This vegan gingerbread cake is moist, fluffy, packed with warm spices with a hint of molasses. The cake is easy to prepare and is the perfect dessert for any Christmas table this holiday season!
Why you'll love this cake
TASTE/TEXTURE: This vegan gingerbread cake is moist, perfectly spiced and has undertones of caramel. There are options to make the cake with or without molasses.
DIFFICULTY: The cake is really easy to prepare as all ingredients are mixed in one bowl. We're also using a super simple American-style buttercream! The frosted cake keeps very well in the fridge which means you can prepare the cake a few days before any event.
CUSTOMIZABLE: The recipe can be made as an easy sheet cake, a 2-layered cake or a 3-layered cake (pictured).
Ingredients you'll need
The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the gray recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Notes about the ingredients
All-purpose flour. This vegan gingerbread cake also works well with King Arthur's gluten-free measure for measure flour!
Light brown sugar for flavor and moisture. Alternatively, you may use regular sugar (for a lighter-colored cake) or coconut sugar (for a darker-colored cake).
Molasses provides a classic gingerbread flavor and helps bind the ingredients together (like an egg replacer). If you don't have molasses, you can use golden syrup or omit it with a few adjustments (see the notes in the recipe card at the bottom of this post).
LOTS of spices. We're using a total of ¼ cup of spices for this large cake! This gives a lovely gingerbread flavor without being overpowering.
Preparing the cake
The cake batter is prepared in one bowl by mixing the dry ingredients then mixing in the liquid ingredients. It's really that simple!
For the best gingerbread cake, here are my top tips:
- Mix the cake batter with a whisk or hand mixer. The molasses makes a sticky viscous batter but a whisk helps break it down.
- Avoid overmixing the batter. Overmixing any cake batter will make the cake dense.
If you're making the cake without molasses, the batter should be a little runny like pancake batter.
Tips for baking the cake
We're baking the vegan gingerbread cake at a slightly lower temperature (160°C or 320°F) because this creates flatter cake layers that are easier to stack.
TIP: Make sure your oven isn't too hot or cold. A hot oven causes a cake to dome more whereas a cooler oven can make your cake sink a little. However, don't stress if this happens to your gingerbread cake - we're covering it with frosting anyway!
I recommend allowing the cakes to cool in their pans for at least 20 minutes. These layer cakes are quite thin and delicate when they're warm!
Decorating the cake
Once the gingerbread cake layers are at room temperature, they're ready to stack and decorate.
Even though we baked these cakes at a lower temperature, they may still dome. If so, use a serrated knife to carefully cut the domes off.
I decorated my cake like a rustic 'naked-style' cake where the sides have a minimal frosting as I love the contrast between the dark cake and the light frosting! If you prefer a fully-frosted cake, you'll need to increase the amount of buttercream.
I topped my cake with gingerbread cookies, sugared rosemary, sugared cherries and pomegranate arils. Other topping ideas include:
- Dried coconut. Coat your whole cake in coconut to mimic snow.
- Fresh or sugared cranberries
- Mini gingerbread house
- Crushed gingerbread cookies
Making the cake and decorations ahead of time
1-2 days ahead. Make and store the cake layers at room temperature. You can also make the frosting but store it in the fridge. The frosted cake (with no decorations) also keeps well in the fridge for 1-2 days. The frosting works as a great 'shield' between the cake and the fridge! However, I still recommend placing the frosted cake in an airtight container.
The cake and frosting can also be prepared a few weeks in advance and frozen. If you do this, I recommend storing the cake and frosting separately in an airtight container or food wrap. 1-2 days before serving, allow the cake and frosting to thaw in the fridge. The cakes can be chilled when you stack them but make sure the frosting is at room temperature. You may need to re-whip the frosting for a few seconds to give it back some life.
Gingerbread cookies can be made 1-2 weeks in advance and stored in the fridge or freezer. The sugared rosemary and cranberries or cherries can be made 1 day in advance and stored at room temperature.
