Amazing spiced vegan gingerbread loaf cake. Packed full of cinnamon, ginger, + molasses, it’s super fluffy, and topped with sweet icing.
This vegan gingerbread cake is a must bake for your holiday baking list.
It’s packed full of classic gingerbread flavor thanks to the extra ginger and cinnamon, making it taste like the entire holiday season packed into a cake! Plus, you’ll love how easy it is to mix up. It's such a quick and easy holiday dessert that you and your guests will love it.
Free from: dairy, casein, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, coconut, fish, shellfish, crustaceans, mollusks, celery, corn, sesame, mustard, lupin, sulfites, and more
This vegan gingerbread cake recipe is kinda like breakfast, snacks, and dessert all in one! Serve it anytime with hot chocolate, a mug of tea, or a cup of coffee. The warm spices in this moist cake keep it from being too sweet. That means cake all the time if you ask me!
For more gingerbread recipes, make sure you check out my vegan ginger cookies and vegan gingerbread men cookies.
Jump to:
Why You’ll Love this Vegan Gingerbread Cake
- Super delicious and spicy cake!
- Soft, fluffy, and moist
- Easy to make without any special equipment
- Dairy free, egg free, nut free recipe
Ingredients
- Molasses: After testing several brands, I have found that Grandma’s molasses gives the best flavor and texture. Wholesome molasses can be dark and some family members thought it was bitter.
- Ginger + Cinnamon: The keys to a good gingerbread! I love spicy gingerbread so I add an extra teaspoon of ground ginger to this recipe. If you love it extra spicy, you should do the same. Otherwise, the recipe gives a nice flavor.
- Flax seeds + Cornstarch: These act at the eggs in this recipe, helping to provide moisture, keep the texture soft, and hold it all together. Mix the flaxseed with hot water to make a flax egg.
- Melted vegan butter: By melting the butter ahead of time, it more evenly coats the dry ingredients, making for a more tender crumb after baking.
- You’ll also need: all purpose flour, baking powder, dairy free milk, white sugar, vanilla extract, and salt.
For the icing, you’ll need powdered sugar, vanilla, and a bit of water. It’s super simple and sweet!
Allergy Substitutions
If you’re avoiding corn, swap the cornstarch for an equal amount of tapioca flour. Make sure that your powdered sugar and vanilla extract are free from corn. Shop my favorite brands on my shop page.
My favorite milk to use in this recipe is coconut milk or rice milk.
Instructions
For the full instructions, complete with recipe measurements, please see the recipe card below. You can also use the “jump to recipe” button back at the top of this article.
This loaf cake is so easy to mix up you only need a few bowls and no special equipment.
First, line your loaf pan with parchment paper and spray it with some neutral oil. Set this aside while you make the cake.
Now make your flax egg. In your mixing bowl, add the ground flaxseed and mix with 3 tablespoons of boiling water. Give this a stir and let it rest for 5 minutes. This turns it gooey and perfect for putting in cakes.
Next, sift together all the dry ingredients of flour, baking powder, and all the spices and salt. I like to sift mine onto a piece of parchment paper, or you can whisk it all together in a bowl.
Now, combine all the wet ingredients into the same large bowl with the flax egg. Mix the melted vegan butter with vegan milk, molasses, sugar, and vanilla.
Then, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. You can still use a whisk or switch to a spatula to make srue you scrape the sides of the bowl. Mix until everything is combined.
Pour the gingerbread cake batter into the prepared pan.
Bake the cake for 60 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center pulls out clean.
Let the cake cool for 10 minutes in the hot pan before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Make the Icing
Making the icing for this cake couldn’t be any easier!
In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar with vanilla and 1 to 2 tablespoons of water. Mix until you get a thickness you like. Sometimes you may need more or less sugar, depending on the weather.
Pour the glaze over the cooled cake and let it rest for about an hour to set.
Tip! Pop the cake in the fridge after icing to help the icing set. This will make your slices more clean.
Tips + Tricks
Try to bake this in a glass pan if possible. While you can use a metal loaf pan, I’ve found that glass bakes more evenly. The metal pans tend to burn the edges of my loaf cakes when baking.
Allow the cake to cool for about 10 minutes in the loaf pan before removing it to a wire rack to finish cooling. This prevents the cake from getting gummy.
Make sure the cake is totally cool before icing or you could end up with a huge icing mess! I also like to pop mine in the fridge for an hour to help the icing set before slicing.
