This is a simple, straightforward, and delightful vegan gingerbread cake. Light and airy, not heavy, every bite is infused with ginger and cinnamon.
It takes a little courage to call a recipe “the best.” I also know a dish has no “best” version—especially a classic, beloved dish. Taste is very subjective.
But sometimes, it’s hard to contain one’s excitement about a recipe. I really, really like this vegan gingerbread cake, so I couldn’t resist adding superlatives to it. It really is the best.
Vegan gingerbread cake inspiration
I know I’ve been talking about Laurie Colwin(one of my favorite food writers) and cake. Colvin inspired my Nantucket cranberry pie this Thanksgiving and this gingerbread cake.
Laurie Colvin loves gingerbread. She devotes two whole chapters to it in two different books. Her love of gingerbread is one of the most memorable things in her books Home Cooking and Home Cooking.
In 2016, author Lindsay-Jane Harder ranked some of Colvin’s gingerbread recipes for Food52 magazine. Write it hard,
In both books, I nodded along with Colwin, feeling that, in her words, I had found a new friend. When a friend talks about making something repeatedly, you can say: It’s time to bake gingerbread.”
I know the feeling.
Lindsay-Jane Harder and her taste testers chose another Laurie Colvin gingerbread as their favorite. They prefer Colwyn’s “wet gingerbread” (somewhat inappropriately named).
I’ve made gingerbread, too. I love it. I finished mine effortlessly. But the taste is very subjective. I found this cake denser and duller than the one I craved.
My favorite gingerbread cake
What kind of cake is it?
I like gingerbread with lots of fresh ginger, but not too spicy. I also like the taste of cinnamon.
Moreover, I like my vegan gingerbread cake to be a little light, even a little light. Yeah, it’s wet and tender. But not dense or lumpy (a word I’ve learned from brushing GBBO many times).
Part of what I love about cake is its lightness and simplicity. I love delicious, dense instant bread like banana or chocolate pumpkin marble bread. But when I sit down to eat a cake, I want something more delicate.
Find the perfect sweetener.
It turns out that the choice of sweetener makes a big difference in the taste of gingerbread.
I’ve seen all kinds of sweeteners in gingerbread recipes. Some need sugar, honey, and molasses, but most require a mixture of molasses and sugar. The more molasses, the denser and darker the cake will be.
It’s not that I don’t like molasses; What I did. But less is more in cakes than molasses and ginger cookies. Every time I make a vegan gingerbread cake with a lot of molasses, molasses is the only thing I can taste.
Laurie Colwin uses molasses-free sweeteners in many of her gingerbread cakes. Her favorites are Steen’s cane syrup and Lyle’s golden syrup.
I learned what those two were when I read Colwin’s book. But after tasting them, I quickly became a fan.
Steen sugar cane syrup
Steen’s is cane juice simmered in an open kettle. It turns into a golden syrup, a cross between maple syrup and molasses. It’s thicker than maple syrup, thinner than molasses, and less flashy.
It’s delicious. Laurie Colwin calls it a “cheap luxury,” and I can understand why.
Lyerkin syrup
Lyle’s golden syrup is a syrup made from cane sugar. It’s also delicious, but in a different way. It tastes more affluent, more syrupy, and tequila. I’ve also read that it’s sometimes used as a substitute for honey. The consistency is very close to the color.
It is interesting to explore new baking ingredients, like these sweeteners. In the gingerbread experiment, I tried both methods.
Finally, my favorite cake is Steen’s Cane Syrup. It is a lot more than molasses and a little more than Lyle’s (but I like Lyle’s, too). If you happen to have any of these syrups at home or want to try them, this is the place to use them.
DIY syrup
But you don’t need to buy new syrup. Part of the reason I wanted to share a vegan gingerbread cake this year is that it’s such an easy dessert. Simplicity is what many of us need and crave this year.
If you have molasses and maple syrup (or agave syrup) at home, you can make a syrup similar to Steen. Two tablespoons of molasses and six tablespoons of maple syrup will do.
After mixing, you’ll taste a hint of molasses—you’ll know it’s there. But once you bake it out, the cake won’t taste like molasses; it will be a light golden brown, lighter than gingerbread cookies.
If you like molasses, feel free to use more! Again, this is just my favorite vegan gingerbread cake. You will have your preferences.
