This Vegan Gingerbread Cake has molasses, triple ginger (fresh, dried and candied), fall spices, walnuts and chocolate chips. It comes together within minutes. Free of Dairy, egg, corn, yeast, soy. Makes 1 8.5 by 4.75 inch loaf pan or 8 inch cake pan.
Gingerbread, spices, cookies and holidays, here we come.
This Ginger Molasses Cake has candied ginger, fresh ginger and ground ginger, more fall spices, and a deep flavor of molasses. All the flavors get stronger as the cake sits. The chia seeds are ground up with some candied ginger for a stronger infusion of the ginger flavor. You can omit a form of ginger or reduce some to taste preference. I also add walnuts and chocolate chips to this gingerbread cake. Add other nuts or seeds of choice or add dried fruit. More the merrier! This quickbread is perfect for snacking or breakfast. Love Ginger? Then you will love this vegan gingerbread cake!
Flax or Chia seed seeds are used to substitute egg and bind and hold moisture in the loaf. You can also use other egg substitutes like ener-g, applesauce/fruit puree, blended silken tofu or non dairy yogurt.
What are you planning to bake up this holiday season?
This must make Vegan Gingerbread Cake.
More Holiday Recipes from the blog.
Triple Ginger Molasses cookies
Gingerbread cake Mix in a jar. GF
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles.
Chocolate dipped sugar Cookies. GF
Vegan Gingerbread Cake
Ingredients
Dry
- 1 cup (120 g) Spelt flour or use whole wheat pastry flour or other flour
- 1/2 cup (62.5 g) unbleached white flour
- 1.5 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) baking soda
- 2 Tbsp candied ginger chopped small
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) ground ginger use more if omitting fresh ginger
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) ground cloves
- 2 Tbsp chopped walnuts or other nuts
- 2 to 3 Tbsp vegan mini chocolate chips like Enjoy life or use nuts or seeds
Wet
- 2 Tablespoons chia seeds or flax seed meal
- 1 Tbsp candied ginger
- 3/4 cup (183 ml) non dairy milk like almond or coconut
- 1/2 cup (76 g) + 2 Tbsp coconut sugar or ground raw sugar
- 2 Tbsp oil
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) fine sea salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp molasses use light molasses if you like a lighter molasses flavor
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger minced or grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 365 deg F / 180ºc.
- In a bowl, whisk all dry ingredients except walnuts and chocolate chips, and keep aside.
- Grind the chia seeds with a Tbsp of candied ginger. (optional. you can use pre-ground chia or flax seeds)
- Mix chia-seed meal/flaxmeal with the non dairy milk and let sit for 2 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients under wet, mix until the sugar is combined well.
- Transfer dry to wet. Mix to just about combine. Fold in the nuts and chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into greased and floured bread pan or parchment lined pan. The batter will be a stiff batter, so even it out in the pan.
- Bake for 35 to 40 mins or until a toothpick from the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then remove the cake from the pan. Cool completely before slicing.
- Store on the counter for a day or 2 and refrigerate for upto 7 days. Use a frosting of choice on the cake for decadent holiday snacking.
Notes
Nutrition
Vegan Gingerbread Cake
Allergen Information: Free of Dairy, egg, corn, soy. Can be made nut-free.
Ingredients: Makes 1 8.5 by 4.75 inch loaf pan or 8 inch cake pan.
Dry:
1 cup Spelt flour (or use whole wheat pastry flour or other flour)
1/2 cup unbleached white flour
1.5 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 Tbsp candied ginger, chopped small
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger (use more if omitting fresh ginger)
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 Tbsp chopped walnuts or other nuts
2 to 3 Tbsp vegan mini chocolate chips ( or use nuts or seeds)
Wet:
2 Tablespoons chia seeds or flax seed meal
1 Tbsp candied ginger
3/4 cup non dairy milk like almond or coconut
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp coconut sugar or ground raw sugar
2 Tbsp oil
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp molasses (use light molasses if you like a lighter molasses flavor)
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced or grated
Method:
Preheat the oven to 365 deg F.
