured molasses (do not use blackstrap or sub!)
- 2 tablespoons (30g) HOT water
NOTE
- You will need a whisk for this cake to ensure a perfectly smooth batter. A spoon will not incorporate the batter well and will affect the texture. Please know that this cake I tested around 10 times to get it just right, so I cannot stress enough the importance of following the recipe and weighing your ingredients for accuracy. I cannot vouch for results if you sub flours or liquids. The molasses and applesauce are magical for flavor and moisture here and cannot be subbed or the cake will not be moist.
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and line an 8x8 square pan (I used almuminum) with parchment paper strips going in each direction, cut to fit and with overhang (not bunched in the corners). If you want to make muffins, use 14 parchment liners.
- To a large bowl, add the spelt, rice flour, cornstarch, baking soda, spices and salt and whisk very well.
- Make sure none of your liquids are cold before proceeding, otherwise your batter will not be smooth or mix well. To the same bowl, add the syrup, applesauce, molasses and hot water. Whisk gently in large circles until everything is combined and smooth, making sure to get the flour at the bottom, but DO NOT over-mix. As soon as it's smooth, stop mixing. Over-mixing the batter can make the cake dense and the center SINK. Now, taste that batter and tell me it's not out of this world!
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top and evenly to the corners. Bake on the middle rack for 25 minutes or when a toothpick is completely clean. Each trial mine was exactly perfect at 25 minutes on the dot. If making muffins, divide the batter between 14 liners, this will yield the perfect size. Bake the muffins closer to 20-22 minutes, being careful not to over-bake.
- Cool the cake completely in the pan for a minimum of 1 hour, no exception. This allows the cake to completely cook through. There is a lot of applesauce and moisture in this cake, so you don't want to cut too soon or it will be wet. Once ready to serve, lift the cake out with the parchment flaps. Use a very sharp knife to cut carefully into slices. Sprinkle with powdered sugar right before serving. The cake is so moist that you don't want to do the sugar until right before serving or else it just melts into the cake.
Notes
- I recommend making my Homemade Gingerbread Spice Mix for this cake since I tailor made it for it. You can also keep the blend on hand for making this cake often, pancakes, waffles, muffins, etc. Or you can use a store-bought blend, just make sure it is one containing cloves!
- If you don't want to make my whole blend, then for this recipe, you can just add 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (use 1/4 tsp for a milder flavor) and 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice.
- REGULAR FLOUR: To make this with regular white all-purpose flour, sub the spelt and brown rice flours with 1 3/4 cup white all-purpose flour and weigh if possible for best results. You will need 224 grams of the all-purpose flour. Please note that the texture will slightly be more chewy (less soft/tender) because of the higher gluten content than spelt and brown rice flours, but will still be a delicious cake. Be careful to not over-mix the batter. You will reduce the cornstarch to 1 tablespoon (this is your egg). The spelt/rice flour really is the most perfect texture, so getting that would be ideal but the white flour does work well.
- GLUTEN-FREE: To make this gluten-free, sub the spelt flour for superfine GF oat flour (I tested with Bob's Red Mill) and it will be the same weight amount (192g). DO NOT USE a store-bought all-purpose GF blend in place of this oat flour version, that was not tested, ONLY oat flour was and it keeps this recipe moist and very similar to the spelt version. All blends perform very differently. Since oat flour cakes tend to be more dense, you will decrease the applesauce by 2 tablespoons. All the rest of the ingredients remain the same. Please note that the oat flour version is not as light/fluffy and is more dense, so is ONLY recommended if gluten-free is required. It is still delicious, just not as perfect of a texture as the spelt version.
Nutrition
Thank you for thIs AMAZING recipe! Your detail and instructions are SO helpful! Spice anything has always been my favorite so this cake met every taste bud desire! When I went vegan 3 years ago, baking seemed lost. Nothing tasted right. But you are masterful at recipe developing! All your hard work is not in vain. Thank you so much for sharing your passion with others!
