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!

Decorated 3-layered gingerbread cake with a slice lifted up revealing layers of cake and frosting.

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

Flat-lay of ingredients for gingerbread cake.

The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the 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! Readers have said it also works with Namaste gluten-free flour, but my team hasn’t tested it.

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 1/4 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.

Four image collage showing how to make gingerbread cake batter in one bowl.

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!

Two image collage showing cakes in cake tins before and after baking.

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
Fully decorated gingerbread cake with thin layer of frosting, topped with cookies, sugared cherries and rosemary.

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.

Gingerbread cake with slices taken out revealing large cross section of cake.

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 around 35-40 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.

Close up of one slice of gingerbread cake showing three fluffy layers of cake and buttercream.

Customizing this recipe

Can I make this cake without molasses?

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.

Can I add any other ingredients or flavors to this cake?

For a zesty cake, substitute 1/2 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.

Can I use another frosting?

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.

Vegan gingerbread cake made without molasses on serving board. Cake server is taking slice out showing layers.

More vegan gingerbread dessert recipes

Vegan Gingerbread Cookies

Vegan Gingerbread Donuts

Vegan Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls

Vegan Ginger Cake

Follow Rainbow Nourishments on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Pinterest, and subscribe via email to receive all of our latest recipes!

Decorated 3-layered gingerbread cake with a slice lifted up revealing layers of cake and frosting.
4.95 from 39 reviews

Vegan Gingerbread Cake

Yield: 18
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Author: Anthea
This vegan gingerbread cake is moist, fluffy, packed with warm spices, and has a hint of molasses. The cake comes together in one bowl using only common pantry ingredients. For make-ahead instructions, see note 1.
Print Leave a Review Pin Recipe

Ingredients

Dry ingredients

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

To decorate (optional)

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 3/4 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

  1. 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.
  2. 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. Readers have said this recipe also works with Namaste gluten-free flour, but my team and I haven’t tested it. Other gluten-free flour blends are made of different flours, and may have different results.
  3. If you’d like a spicier cake, use 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon, 3 tablespoons ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves.
  4. To make this cake without molasses, increase the brown sugar to 2 cups (380g) and increase the dairy-free milk to 1 3/4 cups (440g). All the other ingredients stay the same.
  5. 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 Information
Serving: 1 serve without frosting, Calories: 271kcal, Carbohydrates: 40g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 11g, Sodium: 136mg, Potassium: 196mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 20g, Vitamin A: 3IU, Vitamin C: 0.04mg, Calcium: 108mg, Iron: 2mg
Did you Make this Recipe?Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @rainbownourishments on Instagram and hashtag #rainbownourishments!

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.