In a bowl, whisk all dry ingredients except walnuts and chocolate chips, and keep aside.
Grind the chia seeds with a Tbsp of candied ginger. (optional. you can use pre-ground chia or flax seeds)
Mix chia-seed meal/flaxmeal with the non dairy milk and let sit for 2 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients under wet, mix until the sugar is combined well.
Transfer dry to wet. Mix to just about combine. Fold in the nuts and chocolate chips.
Pour the batter into greased and floured bread pan or parchment lined pan. The batter will be a stiff batter, so even it out in the pan.
Bake for 35 to 40 mins or until a toothpick from the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes, then remove the cake from the pan. Cool completely before slicing.
Store on the counter for a day or 2 and refrigerate for upto 7 days.
Sowmya says
November 29, 2014 at 2:31 amYour recipes are really nice and always with the twist. That is why it stands out from the other posts. Good job Richa
Mae says
November 30, 2014 at 12:13 amSounds and looks great, as usual 🙂 Being so close to Thanksgiving (meaning with a belly still recovering from a feast) it’s hard to think about what I’m going to make on Christmas! My grandmother makes the best mac n cheese, which of course is not vegan. But it was the dish I looked forward to the most on Christmas. I made a mac n cheese earlier this year that was AMAZING, so I think I’ll add that to my Christmas traditions 🙂
Richa says
December 1, 2014 at 3:29 pmI know right. my stomach feels constantly full, so i just want a dinner of a slice of gingerbread 😉
mac and cheese fits in everywhere so beautifully!
Ana @ Ana's Rocket Ship says
November 30, 2014 at 3:47 amPass me a slice someone!
Handmade by Lorna says
November 30, 2014 at 4:01 amGosh that looks delish – I will have to have a go at baking this. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe.
Richa says
December 1, 2014 at 3:27 pmAwesome!
Gabby @ the veggie nook says
November 30, 2014 at 12:21 pmSo much ginger! Looks awesome, I bet it would make a great finish to christmas dinner with a little lemon cashew icing 😉
Richa says
December 1, 2014 at 3:27 pmoooh definitely with the lemon cashew icing.
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
November 30, 2014 at 11:12 pmLove gingerbread loaves.. perfect for this time of year!
Shuchita P says
December 1, 2014 at 4:41 amThanks for another lovely recipe richa.. 🙂 tried it n it came out so tastyyy.. Perfect for the winters 🙂 But i added whole wheat flour n oats in place of spelt .. N my cake was a little bit crumbly on d top.. So shud i add a little more oil or coconut milk??
Richa says
December 1, 2014 at 3:26 pmits probably because of the whole oats. you can do a few things, coarsely blend the oats before adding, add a bit more coconut milk if the batter is very stiff or doughy, mix the batter a half a minute onger so the wheat gets mixed in well and forms a bit more gluten which will help make the loaf less crumbly.
Also for better slices, refrigerate the loaf in an airtight container for an hour, then slice. You can serve the slices at room temperature or warm them up in the microwave or oven.
The Vegan Cookie Fairy says
December 1, 2014 at 5:51 amOh my goodness, look at that perfect crumb! Ha, I feel like Mary Berry on the Great British Bake Off, I could rave about this gorgeous cake for ages 🙂
I’m thinking of making this for my mum at Christmas, she’ll love this. She can’t eat too much sugar due to a condition, though, do you have any tips for reducing the amount of sugar in this? Maybe pureed fruit? She’s ok with natural sugars, it’s granular sugars that she can’t handle well.
Richa says
December 1, 2014 at 3:22 pmThanks Clem!
You can use very ripe bananas , eg http://www.veganricha.com/2014/04/banana-walnut-breakfast-loaf-gluten.html
taste the batter and add maple or stevia if needed. you will need less liquid like a 1/4 cup non dairy milk.
Helen says
July 1, 2016 at 11:52 amThis is delightful. I used coconut sugar and didn’t have candied ginger but still lovely. I didn’t plan on making this but found that I had almost all ingredients anyway and was raining outside so I made it.
