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vegan gingerbread cake with sugar-free frosting on a small plate
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Vegan Gingerbread Cake

This quick and easy vegan gingerbread cake is soft, moist, packed with warming spices, and perfect for the holidays! Plus, it’s also gluten-free, oil-free, refined sugar-free, and can be topped with a creamy frosting!
Course Cake, Dessert
Cuisine Belgian, German
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 8

Equipment

  • Food processor*
  • Blender*
  • Kitchen scale*

Ingredients

Dry Cake Ingredients:

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):

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

  • First, leave the cashews to soak in cold water overnight or boiling water for about 30 minutes until super tender. Then, drain the water and pat them dry.
  • Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 °F/177 °C, and line a 6x9-inch (15 x 23 cm) cake pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on all sides for easy removal.
  • Add all the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk.
  • Next, add all the wet ingredients to the mixture and stir/whisk until just combined. Be careful not to over-mix it.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake it in the oven for around 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (a few crumbs are fine, but not wet).
    The baking time can be a few minutes less or more, depending on your oven and the size of the pan.
  • Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes before transferring it to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling completely. If you plan to add the cashew frosting, leave the cake in the baking tray.
    You can skip the frosting and simply dust the cake with icing sugar (or powdered Erythritol).

Frosting (optional)

  • Meanwhile, to prepare the ‘pudding’ style topping, add all the frosting ingredients (except the cashews) to a saucepan. Whisk vigorously until lump-free, then bring it to a boil, allowing it to simmer for 1-2 minutes, constantly stirring, until the mixture thickens.
  • Transfer that mixture, along with the soaked cashews, to a blender and blend until completely smooth and creamy. A food processor will also work, but it takes longer to get the job done. Then, give the frosting a taste and adjust the sweetness.
  • Finally, pour the cream over the cooled cake, spread it evenly with a spatula, then transfer it to the freezer for 1 ½-2 hours, to set (or the refrigerator overnight). When ready, slice and enjoy!

Notes

Video Of The Recipe:

 
  • Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze up to 3 months. Enjoy!
 
Gingerbread Spice Mixture:
  • 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.
  • 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 Erythritol (that's what I used), coconut sugar, regular sugar or date sugar.
  • Recipe serves 8. Nutrition facts are for one piece of cake without the frosting.
Nutrition Facts
Vegan Gingerbread Cake
Amount per Serving
Calories
222
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
3.8
g
6
%
Saturated Fat
 
2.8
g
14
%
Carbohydrates
 
42.2
g
14
%
Fiber
 
2
g
8
%
Sugar
 
16.3
g
18
%
Protein
 
3
g
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
  • With the frosting, a piece has the following nutrition facts (sweetened with Erythritol):
Calories: 319kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Fiber: 2.5g | Sugar: 17g