Baking this gingerbread cake in a different pan
If you'd like to make a sheet cake, this cake will bake wonderfully in a 13 x 9 inch pan. Bake it for about 30-40 minutes and let the cake cool completely in the pan.
For a small 1-layer cake, check out my easy vegan ginger cake which is baked in an 8-inch square pan.
For a 2-layer cake, prepare the batter as is and divide it into two 8-inch or 9-inch round pans. Bake them for around 30-35 minutes or until done.
To make a gingerbread loaf (in an 8-inch loaf pan) scale the ingredient quantities down to '13 serves' and bake for around 1 hour.
Customizing this recipe
Yes! This vegan gingerbread cake without molasses is lighter and fluffier than the original recipe. However, there's less depth of flavor compared to the original. If you want to omit molasses, see the notes in the recipe card.
The original cake with molasses is slightly sticky and has a finer crumb.
For a zesty cake, substitute ½ cup (125g) of dairy-free milk for the same amount of orange juice.
For a more robustly spiced cake, add ground cloves and increase the quantities of spices. See the notes of the recipe card for details.
My vanilla buttercream is the most stable frosting option for this vegan gingerbread cake.
Alternatively, you can use a vegan cream cheese frosting. This frosting is traditionally quite soft so I recommend adding a stabilizer such as corn starch and vegetable shortening/coconut oil. Check out the frosting recipe in my vegan mango cake recipe.
You can also add some cranberry jam between the cake layers! If you do, please create a 'dam' of frosting otherwise, your jam will ooze out.
More vegan gingerbread dessert recipes
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Vegan Gingerbread Cake
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 3 ½ cups (440g) all-purpose plain flour, spoon and leveled (note 2 for tips and gluten-free)
- 1 ¼ cups (240g) packed brown sugar, or coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, (note 3)
- 2 tablespoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt
Wet ingredients
- ½ cup (170g) molasses, not blackstrap molasses (note 4 to omit molasses)
- 1 ½ cups (375g) dairy-free milk, room temperature
- ⅔ cup (165g) neutral flavored oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, or white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Frosting
- 1 ½ cups (340g) vegan block butter, room temperature (note 5)
- 4 - 6 cups (400g-600g) powdered sugar / icing sugar, (start with less and add more to taste)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Dash of dairy-free milk, as needed
To decorate (optional)
- gingerbread cookies
- Sugared cherries, or cranberries
- Sugared rosemary
Instructions
Make the gingerbread cake:
- Preheat your oven to 160°C (320°F). Line 3 x 8-inch (20 cm) round cake pans with parchment paper.
- Add all the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl or stand mixer. Mix until there are no lumps. Add all the wet ingredients to the bowl. Loosen the molasses with your whisk then mix until just combined.
- Evenly divide the cake batter into your 3 prepared pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes or you can insert a toothpick in the center of each cake and it comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the tins for 20 minutes then carefully place them on a cooling rack.
Make the frosting:
- Add the vegan butter to a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or to a large bowl (if using a hand mixer). Beat on high speed for 3-5 minutes until the butter is pale in color.
- Add 4 cups (400g) of powdered sugar and vanilla to your mixer or bowl. Beat on low for 30 seconds or until the sugar is fully incorporated. Increase to high speed and beat the frosting for another 5 to 10 minutes or until it's light and fluffy.
- Taste test the frosting. For a sweeter frosting, add more sugar as desired. Beat the frosting until it's fluffy.
Assemble and store the cake:
- If the cake layers have domes, use a serrated knife to carefully slice off the domes. Flat cakes are easier to stack!
- Place one cake layer on a serving plate and spread around ¾ cup buttercream on top. Place another cake layer on the frosting making sure it is level. Repeat until you've layered all 3 cake layers.
- Spread a thin layer of frosting on the sides and top of the cake. Use a spatula or cake scraper to smooth the surface, as desired.