Oh I didn’t have molesses either but went to local convenience store and bought ‘black treacle’ instead. Funny what you find in local convenience store on a Sunday evening…
I rather like the idea of bananas and ginger. If I do as you suggest above and use say 2 ripe bananas and 1/4 cup milk (as per ‘wet’ in your gluten free banana bread recipe), then do I still need flax/chia? Or maybe less flax/chia? I gather that bananas are good at binding in themselves.
I’m acquiring quite a taste for black bananas and now pick them up regular when heavily discounted at the end of the day at the local supermarket. What is the best way to freeze them? With skin on or off?
Xxx
I’m prepa
Helen says
July 1, 2016 at 11:54 amPS
I was referring to using black bananas instead of sugar as per your suggestion to out great vegan cookie fairy…..she’s wonderful isn’t she?
Richa says
July 1, 2016 at 1:21 pmYes you can use bananas. You might want to taste the batter to see if it needs some sugar. If the bananas are not sweet enough then the loaf might end up a bit bland. You can omit the flax with the banana
Helen says
July 2, 2016 at 1:55 amMany thanks.
I will try this sometime when I have bananas that need using. I did love the original version and it’s good to have tried the recipe first before fiddling with it.
Xx
Annie says
December 1, 2014 at 10:35 amYummy, Richa! I love gingerbread but never think of it when I’m in the mood to bake. Perfect holiday treat!
Richa says
December 1, 2014 at 3:23 pmi know right. my fb feed reminds me these days of the impending holidays 🙂 and then i try to squeeze in a few holiday recipes 🙂
VANITHA says
June 20, 2015 at 1:21 amI’m on a roll in the kitchen today Richa. Made this cake for my son for his snack for the week. It’s yummy. The only thing was that the top cracked a little as I was slicing through it but other than that, it’s a great recipe.
Richa says
June 20, 2015 at 10:05 amAwesome! Let the cake sit covered in a towel for cooling and then slice. and slice it from the bottom. That might help with the cracking. depends on the oven and heating. the top can get slightly harder. Cooling it in a towel helps add moisture soften the top a bit.
Pongodhall says
August 1, 2015 at 9:15 amA perfect cake, gf, no yeast and no egg. And, ginger too…. Well,,that is just wonderful.
I am gradually getting just half a dozen jars to get mixes in one evening and have a really good supply of things in my cold store. ,I can,pick them,up over the next two weeks(?) or so and make a really quick mix.
Will,it be alright that long? I’m am not quite sure if it is safe and just want to check!
Richa says
August 1, 2015 at 11:50 amthe dry mix will stay fine for 2 weeks.
BunnicusRex says
December 4, 2015 at 1:32 pmThis was FREAKING AMAZING! It was adored: not “pretty good for vegan/healthy/earthy-crunchy,” just straight-up yummy, the best gingerbread quick-bread I’ve had or made. Hearty but not heavy, dense but moist & chewy, and bursting with flavour.
I followed the recipe as written using chia seeds (whole b/c love the crunch, but would use flax or ground if making for a more suspicious-of-healthy-tasting-stuff crowd), except:
* skipped all the nuts/nibs/mix-ins to appease picky eaters–except the candied ginger (that *stays* because if anyone doesn’t like ginger then this is the wrong bread anyway!);
* upped the pumpkin-pie spices by <1 tsp overall (use Minimalist Baker's PPS recipe/sub so pre-mixed but ~same proportions plus bit of nutmeg), but only b/c I love in-your-face spices and usually ~double all except cloves. No need here, just wanted a touch more because… me;
* doubled recipe for 2 loaves, then realized my loaf pans were a bit small so divided among 3 instead. No prob, was wonderfully forgiving w/ only partially full loaf pans. Just took them out a bit early, when they looked/felt/toothpicked done.
100% chance I'll make again, maybe trying craisins, orange or lemon zest or–this recipe is brilliant because it's _so_ very good "as is" but also suggests endless variations. But next trying your triple-ginger cookies. Or soy-free pound-cake (thx for answering Q there.) Or daal, chickpea loaf, aloo gobi GAH too much good stuff! My fam & friends thank you heartily 🙂
Richa says
December 4, 2015 at 2:00 pmYAY! I love all the excitement!!!