My preschooler and I just made this and it is unbelievably delicious! And yes, the batter IS out of this world! We had a similar experience as another person who commented, that ours took close to 45 mins. I don’t have a food scale, so maybe a measurement was slightly off? We did put a thermometer into the oven to make sure the temp was just right. The extra 20 minutes did not seem to affect the final product at all, the whole cake was moist and delicious. Wonderful flavor and consistency! ❤️Thank you Brandi! (Reposting because I forgot to review with 5 stars!)
Made this last year for the first time and again yesterday to put the kids’ gingerbread house on top. It’s so good! I can’t believe how low fat it is! I made the oat flour version. I think I’ll be making it again for sure this month!
Hi! Do you think I could sub vegan yogurt for apple sauce? I’ve seen that sub in a lot of other cake recipes but wanted to ask if you had any thoughts.
Thanks!
Hi! No, I would not do that here. Since there is a large amount, the applesauce not only gives flavor, but it gives a lore more moisture than yogurt does in baking. Since this cake is oil-free and nearly fat-free, the applesauce is a must here!
Good to know. Thanks so much, Brandi!
Happy Holidays!
Such a good cake! I followed the recipe to the letter, including the spice blend. It did sink slightly in the middle, so I must have over mixed it. But it was not dense at all. Excellent holiday flavor and very moist. It was plenty sweet with no added powdered sugar. It’s one of those cakes you just have to put away and remind yourself it will be there to enjoy tomorrow. Otherwise, it’s tempting to eat more! Thank you for another wonderful recipe!
This is a fantastic recipe! I tried it out in November and then made it for Christmas to go boxes for family, friends, and clients. (To go because of these pandemic times.) Everyone, vegan and otherwise, loved it! And it has great texture even at 5500 ft altitude with no changes to the recipe. The spice blend is what makes the cake! I would not sub a commercial blend.
Just perfect! Moist and delicious with a perfect blend of spices. I used GF oat flour in place of the spelt flour and it turned out great and rose well. I appreciate the detailed instructions too. Thanks for this great recipe, we’ll be making this often!
I am so glad you loved the gluten-free version I listed, thank you so much Karen!
I’ve had this recipe saved for YEARS, and finally got around to making it. Holy hell, NOW I understand all the hype. This is EXCEPTIONAL.
hahah that is awesome to hear Brenda!!
Hi Brandi ! Note that SPELT FLOUR is NOT gluten-free ! Sure, it contains a lower amount of gluten than conventional wheat flour, but is enough to cause symptoms in coeliac disease. Commercial GF flour mix could be substituted. If substituting oat flour, make sure that it specifically states Gluten-Free as many of those are also contaminated by wheat flour and will cause symptoms in sufferer’s.
Other wise sounds delicious and looks great – lucky vegans !!
Hi! Yes, I know it’s not gluten-free, that’s why I have a gluten-free version in the NOTES. I always use certified gluten-free Bob’s Red mill oat flour.
That cake looks fabulous my question is,, how about using white rice flour?
Hi Diane! I really don’t recommend white rice flour here, especially since it is a cake and is very low in fat. White rice flour behaves quite differently and will make the cake too chewy. I love the result of the spelt and brown rice for the absolute perfect texture, but I’d recommend using extra spelt for the 1/4 cup (rice flour) over using white rice flour if you can’t get brown rice.
Just made this today turned out great. Glad to see a recipe without oil. I think a lot of people don’t realize how many calories it adds. I wish all recipe writer’s would use weight so we don’t have to fool around with all those different size cups. Digital scales are so inexpensive now no reason not to use one ; )
This was delicious! I made this for New Years and it was a big hit. Needless to say, the cake did not last long. 🙂 Thank you for your amazing recipes!
Wonderful! I made as mini muffins in a Silpat pan so no need for liners. My question/comment is about molasses. My local Sprouts market had only one option. It was labeled “organic molasses unsulphured” so that is what I used. Later I read the ingredients list on the back. It was “organic blackstrap molasses.” You specifically said don’t use blackstrap. I read up and learned blackstrap is thicker and more bitter. I wonder if the thickness threw off the batter because I baked the remaining batter in a 6″ round and the center fell. Great mini muffins with blackstrap though. Not too bitter for me. Who knew I’d have to read the small print to get the right molasses.
Really happy you loved it Kit! Yes, it’s much more bitter and thicker.