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
This looks awesome, and I love that it’s vegan too!
Julia // The Sunday Mode
Hello Brandi,
What brand is the unsulphured molasses?
Not sure if I can get that here in Canberra Australia
thanks
sheryl miller
Hi Sheryl! I use the Grandma’s molasses brand. It’s a very common brand here. It doesn’t matter the brand as long as you use a regular molasses and not a blackstrap. If you absolutely cannot find it, then you can try substituting half of the molasses for maple syrup and the other for the dark molasses. I have not tested this personally, but this would be my best guess.
Bahahahaha!!!!! You must have been crazy tired to fall asleep at the computer! Hope you’re feeling more rested now!! OMG. THIS. CAKE. I’m dying. First of all, the photos are so beautiful and magical – you absolutely captured the essence of Christmas in these photos. I’m seriously in love! Second…I’m almost willing to make myself sick just to eat a slice of this cake! Haha! It looks incredible. Molasses is a favorite ingredient of mine and paired with applesauce and your gingerbread mix must make this perfection! And reading all the five star reviews just solidified my theory! Ha!! I’m sure I’ll be dreaming about this cake tonight 😉
LOL!! You are too funny! I wish you could do gluten, but honestly, I’ve had people make the oat version and love it so much! It’s not AS perfect of a texture as my original version, but still incredibly delicious. Aww, thanks my friend..I was trying to give that Christmasy vibe for sure! I love doing holiday pictures, they are the most fun to me. I hope you are doing well. Miss you!
What a heavenly festive cake! I love the sprinkle of powdered sugar and action shot. And i especially love how easy this recipe is! Thanks for sharing it, Brandi!
Thank you so much Nisha! So kind of you!
I said that I was going to make this on my next day off. I just took a bite of the cooled gingerbread. Let me just say that 5 stars is not enough! My 5 year old son enjoyed licking the whisk I used to mix the cake with, & because it is vegan, I don’t have to worry about bacteria 🙂 We will definitely make this again! Thanks for another great recipe, Brandi!
Oh, that is just so awesome to hear Sara!! So very happy your son loved the cake, hehe, sounds like my daughter always wanting to lick the bowl and spoon! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review!
I made it last night, it turned out even better than I used to make with eggs and butter! Amazingly Delicious cake! Texture was great, tender and caky not like most gummy vegan deserts! (Next time I would put less clove) Thank you so much for the recipe!!!
Yay!! That is the best feedback ever! I felt the same way…so much better even than traditional with eggs and butter and white sugar, but it’s nice to hear it from a reader as well, thank you so much Olga!
Hello,
Apologies in advance if this is a stupid question, but I’m currently running pretty low on maple syrup, but have an ample supply of dates; so I was wondering if I could replace the maple syrup with dates/date paste?
Thank you :))
Hi Philia! Unfortunately date paste is not a very good idea for this cake. The date paste would make the cake very dense. This cake has a wonderful moist, light and spongy texture and using a thick date paste will totally change the texture. Also, the syrup is much more runny and it a big part of the liquid so the batter would be off as well. I would wait to make it until you can get more syrup for best results.
Hi, can I ask why not (blackstrap or sub) molasses. I had to google to see if I could get the right molasses in my area, still not certain, but all that comes up is blackstrap. I’m in Australia so we don’t have a lot of options like you do in the US. Really want to try this, thanks.
Hi Gemma! I actually answered the same question in the comment directly above yours, haha! If you can find the regular, that is going to yield the best flavor, however, if you absolutely cannot, you can try the blackstrap, but just keep in mind that the flavor is much, much stronger and bitter, so I’m not a fan of it in large amounts. You might could try subbing one of the tablespoons of molasses for an extra tablespoon of syrup to help it out.
Thank you.
Hi Brandi,
This cake looks perfect, can’t wait to make it. You noted not to use blackstrap molasses but unsulphured molasses only. I only have an unsulphured blackstrap molasses, could that be used? I don’t know if there is sulphured blackstrap molasses, are they all unsulphured? At any rate is there something specific about the molasses being “blackstrap” versus just regular that makes a difference? Which brand of molasses do you prefer?
Hi Angie! Yes, the blackstrap molasses is MUCH stronger in flavor and very bitter tasting, which will be too powerful in the cake. Classic gingerbread tends to only use regular molasses and that is the one that needs to be used here. I use the brand Grandma’s that has been around forever and can be found at pretty much any store, even Walmart sells it and it’s super cheap, it will say “original” on the bottle. Hope that helps! 🙂
Hi Blair! That is so wonderful to hear. Thank you for your kind words. Yes, whole foods homemade versus prepackaged meals is totally night and day for being healthy. It’s truly amazing! Thanks for sharing the link. I’m very experienced with gout having dealt with it for 10 years and have literally learned down to every single ingredient to eat and what NOT to eat, haha. Was a long road to get here and doctors were pretty much no help which is why I learned how to heal my husband on my own and it has been so wonderful and totally life changing for us. Thanks for visiting and let me know if you try the cake!