Jessy says
May 29, 2016 at 3:38 amHi Veganricha, I have just mixed all the ingredients together and gingerbread baking in the oven 🙂
One Question, why is there an addition of candied ginger to the wet mix and the dry mix? I just found that very confusing. I have added 3 (2+1) Tbsp diced candied ginger to the wet mix and sure that will be fine. Thanks for the recipe! Jessy
Richa says
May 29, 2016 at 6:14 pmThe candied ginger in the wet gets ground up with the flax seed meal into much smaller pieces which adds much more flavor. You can skip that and use just some in the dry.
Emily says
December 3, 2016 at 8:38 pmThis loaf is amazing! It barely lasts a few hours in my house!
marla says
December 11, 2016 at 7:25 pmRicha…I am new to being vegan and I want to say that I have tried so many of your recipes (along with others). Yours are hands down, reliable and never fail to please. I like that you use real ingredients and not a lot of “fake” ones (ie, vegan cheese, vegan butter etc…). I don’t know how this gingerbread will taste, but the smell in my house is AMAZING right now.
Richa says
December 13, 2016 at 12:07 amThanks! hope it turned out amazing!
Dara says
December 11, 2017 at 12:44 amHi. When you bake two loaves at a time, do you adjust the temp or time? I have made this recipe a bunch of times, and everyone loves it, but each time, the loaves come out a little underdone. I have to guesstimate the temp because my oven isn’t digital. Is there something I can do differently? As usual, your recipes are 100% in my book.
Richa says
December 11, 2017 at 10:03 amTest from the enter of the loaf with a toothpick and keep baking. Sometimes the ovens dont heat up as much as they say or heat more. So that and the pans etc change the baking time. I would check intervals of 10 mins after the initial 35 mins until a toothpick from the enter comes out clean.
Jane says
December 17, 2017 at 4:44 pmThis is the best gingerbread cake. ever. I have a recipe I”ve made for years but this one wins hands down. Thank you Richa!
Richa says
December 17, 2017 at 6:41 pmAwesome!!
jane says
December 18, 2017 at 11:52 pmAnd it’s even better today!! (ie the next day) 🙂
Richa says
December 19, 2017 at 12:17 pmyes, spiced breads and cakes are better the next day!
J says
December 19, 2017 at 8:28 amHey Richa,
This looks AMAZING! Can this be made entirely with spelt flour or does that other 1/2 cup have to be white flour? Would almond flour/meal work for that 1/2 cup??
Richa says
December 19, 2017 at 12:17 pmall spelt will work.
Tom Smith says
December 21, 2017 at 5:52 amMy candied ginger just turned into gummy bear blobs. I cant think how to mix it in either dry or wet. This was the first time I tried to do a vegan richa recipe. They always looked so straightforward. Oh well. And folding in the nuts and chips? Oh well, was just going along mixing dry ingredients and dumped them in. Oh well.
Richa says
December 29, 2017 at 12:00 amhmm i am not sure what that happened. my ginger always comes out soft and gives a burst of flavor when you bite into it. Maybe a different brand? What about the texture of the bread, how was the baked bread?
Tom Smith says
January 27, 2018 at 11:12 pmOh, it turned out fine. Ran it thru a cuisinart and it all lumped in together and turned into quite a splendid cake/bread. The hit of the holiday season.
Kimberly says
May 6, 2018 at 4:28 pmRicha, thank you for the lovely recipe! I had a little bit of troubled stomach from lunch (from a power salad from a new vegan eatery in town) so decided I need to carbo load for dinner and googled your ginger bread recipe. It’s Spring but this loaf felt perfect for my situation! I wanted to let you (everyone else) know that I subbed all the flour for Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour and my gluten free vegan ginger loaf is perfect! It feels so light and springy, actually. I also love the trifecta of fresh ginger, powder ginger, and candied ginger in this recipe. It really is the perfect amount of sweetness. Thanks for helping me feel better & the delicious loaf!