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This delicious vegan gingerbread cake is moist, fluffy, spongy, soft, and flavorful. The recipe is 100% plant-based, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and even oil-free!
I hope you are as excited about the holiday season as me. This gingerbread cake recipe is my little Christmas gift for you because I know it will sweeten up your holidays! 🙂
What do I love most about it? Besides the texture (which is absolutely AMAZING for an oil-free cake), I love the classic gingerbread flavors which are ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and molasses. I made my own gingerbread spice mixture and you will find the recipe further below!
Healthy Gingerbread Cake
As you know, I love creating recipes that are not only vegan (dairy-free, egg-free), but also allergy-friendly. Therefore, almost all of my recipes are also gluten-free and refined sugar-free.
Many of my recipes are also oil-free and made with whole food plant-based ingredients. It’s often a challenge to create a great recipe with so many restrictions and it requires lots of recipe testing, but it’s so worth it!
The applesauce and molasses add a lot of moisture without making the spice cake too dense or heavy. The oat flour and rice flour have the perfect ratio for a wonderful crumb and texture.
I couldn’t be happier with the outcome of this gingerbread cake, considering the fact that it’s oil-free, vegan, and gluten-free.
How To Make Vegan Gingerbread Cake?
Check the 4 step-by-step process shots below. Making the cake (without the frosting) is super simple and doesn’t require a food processor or blender.
All measurements and written instruction steps are in the recipe card below!
- You will need to add all dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix with a whisk.
- Now you add all wet ingredients and mix again with a whisk.
- Check the third picture to see how the batter should look like.
- Pour the batter into a lined 6×9 inch (ca. 15×23 cm) or 8×8 inch (ca. 20×20 cm) pan and spread it evenly. Then bake in the oven until it’s done.
The frosting is recommended but not required. However, if you want to make it, then check out the 4 process shots below.
- Make the pudding in a saucepan. It’s super easy and quick.
- Add the soaked cashews and the pudding to a food processor or blender and blend on high for a few minutes. If you don’t have a high-speed blender, it will take longer.
- In the third photo, you can see how smooth the cream turned out.
- Pour the cream onto the cooled gingerbread cake and spread it evenly. Then put the pan in the refrigerator or freezer to set.
Can I use a different pan?
Yes, you can use a bundt cake pan or a loaf pan. Depending on the depth and size, the oven bake time will vary. I recommend making a toothpick test after 35 minutes. If the toothpick (inserted into the middle of the cake) comes out clean (it can be crumbly but not wet), the spice cake is done.
Useful Tips
- If you don’t have a food processor or blender, I would recommend dusting the gingerbread cake with some icing sugar (I always use powdered Erythritol) instead of making the frosting.
- Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The spice cake will dry out a little in the refrigerator, however, you can warm it up for a couple of minutes in the oven at 350 °F / ca. 177 °C (or in the microwave) which will make it soft again.
- You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. Let the cake thaw completely before serving.
- Serve with chai, a vegan hot chocolate or a latte
This Vegan Gingerbread Cake Is:
- Dairy-free
- Egg-free
- Gluten-free
- Refined sugar-free
- Oil-Free
- Perfectly spiced
- Great for the holidays
- Moist
- Fluffy
- Soft
Should you give this vegan gingerbread cake a try, please leave a comment and rating below and don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with @elavegan and #elavegan because I would love to see your remakes! 🙂
If you are interested in more holiday desserts, you should also check out the following delicious gluten-free & vegan recipes:
- Caramel Apple Cheesecake
- The Best Pumpkin Pie
- Easy Apple Strudel
- Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
- Apple Crumble Muffins
- Apple Cinnamon Rolls
- Carrot Cake Donuts With Gingerbread
- Cranberry Loaf Cake
- Apple Cinnamon Crepes
- Apple Pie With Streusel
- Tiramisu With Gingerbread
- Easy Pumpkin Loaf Cake
- Fruit Cake With Chocolat
Vegan Gingerbread Cake
Ingredients
Dry Cake Ingredients:
- 1 cup (160 g) rice flour (I used white)
- 1 cup (90 g) oat flour gluten-free if needed (*see notes)
- 4 tsp gingerbread spice (*see notes)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/3 tsp salt
Wet Cake Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup (180 g) applesauce
- 1/2 cup (120 g) canned coconut milk (*see notes)
- 1/3 cup (110 g) maple syrup or any other liquid sweetener
- 1/4 cup (80 g) dark molasses (*see notes)
Frosting (optional):
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) almond milk or any other plant-based milk
- 2 tbsp (16 g) cornstarch (*see notes)
- 5 1/2 tbsp (60 g) granulated sweetener (*see notes)
- 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp (125 g) cashews (soaked)
Instructions
- I recommend measuring the ingredients in grams on a kitchen scale. Check out the easy-to-follow step-by-step process shots above in the blog post.
Cake
- Soak cashews in boiling water for about 30 minutes or until super soft, then drain the water.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (ca. 177 degrees Celsius) and line a 6×9 inch (ca.15×23 cm) pan with parchment paper (with an overhang on all sides for easy removal).