Other vegan gingerbread ingredients
Once you’ve chosen your syrup, the rest of the cake is simple.
Vegetarian butter
I love the taste of vegan butter as a fat source for this cake. The butter and syrup melted in the cake. The brand is not too important: use what you can find and what you like.
However, if you don’t have vegan butter, don’t worry. A neutral-tasting vegetable oil, such as refined avocado, can also be substituted (use the same amount, six tablespoons).
flour
I like to make cakes with unbleached plain flour. I’ve also tried making it with whole wheat pastry flour and white whole wheat flour. Both work well! Light Sper flour can also be used for this recipe.
If you need to make a gluten-free cake, you can choose a gluten-free, all-purpose mixture (I like King Arthur’s).
applesauce
Applesauce is my egg substitute in a vegan gingerbread cake. It also adds moisture without requiring too much vegan butter.
Brown sugar
Brown sugar and syrup of your choice will sweeten the cake. Brown sugar adds more moisture to the batter than sucrose. But if you have cane sugar at home, that’s okay—I tested this recipe with cane sugar, too, and it worked!
I also like using coconut sugar, which tastes like caramel.
spice
There is just ginger and cinnamon, which makes the cake different from many gingerbread cookies that require cloves. If you like the taste of cloves in this cake, add 1/4-1/2 TSP.
raisin
It’s totally optional and not in the photo! I like unsweetened cake best, but Colvin’s original recipe offered an option, and I tried it. They’re an exciting change when you want something more like a fruitcake.
What size pan should I use?
This year, I’ve learned that when I share baked goods, it’s helpful to offer a choice of baking containers. No one likes to buy new dishes for a single recipe.
Changing baking containers can be complicated for cooking time. But there’s usually a way.
I recommend cooking the vegan gingerbread cake in an 8-inch round cake pan. I like this one, which has a detachable bottom.
If you don’t have such a pan, you can also use a 9-inch round cake pan or an 8×8 or 9×9 square baking pan.
Anyway, look at the cake in 35 minutes. A larger pan will allow the cake to bake faster.
Make and store vegan gingerbread cakes.
This vegan gingerbread cake can easily be made in advance for a special occasion. It will be kept in an airtight container or package for about five days. Keep it at room temperature for the first two days, and then put it in the fridge.
If you don’t think you can eat the cake in five days, you can freeze it (or part of it). Gingerbread can be stored in the refrigerator for up to six weeks.
Ingredients
2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour (240g)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons (heaping) ground ginger (make sure the ginger is pretty fresh, as the flavor diminishes over time)
1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons vegan butter (84g)
1/2 cup Steen’s Pure Cane Syrup or Lyle’s Golden Syrup (120mL; substitute 2 tablespoons molasses + 6 tablespoons maple syrup or agave syrup)
1/3 cup non-dairy milk (80mL)
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup applesauce (4 oz/115 g)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar (65g)
Optional: 3/4 cup currants or raisins
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease an 8-inch round cake pan with vegan butter and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt in a large bowl.
- Mix the non-dairy milk and lemon juice or vinegar in a separate bowl. While they sit, melt the vegan butter in a small saucepan. Add the syrup (or a mixture of syrup and syrup) and stir. Add the warm mixture to the bowl with the milk. Add applesauce and brown sugar and mix everything.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture. Mix well (some small pieces of flour will do). Add raisins or currants, if desired.
- Bake for 45 minutes until the top of the cake is rounded and the edges are golden brown. Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes, remove it from the pan, and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing and enjoying.
I don’t think there’s anything more homely and humble than gingerbread as a holiday dessert.
I love my dark chocolate pear cake, which has been my Christmas dessert of choice for the past few years. It looks rich and beautiful. Many pieces of dark chocolate sink into the top of the cake, making it feel decadent.
Somehow, an elegant chocolate dessert isn’t what I’m craving for Christmas 2020. I wanted something simpler and more generic that smelled of baking spices when cooked.
I’d like a cake that would serve as a dessert with our vanilla-free ice cream, but also as a snack (maybe with a turmeric latte?). At the end of the holiday.
This vegan gingerbread cake is what I want and what I need. Even though there are plenty of gingerbread cookies out there, I hope some of you eat them as perfectly and happily as I do.
