Love ginger? Then you will love this vegan gingerbread cake! It has an amazing, fluffy texture and is topped with this sweet-and-spicy ginger glaze that gives it an incredible, festive flavor. It’s a must-make during the holidays! 1 bowl; gluten-free, nut-free, and soy-free options

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 35 minutes
  • Total time: 75 minutes
  • Yield: 8
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: Holiday

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar

Spices

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground clove
  • 1/8 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Wet Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • 3/4 cup non-dairy milk (warmed)
  • 3 tablespoons molasses
  • 2 tablespoons non-dairy yogurt
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional Additions to the Cake

  • 2 tablespoons or more of either or combination of chopped candied ginger, (chopped walnuts/pecans, raisins or chocolate chips)

For the Ginger Glaze

  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1 ” piece fresh ginger (sliced into thin slices)
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons chopped candied ginger
  • 2 tablespoons chopped pecans

Method

Make the gingerbread cake.

  1. Preheat the oven to 375° F (190° C) and line a 9x5” loaf pan with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, and all of the spices, and press and mix really well.
  3. Warm up the non-dairy milk, if you haven't already. Then, make a hole in the middle of the dry ingredients, and add the milk. Then add in the oil and the molasses and mix in. Mix in the hole first, so that the molasses mixes into the warm milk a little bit, and then start to mix it into the flour a little bit. Then, add in vanilla extract and non-dairy yogurt, and continue to mix until you get a smooth batter.
  4. If the batter is too thick (this depends on how you measured the flour, the consistency of the molasses, and etc.) you can add in another tablespoon of milk to help it become a smooth batter. You don't want it to be too thin, but you also don't want it to be too lumpy and stiff.
  5. Once you have the batter, add in your additions of choice, and fold them into the batter.
  6. Then, transfer the batter to the lined loaf pan. Even it out with a spatula, and then bake it for 35 minutes.
  7. At this point, check with toothpick to see whether the cake is already done. If not, reduce the heat to 350° F (177° C), cover the the pan with parchment paper, and continue to bake for around 10 to 15 more minutes or until the toothpick from the center comes out completely clean.
  8. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully remove it using the parchment paper, and let it continue to cool, covered lightly with a towel, for another 10 to 15 minutes.

Make the ginger glaze while the cake cools.

  1. In a skillet, add the brown sugar, water, ginger slices, and lemon juice, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Mix really well until the sugar mixes in, simmer for another minute, and then switch off the heat. Fish out the fresh ginger slices
  2. Fold in the candied ginger and pecans.
  3. Let this cool for 5 minutes or so, so that the glaze thickens slightly. Then, drizzle this all over the cake. Spread the candied ginger and pecans all over and then drizzle on the rest of the sauce, if there is any left, all over the cake.
  4. Let the gingerbread cake sit for 10 to 15 minutes for the glaze to soak in a little bit, then slice, serve, and enjoy. You can also serve this with some coconut cream or ice cream.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.