- 1-2 hours before serving, decorate your cake with gingerbread cookies or as desired. If you have any leftover buttercream, use it to keep your decorations in place.
- Store leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day, in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving
Notes
- Make ahead instructions: The cake, frosting and gingerbread cookies can be prepared 1-2 days in advance. Store the cake and gingerbread in an airtight container at room temperature and the frosting in the fridge overnight. You can also frost the cake and store it without decorations in the fridge for 1-2 days. The sugared fruit can only be made 1 day in advance and should be kept in a container at room temperature. See the blog post above for more details.
- To spoon and level your flour, fluff up the flour in its container, use a spoon to add flour to your measuring cup, and level it off with a knife. Using your measuring cup to scoop flour out of the container will pack too much flour into your cup, and result in a dry cake. Alternatively, use the gram measurements for the best results.
Gluten-free version: This cake works well with King Arthur's gluten-free measure for measure flour. Please let the cakes completely cool, because they will feel too moist when warm. Other gluten-free flour blends are made of different flours, and may have different results. - If you'd like a spicier cake, use 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon, 3 tablespoons ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg and ½ teaspoon ground cloves.
- To make this cake without molasses, increase the brown sugar to 2 cups (380g) and increase the dairy-free milk to 1 ¾ cups (440g). All the other ingredients stay the same.
- The frosting will work with a chilled spreadable vegan butter but I recommend omitting or using less dairy-free milk. Your frosting will be softer.
Nutrition
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MJ says
Looking forward to wowing my friends with this! How do you make the sugared trees?
Anthea says
Hi MJ, I made the sugared trees using this recipe: https://www.threeolivesbranch.com/sparkling-rosemary-sugared-rosemary/ (or if you google 'sugared rosemary' there are a few recipes). I hope you and you friends love it (and I'm sure they'd be wowed by whatever you make)!
Coda says
Hi. I never get vegan butter in our part of the world. Can I use coconut cream and add anything else to it?
Anthea says
Hi Coda, unfortunately coconut cream isn't sturdy enough for a layered cake. It might be better to make a single layer ginger cake and top the cake with a simple icing made of powdered sugar and dairy-free milk. I hope that helps!
Kristin says
Hi there!
This looks stunning and I would love to make it for my family this Christmas. Do you have any tips/advice/experience making it gluten free?
Thanks!
Anthea says
Hi Kristin, thank you so much! I haven't tested a gluten-free version of this recipe but with my other recipes, I've had some luck with using half almond flour (blanched almond meal) and a gluten-free flour blend. It may be worth doing a small test to see if it works. Hope that helps!
Heather says
Hi there! I’m new to your site and so excited to make this cake! I have 3- 6 inch pans, how shall I adjust the baking time for this size?
Thanks in advance 💜✨
Anthea says
Hi Heather! It will take about 40 minutes to bake if you're using 3 x 6-inch pans. The pans have less exposed 'surface area', so they'll take much longer than the original. The cakes will also be slightly denser as they'll be baking slower. Alternatively, you make 4 x 6-inch layers (bake the cake in 2 lots), for around 30 minutes. The cake will be fluffier that way. I hope that helps!
Jolene says
I've been experimenting with this recipe and would add that the addition of the molasses is recommended if you want to make a cupcake that you want to eat "naked" and want the full complexity but that it's a bit lost in an iced cake which benefits from a lighter crumb (that comes without the molasses). Excellent recipe, thank you.
For future notes, I've had success using olive oil and make buttermilk (milk and vinegar resting) while assembling the dry ingredients.
Anthea says
I love that you've compared versions of this cake to see what is most enjoyable! Thanks so much for your insight and feedback Jolene, it's much appreciated :).
Tracey says
I made the version without molasses, 2 layers and did my own decorations with a ginger nut crumb. It was so nice. Light and tasty.