- Add all dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix with a whisk.
- Now add all wet ingredients and mix again with a whisk until just combined. Don't over mix.
- Bake in the oven for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (it can be crumbly but shouldn't come out wet). Always insert the toothpick into the middle of the cake. The baking time can be a few minutes less or more depending on your oven and the size of the pan.
- Let the cake cool completely. You can skip the frosting and simply dust the cake with icing sugar (or powdered Erythritol).
Frosting (optional)
- To make the pudding, simply add all frosting ingredients (except the cashews) into a saucepan. Whisk vigorously until there are no clumps. Once the mixture is completely smooth, turn on the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Let simmer for 1-2 minutes (the pudding will get thick), then turn off the heat.
- Add the pudding and the softened cashews to a blender or food processor and mix on high until the cream is completely smooth. If you don't have a high-speed blender, it will take longer. I use THIS food processor which got the job done. It took about 3-4 minutes.
- Pour the cream onto the cooled cake and spread it evenly. Then put the pan into the freezer for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours to set or in the refrigerator overnight. I prefer the freezer method because I can then eat the cake sooner. 😀
- Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze up to 3 months. Enjoy!
Notes
Video Of The Recipe:
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- Oat flour: If you don't have oat flour, simply process oats (regular or certified gluten-free oats) in a blender or electric spice/coffee grinder until you have oat flour.
- Canned coconut milk: If you don't want to use canned coconut milk, you can use any other plant-based milk instead with the addition of 2 tablespoons of oil!
- Molasses: Use dark molasses, not blackstrap molasses. If you aren't a fan of molasses (some people don't like the strong taste) you can use less (e.g. just 2-3 tablespoons) and add 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup in addition.
- Cornstarch: You can use arrowroot flour instead.
- Sweetener: Any granulated sweetener can be used. Some examples are Xylitol*, Erythritol (that's what I used), coconut sugar, regular sugar or date sugar. *Desserts with Xylitol should be never given to dogs.
- Recipe serves 8. Nutrition facts are for one piece of cake without the frosting.
- With the frosting, a piece has the following nutrition facts (sweetened with Erythritol):
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
Equipment
If you are using Pinterest, feel free to pin the following photo:
I have a vegan in my family who is extremely allergic to cashews. Do you have a suggestion for an alternative when frostings etc call for a cashew base?
Hi Stephanie, that is really difficult as most nuts aren’t as soft (or turn into a cream) as cashews. However, you could try pine nuts, macadamia nuts, almonds, or sunflower seeds, these are the best options in my opinion. 🙂
Thank you. I appreciate your response.
You are welcome! 🙂
I made two versions of this and used monkfruit sweetener in the frosting ( you only use half the amount when doing this). I also substituted arrowroot powder for the corn starch because cornstarch and any non organic corn product is genetically modified in the worst way, For the cake, I used the rice flour in the cake and thought that was too dry. Never having used rice flour before, I did jot realize it has the consistency of corn meal-very granular and dry. The alternative version I made consisted of sorghum flour and a little xanthun powder. I think this softened up the cake more so than the original version. The found the recipe to be a solid foundation for this GF version of cake!
Thanks for your feedback. 🙂
This is an amazing cake!!! I’m really enjoying following your vegan baking recipes even though I’m not vegan myself!! I just made this cake and even though it’s not as sweet as a normal gingerbread cake of course, the nice mixture of spices make up for it! I had to grind the cloves up myself so I think I maybe added a little too much and it’s a little overpowering so I will have to keep that in mind for next time 😂 I also added some fresh apple pieces because I wasn’t sure how it would turn out and it gave it a nice touch but it definitely would’ve turned out just as good without! I also used a different frosting recipe because I’m not a fan of the cashew frosting but overall I’d definitely make this again!!
Thanks for your feedback, Allie. 🙂
Hi ela thanks for this recipe. Can i teplace the apple sauce with mashed bananas please?
Hi Melissa, that should be fine. 🙂
LOVE this recipe!!! I used 1 c oat flour and 1 c white wheat flour. Also added vanilla extract. So good. Spicy and delicious. I didn’t even need frosting although the recipe looks great.
So happy you loved it, Jill! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
I made this for Thanksgiving and it turned out great! I used brown rice flour and made my own oat flour, and used coconut sugar for the frosting. .The frosting is so good! Next time I make it, I think I will amp up the gingerbread spice some, but other than that it was perfect!
So happy you liked it, Rebecca! Thanks for your feedback. 🙂
I am not gluten free, so I was wondering if I could just use regular whole wheat or white flour? Also, have you ever tried adding some grated raw ginger into the recipe to boost the ginger flavor?
Yes, you can definitely use regular flour. 🙂 Fresh, raw ginger sounds great and should work fine. 🙂
Hello this looks lovely! Just wondering what I could replace the granulated sweetener with in the frosting?
Looking forward to making this!
Hi Stacey! You can simply leave out the frosting. 🙂
Thank you!
