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Vegan gingerbread cake with a slice cut and ready to serve on a white cake stand.
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5 from 31 votes

Vegan Gingerbread Cake

This vegan gingerbread cake is the best ever. It's soft, moist, richly flavored and perfectly spiced. The perfect recipe for the holidays!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Baking, Cakes, Dessert
Cuisine: Vegan
Diet: Vegan
Servings: 10
Calories: 561kcal
Author: Alison Andrews

Ingredients

Gingerbread Cake:

Orange Frosting:

  • ½ cup Vegan Butter (112g)
  • 4 ½ cups Powdered Sugar (540g)
  • 3-4 Tbsp Fresh Orange Juice

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and spray two 7-inch round cake pans (see notes for different sizes*) with non-stick spray and line the bottoms with circles of parchment paper. 
  • Sift the all purpose flour into a mixing bowl and add the brown sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger and allspice and mix together. 
  • Prepare a flax egg by adding 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed meal to a bowl and then adding 3 Tbsp hot water. Let it sit for a minute to become gloopy. 
  • Add the flax egg, soy milk, unsulphured molasses, vanilla extract, oil and apple cider vinegar to the mixing bowl and whisk briefly with a hand whisk to combine. Don't overmix.
  • Divide the batter evenly between your two prepared 7-inch cake pans. 
  • Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out clean. 
  • Let the cakes cool for a few minutes and then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting. 
  • Prepare your frosting by adding the vegan butter, powdered sugar and 3 Tbsp orange juice to the bowl of an electric mixer. Starting at slow speed, gradually increase speed until thick and smooth. If it's too thick add in the remaining 1 Tbsp orange juice, but add it in slowly as you may or may not need all of it.  
  • Place the frosted cake in the fridge for an hour so that the frosting can set before slicing and serving. 

Notes

  1. Measure your flour correctly using the spoon and level method (spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife. Don't scoop it and don't pack it into the cup). Alternatively weigh it on a food scale for the most accurate results. 
  2. Molasses. Your molasses should be unsulphured. Grandma's is a great brand if you can get it, otherwise just make sure that it says 'unsulphured' on the label. 
  3. Flax Egg. This recipe uses a flax egg but if you don't have ground flaxseed on hand, then you can use 3 Tbsp of applesauce instead.
  4. Apple Cider Vinegar: This reacts with the baking soda and causes the cake to rise beautifully. You can also use white distilled vinegar.
  5. Don't overmix your batter. Mix the batter until it's just mixed and no more. Over-mixing can cause your cake to not rise as well and can also cause the texture to become dense.
  6. Bake immediately. Don't let your batter sit, once it's mixed, transfer to your cake pans and bake right away. Letting it sit can also cause your cake to not rise properly. 
  7. Cupcakes: This recipe will adapt beautifully to making 12 perfect vegan gingerbread cupcakes. Just reduce the baking time to around 22 minutes. 
  8. Make It Gluten-Free: To make this recipe gluten-free you can try replacing the regular flour with a gluten-free all purpose blend in the same quantity as the regular flour. One of our favorite blends is the Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Blend.
  9. Adapt for different cake pans: This recipe can also be made in two 8-inch cake pans, the layers will just be slightly thinner. You can then bake for 20-25 minutes. It will also make a 3-layer 6-inch round cake, bake for 20 minutes. It will also make a single layer 9-inch round cake, bake for 30 minutes. If you need a two layer 9-inch cake then it would be best to double the recipe. 
  10. Sheet Cake: 9x9: Spray it with non-stick spray. Pour in the batter and spread it out evenly. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 9x13: Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 
  11. Storing: Keep the cake stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. Or you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Let it come to room temperature before serving. 
  12. Freezing: It can also be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and then bring it to room temperature on the counter. 
  13. This recipe was first published in December 2017. It has been updated with new photos and text but the recipe itself is unchanged except for one thing: The original recipe used olive oil but we preferred canola oil or vegetable oil for more consistent results. 
  14. Nutritional information includes frosting. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serve | Calories: 561kcal | Carbohydrates: 101g | Protein: 3.4g | Fat: 16.8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 363mg | Fiber: 1.1g | Sugar: 78.4g