Vegan Gingerbread Cake

Slice of finished gingerbread cake on a white plate

This Vegan Gingerbread Cake is the perfect dessert for your holiday. A sweet and spicy cake filled with flavor and dusted with powdered sugar.

4.85 from 26 votes

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Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Servings: people

Calories: 373kcal

Author: Sarah McMinn

Ingredients

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon cloves
½ cup vegan butter
1 ½ cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup molasses
½ cup apple sauce
1 cup soy milk, or non-dairy milk of choice
powdered sugar, for dusting

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 10” bundt pan and set aside.
In a medium bowl mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.
Using a stand-up mixer, with the paddle attachment, cream together brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides as necessary. Add molasses and beat until combined, again scraping down the side of the bowl as needed. Add applesauce and beat again until well combined. The cake batter may look a little curdled at this point. That's okay! It will sort itself out once the rest of the ingredients are added.
Alternating between wet and dry, add the soy milk and flour mixture in three batches. Scrape down the sides in between. Mix until just combined. Be careful not to over mix.
Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and smooth the top. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle, comes out clean. Let cake cool about 15 minutes then flip out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Notes

Serving and Storing - Let the cake cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar. Otherwise, the powdered sugar will melt into the cake. Serve with homemade eggnog, Christmas cookies, or homemade hot chocolate. Tightly wrap the leftover cake and store it at room temperature. You can also freeze this cake for up to 2 months. Take it out the day before to let it thaw.

Recipe Tips

Don't overmix your batter. By alternating the dries and wets into the batter, we are ensuring the batter does not get over-mixed and gummy.
Generously spray your bundt pan. You do not want any of this delicious cake sticking to its edges.
If the cake starts to get dark around the edges, you can cover it with tin foil to bake the last 10 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can this recipe be made in advance? Yes! This vegan bundt cake makes the perfect holiday gifts and can be made in advance. To do this, bake according to the instructions. Once the cake is cool, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer. These cakes can be frozen for up to 2 months. When ready to gift or serve, let thaw at room temperature for 3-4 hours.
Can this cake be baked in normal cake pans? Yes! If you don't have a bundt cake pan, you can bake this into two 9x5 (or similarly sized) loaf pans or make a sheet cake by filling a baking sheet ¾ of the way full. Sheet cakes should cook in 20-25 minutes.
Can this recipe be gluten-free? Yes. I have had a lot of luck with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. That is the only gluten-free flour I’ve tried for this cake but I’m sure other 1:1 ratio flours would work as well.

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