Only one word needed here….fabulous! I’ll be making that one again. Must say that I baked it for 35 minutes though.
Yes, doctors and gout. My friend has it and the doctor said they don’t know what causes it.
Fantastic. Love your site. And your whole philosophy. My wife and I went whole food, plant based two years ago after being vegan for 15 years. What a difference whole plant foods make. We are in our mid fifties and have no health problems whatsoever. We are very active too. We try to grow most of our food and have completely given up eating anything Americanized. Except……..during the holidays I get the urge for some type of desert. I’m going to give this a try.
BTW, nutritionfacts.org is my favorite website for the latest science. There is a whole section on gout. Go to the G index,
and click gout. Here is a very informative video from that topic. https://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-gout-attacks-with-diet/
This cake is so so so yummy and also so easy to prepare! If you want to bake the most festive thing bake this!!
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this amazing review Julie! So very happy it was such a hit!
I made this tonight but the centre seems to have fallen…seems like the centre is under cooked maybe? I’m still hoping that after the hour of cooling it will be ok because it smells delish!
Hi Ann! That is odd, I have never had that happen and no other reader has had that issue. Did you sub an ingredient or over-mix the batter? Sometimes overmixing batters can cause a center to fall or if the measurements are wrong, but did you check for a clean toothpick as noted, from the center? As long as the toothpick is clean, it won’t be undercooked.
Wondering what you think the best sub would be for the rice flour? I have spelt, almond, and coconut flours (and oat), but no rice! Thanks-I would love to make this tonight ❤️
Hi Lori, just use extra spelt flour then. So, another 32grams of spelt, which would make 224g total of spelt. Still use the cornstarch though. It should still be plenty delicious, just will slightly change the texture. Let me know how it turns out!
Thank you, for the wonderful healthy recipe.I also did not have brown rice flour.However, I have basmati rice and just blended in my blender some basmati rice to a flour consistency. Turned out to be an amazingly delicious fluffy cake. Thank you!
So awesome to hear that Yanka! Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback! Glad you loved it!
Absolutely delightful! I got a little nervous when you said the gluten-free version would be more dense, but with celiac in the family, the kitchen has been gluten-free for a few years now. I have to say using the GF version still created a fluffy, spongy, super flavorful gingerbread cake! I’m actually toying with the idea of using it to create cake balls, something I used to do before my GFV days and something my family and friends miss. (Basically you take a slightly warm baked cake and mix it in a blender with icing. You chill the dough, then scoop it into balls, and dip it into melting bark. Not in anyway a healthy treat, but at least this way, I’d be starting with a healthy cake. 🙂 Thank you for this lovely holiday cake recipe, Brandi. Now go take some much deserved time off. I hope you enjoy every moment of the holidays with your family! :0)
So wonderful to hear how much you loved this cake Colleen, especially since you made the gluten-free version! I agree it’s still very delicious and soft, just not quite as spongy as the original, but still so good and I’m glad it was a hit! Cake balls sound wonderful! Definitely sounds really decadent! Thank you again, you are always so kind. Happy holidays!!
I literally served this to 6 different people with nothing short of raving reviews. Everyone said this is THE best cake they’ve ever tasted. Super moist and full of that gingerbread flavor. Please, please create more of these low fat, fluffy cakes. They are fabulous and everyone loves them. Who would’ve known with such a simple cake.
I absolutely loved your photo of the cake on Facebook, total perfection! I’m so very happy it was loved by you and all of your guests! You all feel the way I feel about the cake too, thank you so much for the amazing review!!
Oh my gosh this is the BEST cake I’ve eaten!! I can’t wait to get home and make it myself. I’m visiting my friend Estee and she shared this cake with us!!! Sooooooooooo delicious!! And such a good Christmasy taste for this time of year!!!
Thank you SO MUCH Penny for the absolute most wonderful review! I’m just beyond thrilled it is such a hit, thank you for taking a moment to leave such kind feedback!