Anthea says
The ginger nut crumb sounds so delicious and glad that you enjoyed the non-molasses version! Thanks so much for your comment 🙂
Jasmine says
This cake was incredible! So delicious, moist and full of spice! I made it with the chocolate buttercream and decorated it with silver sugar balls and dried sugar orange pieces. Would definitely recommend it to others and make it again. Thank you Anthea 🥰
Anthea says
Your cake was so beautiful on Instagram! I'm so happy that you enjoyed the flavor of this cake. Thank you so much Jasmine x
Cath says
Absolutely adored this recipe. It was a very easy bake and tasted delicious. I added raspberries on top 🔝
Anthea says
Aw that makes me so happy to hear, thanks so much Cath! I love the addition of fruit too x
Andrea says
I made this by using 1/2 the recipe to equal 12 cupcakes and making a light glaze including orange zest. It worked perfectly!! I also just used regular dairy milk 😋 so good. I will use this recipe again
Isidora says
Wonderful and delicious recipe! I made them into cupcakes and I put tiny little gingerbread on top! It was a hit at the work party! None were left by the end. Made about 18 full cupcakes. Nobody new they were vegan haha. Someone even asked for the recipe. I call that a win-win. I would definitely bake them again!
Pola says
I love all your creative recipes ❤️Can I use a 1:1 gf flour substitute?
Anthea says
Thanks Pola! I haven't tested this recipe using gf flour however, readers have successfully made my other recipes using a 1:1 gf flour and I think it will work with this one. I hope that helps!
Anna says
I made this cake last week for a family gathering. Even my two vegan-skeptic uncles loved it and had seconds. So, thank you for the recipe! Like the other commenters, I was also really happy with how fluffy it turned out. Will be using this recipe as a "base" for other cakes now too
Anthea says
Now that's cool that your vegan-skeptic uncles loved this cake!! Isn't it the best when older relatives realise that vegan food *can* be delicious?! Thanks so so much for your feedback - truly made my day x
Sue-Anne says
Such a great recipe, I found it really well written and easy to follow and this cake is delicious! I made this for a Christmas lunch complete with the vegan gingerbread men and it was very popular. It has become a new family favourite!
Anthea says
Aw I'm sooo glad to hear! That's the best news :). Thanks soo much Sue-Anne xo
angela richards says
My daughter made this it was delicious. Thank you for creating such a delicious recipe.
Anthea says
I love it when younger family members make recipes :). Thanks so much for your feedback!
Isla says
Amazing cake. I made it for christmas and decorated with orange zest, cinnamon and some ikea gingerbread cookies. It looked amazing and tasted really really good.
Anthea says
That's amazing Isla! Orange zest and everything else sounds lovely too!
Zoë Slaw says
Made this as a 2 layer cake (used 2/3 of the required quantities and split over 2 tins) and this was absolutely delicious!! Super simple to make too!!! The frosting is so light and not too sweet as some buttercreams are and it perfectly balances the ginger!!
Anthea says
YAY! Glad it worked as a 2 layer cake and you enjoyed everything about it :).
Kaia says
Great recipe, turned out so well. I've found that a lot of vegan cakes are really thick and heavy, but this one was light and fluffy.
I'd suggest checking this at 30 minutes. My oven might be different, but I left it in for 40 minutes and the tops and bottoms had hardened.
Anthea says
So glad to hear Kaia and especially that you liked the texture of the cake. And good tip about checking the cake at 30 minutes! Thanks for your feedback 🙂
Sarah Lees says
I can not believe how light and fluffy this cake is, it literally melts in your mouth. I was initially nervous when I saw the tablespoon amounts of ginger etc, thinking it might be a little strong but it was ideal. I made this as a birthday celebration cake and had a lot of compliments. Thank you I look forward to trying other receipts.
Anthea says
Aw, I'm so glad to hear Sarah and especially that the ginger wasn't overpowering for you! Thanks so much for leaving your feedback!