Hi Ella! Love this and can’t wait to try it. Do you mind sharing what tool you use to compile your nutrition info?
I use Cronometer.com most of the time. 🙂
Hi, can brown rice flour work insteadI’ve noticed that all your gluten-free recipe use white rice flour, why ? Is it supposed to give a fluffier, moister cake ?
Bc, I only have brown rice flour in my near-by store, and it is supposed to be more healthy, no ? Let me know, thanks
Yes, white rice flour will make the cake fluffier but brown rice flour should work too! 🙂
Thanks !
Hi Ela
What should I replace rice flour with, I need something gf please!
Can’t wait to try this with your spice mix!
Buckwheat flour might work but I haven’t tried it yet. 🙂
This cake looks so delicious! I really love gingerbread! Lots of love, Bianca <3
It’s very flavorful and so good! I hope you will give it a try. 🙂
I didn’t try the cake recipe but I made the frosting to go with another gingerbread recipe. I did not like it. I found it very bland (even after adding more sugar) and quite soft/watery, even after sitting in the fridge overnight. I would not make it again.
So sorry you didn’t like the frosting! I made it many times and it never came out bland, soft or watery.
Love this recipe! I made it the other day. It tasted delicious! I just love the gingerbread flavors. However, the texture of the cake is not right. It is too chewy. Not fluffy like a typical cake. I think this is a result of the oat flour as other baked goods that I’ve tried to make using oat flour seem to end up with the same chewy texture. Any suggestions for a gluten-free flour to substitute? Or any idea why the oat flour would make it chewy like that?
Also the frosting was really good too!
Hi Maria, you can’t compare oat flour with wheat flour. The texture will be always different. You could try mixing oat flour with rice flour or buckwheat flour for a fluffier result. 🙂
Thank you!
Hi Ela,
Thank you for all these yummy recipes 😊
One question : One of my son is allergic to cashews, any tree nuts in fact. 😅 Could you recommend any other frosting nut-free?
Many thanks!!
Hi Sabine! That’s difficult then. Maybe if your son can eat coconut, you could add 1/2 a cup of coconut butter. 🙂
Hi Ela. This looks awesome! I want to make it for a dinner party this weekend. Just a question… Can I substitute the cashews with peacans for the frosting? I have lots of them and I’d like to use them instead of buying more nuts for now. Any advice on this? I’d really appreciate it. Thank you for your wonderful recipes!
Pecans* (sorry for the typo)
Hi Ana, I don’t think it will work. Cashews are perfect for a cream or a spread. I never tried to use other nuts for making cream. You can check out my newest recipe, a delicious pecan pie: https://elavegan.com/vegan-pecan-pie-recipe/ 🙂
Thank you! Happy holidays 🙂
Thanks dear! Happy holidays to you and your family. 🙂
Hi, I made this to take to a Christmas party for the plant based folks. It was delicious! We all loved it and had two or three pieces. The creaminess of the frosting was amazing, and the cake itself was superb. I used freshly ground whole wheat flour per your suggestion in the comments and it was per feed.
That’s awesome, Alisa! Thanks so much for your great feedback and for letting me know that the recipe works with whole wheat flour. 🙂
Which flour can I use instead of rice flour? Spelt?
Hello! Spelt flour should be fine.
Thanks a lot!!
You are very welcome, Elena. 🙂
Bonsoir ela
J’aimerai beaucoup faire votre recette mais les proportions en france sont en grammes…Quand vous parlez de tasse cela fait combien de grammes? Merci pour votre retour et toutes vos jolies recettes qui font rêver
Hello Tangre 🙂 I have both, cups and grams (metric measurements) for all recipes.
Voy a hacerlo!!! gracias!!!!
De nada! Disfruta! 🙂
My first ever vegan cake and first time trying a recipe from Ela. It won’t be s my last! It was delicious, super moist and fluffy, really tasty!
I am glad you liked the cake, Lucja! Thanks for your great feedback. 🙂
Looks soooo yummyyyy!! ?Gonna make it! Just one question, can I ignore the molases? I mean not to add it at all? Or what I can add instead? ?
Hi Tina, yes, you can leave it out. You could use sugar beet syrup instead or just increase the amount of maple syrup. 🙂
Hi Ela! Have the same question, gonna sub with maple syrup should I do the same amount as molasses ?
Hi Ana, it depends on how sweet you want the cake to be. I would use 1/8 cup maple syrup and 1/8 cup more of applesauce, otherwise, it might end up too sweet. 🙂
I love this gingerbread cake recipe Ela! It’s my favorite holiday dessert along with pumpkin cake! Also your frosting looks delicious. take care, Dee
Thanks so much, Dee! I am so glad you like it. Lots of love 🙂
Hi Ela, can I use wheat flour instead of rice flour?
Thank you for your greats receipts!
Sarah
Hi Sarah, you can try replacing rice flour AND oat flour with 250 grams (about 2 cups) of wheat flour or spelt flour. I never tried it but it should work fine. 🙂