I’m not a huge gingerbread fan (or at least I didn’t think I was) but I decided to give this a try and WOW. You are right–it is so moist and flavorful with all the different spices! Another wonderful recipe! I have learned so much by following your recipes, like weighing the ingredients. I didn’t even know my scale had a setting for grams LOL. And now the hint about the parchment paper. That’s a game changer for me. 🙂
Yay!! Linda, this makes me so happy to hear and especially that I’ve converted you to a gingerbread cake lover, haha! Yes, right?! I wasn’t kidding with being able to taste each spice in those bites…so glad you mentioned that too. I really wanted this to be the best gingerbread cake with a rich flavor, not bland or one note! I really appreciate your kind words and so glad to hear how much my recipes and tips have helped you, it makes me so happy to hear that! 🙂
Bahahahahaha!!! Omg I am dying, you are the best! Moistest of moist gingerbread ftw😂 Um but I think you need to go more in-depth on the mouthfeel…for descriptive purposes of course. But seriously , THIS CAKE. I can sense the moist-but-still-perfect-crumb-ness form here, especially in that “snowing” shot. With all the gingerbread baking lately I’ve come to believe that molasses does magical things for low-fat recipes that other liquid sweeteners do not. There’s a richness that goes beyond flavor I think, although boy do i love that flavor! I really don’t know why cookies get al the cred, I’d argue gingerbread cake is even better. Also funny enough I just bought a bag of spelt flour! I’ve been slowly incorporating more gluten back into my life starting with spelt, so now I know what to do with it. Although inevitably polishing the whole thing off in a matter of days may not be the best way to ease into gluten ha. It is stunning, it would’ve been wrong to frost such simple sweet-spicy stuff (and that’s coming from a frosting freak lol)
Hahaha…I knew you would just love that little sentence I threw in about dedicating my moist cake to you, LOL!! I just couldn’t resist after our convo the day before, haha. Totally agree…molasses is amazing, so amazing of an ingredient for so many different reasons. In small amounts it gives such an incredible flavor that you don’t know what it is, but you just know the baked good tastes phenomenal. And it is moisture magic where maple syrup doesn’t do anything for moisture really. This cake turned out to truly be one of the best cakes I’ve ever made and it is literally the most perfect sponge cake texture and the fact that there is practically zero fat to get all the credit is the most amazing (and unintentional, lol) part. All my trials were so worth it because I’m convinced I could just eat this cake for the rest of my life and be happy, haha.
Oh yay! Spelt was how I started cooking on this blog with gluten again as well! It’s such a low gluten flour and yields such SOFT baked goods and helps with moisture that it is definitely one of my favorite flours to bake with. I’ve found it does best in recipes where a flavor component can dominate so that the spelt flavor isn’t too front and center. Thanks Natalie! xx
Thank you for the recipe. It is in the oven, smells amazing! Happy Holidays to you!
Awesome Bozena! You are so welcome! Let me know after it’s completely cooled and you taste it!! 🙂
Saw your comment on Facebook, so glad you loved it, thank you for making it!
I made this tonite. I didn’t have spelt so I used 1 cup whole wheat flour 1/2 cup AP flour and the rice flour. It was delicious! The gingerbread spice mix was great. Thanks Brandi!
Five stars!
Thank you so much Diane for taking the time to leave an amazing review! So very happy you loved the cake and my spice blend!
Like Mary, above, I also live in a small town without exotic choices for ingredients. Would like to use WW flour or WW in combination with ? What can you suggest?
Hi Clare! I would sub the spelt and brown rice flour with 1 3/4 cup white all-purpose flour and weigh if possible for best results. You would 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. Classic gingerbread naturally has a bit of a bite/chew anyways because of the molasses, so it’s not much different. Just be careful to not overmix the batter. You will still need to use the cornstarch (only 1 tbsp though), as that helps to bind the cake and replace the eggs. Please see under Notes at the bottom of the recipe for sub info. Let me know after you try it!
Oh and I would not use whole wheat, it has a very high protein content and with all the molasses in the cake, it would make it too tough.
First of all, I cannot believe you literally fell asleep typing!! You clearly knew you had a winner with this recipe and were dedicated to get it out there, haha. With good reason, though, it looks absolutely incredible. Love the raining powdered sugar shot, looks like pretty falling snow 🙂 only better, because it’s cake. Blown away by the simplicity of the ingredients, everything about this cake is just perfection. Worth your crazy morning, I’d say!
Haha, I know right?! I apparently was EXHAUSTED if I fall asleep while typing, lol. Thank you so much sweet Sara! I am so super happy with how the cake turned out and I’ve eaten more than I can possibly even admit, haha!
I don’t like gingerbread spices, can I just leave that out and sub chocolate instead?…..HAHAHAHA! Totally kidding. I’m simply going to use coconut flour because wheat kills….Are you laughing yet? But really, this looks insane!!!! Just as good as those darn cookies you got me hooked on!! You go with your bad gingerbread self!
Hahaha, you kill me! Yay! I’m so so happy you love those ginger cookies for my cookbook! Thanks a million for testing them for me, I know it was hard work, lol!
Well, that’s what friends are for. I mean, it was really hard to have to eat all those cookies but someone has to do it. I’m in the trenches with you!
Oh and 5 stars all the way…your gingerbread game is strong.
You are the best Sophia, thank you!! xx
Bahahahaha, you made me laugh out loud. People don’t get how hard you guys work on recipes and even with variation listed it’s never good enough. Kills me.
I have neither of the types of flour you ask for and I live in a very small town within inadequate grocery store. Can I just use regular flour?
Hi Mary! I would sub the spelt and brown rice flour with 1 3/4 cup white all-purpose flour and weigh if possible for best results. You would 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. Classic gingerbread naturally has a bit of a bite/chew anyways because of the molasses, so it’s not much different. Just be careful to not overmix the batter. You will still need to use the cornstarch (only 1 tbsp though), as that helps to bind the cake and replace the eggs. Please see under Notes at the bottom of the recipe for sub info. Let me know after you try it!
Hi, do you recommend using white or whole meal spelt flour?
Hi Gaby, I use the whole grain spelt flour from Bob’s Red Mill but I’m sure white would work too. I just wouldn’t use sprouted.