Fold ½ a cup of raisins, golden raisins, or walnuts into the batter before baking for a festive twist! (As long as you can safely enjoy them, of course.)
FAQs
Yes!
Cupcakes: Pour the prepared batter into cupcake pans that have been lined. Bake for 23-25 minutes.
Mini Loaf Pans: Sizes vary so depending on size, anywhere from 22 to 30 minutes. Keep an eye on these.
Sheet Cake: You can make this in a 8x10 pan. Bake for about 30 minutes before checking.
Okay, don’t worry. There are a few things you can do to prevent a cake from sinking in the middle.
First, check to make sure that your oven is performing at the temperature you set it to. I always do a check twice a year with an oven thermometer to make sure my oven is heating to the right temperature.
Next, make sure that your baking powder is fresh. If it has been open for longer than 6 months, it may have expired. Expired baking powder can’t make cakes rise.
Finally, don’t open the oven for any reason for the first 30 minutes after you’ve put the cake in the oven! This is so important. The baking powder reacts to the heat of the oven and gives lift to the cake. If you open it too soon, it can drop the temperature by up to 150F! Don’t open the oven until you are ready to test the cake for doneness.
Yes, you can! I recommend that you fully bake and cool the cake. Then, slice it into slices, placing a piece of parchment paper in between each slice before storing it in a freezer safe container. It can be frozen for up to 2 months. Allow the cake to thaw in the fridge overnight or on the countertop for a few hours before serving.
How to store this gingerbread cake?
Store this cake in one of two ways.
Countertop: You can store this cake on the countertop in an airtight container for 2 days. Because there is no milk in the icing it is okay to eat at room temperature.
Fridge: You can also store this cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
More Vegan Cake to Love
If you try these out, please leave a comment below! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. And if you want more delicious, dietary friendly recipes you can subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!
Recipe
Equipment
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- mixing bowls
- mixing spoons
- whisk
- Loaf Pan
- parchment paper
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cake
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon ginger
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk coconut, soy, or rice recommended
- ¼ cup molasses Grandma’s brand recommended
- ½ cup vegan butter melted
- ¾ cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds
- 3 tablespoons hot water
Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a loaf pan. Spray and line a 9x5 loaf pan with a neutral cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Make sure that the oven rack is in the middle of the oven.
- Make the flax egg. In a small mixing bowl, combine the flax seeds with boiling water. Mix well and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine the milk, melted butter, sugar, flax egg, molasses, and vanilla. Whisk together well.
- Sift the dry ingredients. Sift the flour, salt, cornstarch, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, all spice, and cloves together.
- Combine. Combine the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Whisk well, switching to a spatula to make sure that all the ingredients on the sides of the bowl are incorporated.
- Transfer. Carefully pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Smooth the top out with the spatula.
- Bake. Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes. Do not open the oven door for the first 40 minutes of baking no matter what. This will cause the cake to sink. Using a glass pan is really helpful for making sure the cake edges are not burning. The cake will be done when a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake removes cleanly.
- Cool. Remove the cake from the oven and let it rest in the hot pan for 10 minutes. Then, using the parchment paper, remove the cake from the pan and let it cool on a wire cooling rack. I like to pop my cake in the fridge to help it chill.
- Make the icing. In a small mixing bowl, combine the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and water. Mix until thick with a pourable consistency. Pour over the cooled cake, letting it drip down the edges. Serve right away, or, place in the fridge to let the icing harden. Enjoy!
Notes
- Allergy Substitutions
- If you’re avoiding corn, swap the cornstarch for an equal amount of tapioca flour. Make sure that your powdered sugar and vanilla extract are free from corn. Shop my favorite brands on my shop page.
- My favorite milk to use in this recipe is coconut milk or rice milk.
- Other Cake Sizes
- Cupcakes: Pour the prepared batter into cupcake pans that have been lined. Bake for 23-25 minutes.
- Mini Loaf Pans: Sizes vary so depending on size, anywhere from 22 to 30 minutes. Keep an eye on these.
- Sheet Cake: You can make this in a 8x10 pan. Bake for about 30 minutes before checking.
- How to Store
- Countertop: You can store this cake on the countertop in an airtight container for 2 days. Because there is no milk in the icing it is okay to eat at room temperature.
- Fridge: You can also store this cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
This site contains affiliate links which means I may receive commissions for purchases made though those links. However, please know that I only provide links to products that I actually use and totally recommend! Your purchases help support this blog. Thank you!
Leave a Reply