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Home » Recipes » Baking & Desserts

Gluten-Free Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Cake

Last updated - July 11, 2021; Published - December 17, 2019 By Rhian Williams 18 Comments

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A collage of two Gluten-Free Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Cake photos

This Gluten-Free Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Cake is warmly spiced, fragrant, and covered in a rich, tangy "cream cheese" frosting. It's moist, fluffy and perfectly sweet. It's easily customisable, comes together in one bowl and is refined sugar free too. The perfect festive sweet treat for Christmas!

Sliced gluten-free vegan gingerbread loaf cake topped with white frosting and dried cranberries

Why does this cake contain yogurt?

I was a bit worried that this gingerbread cake might come out too dry, but I managed to combat this issue by using plant-based yogurt in place of plant-based milk. The yogurt keeps the cake super moist whilst creating a beautifully dense crumb.

How to make the cake

Scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.

  • Mix together the ingredients for the cake in a glass mixing bowl.

Tip: Use the finest side of a box grater to grate the ginger.

Raw gluten-free vegan gingerbread loaf cake batter in a bowl
  • Transfer the cake batter into a one-pound loaf tin.

Tip: Make sure to line the loaf tin with greased baking paper - this will make removing the cake from the tin so much easier!

Raw gluten-free vegan gingerbread loaf cake batter in a loaf tin lined with baking paper
  • Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.
A gluten-free vegan gingerbread loaf cake in a loaf tin lined with baking paper

Tip: Transfer to a cooling rack to cool down before applying the frosting.

A gluten-free vegan gingerbread loaf cake on a wire rack

How to make the frosting

  • Place the ingredients for the frosting in a food processor or blender.
Cashew nuts, maple syrup and lemon juice in a food processor
  • Whizz until completely smooth, adding some plant-based milk or water to thin out if necessary.
Vegan cream cheese frosting in a food processor
  • Use a knife (or palette knife for frosting) to spread the frosting over the top of the loaf.
A gluten-free vegan gingerbread loaf cake with vegan cream cheese frosting spread on top

How to decorate

I like to decorate this with chopped dried cranberries, which add festive colour as well as a nice tart-sweet flavour, but you can use anything you want!

A gluten-free vegan gingerbread loaf cake with vegan cream cheese frosting and dried cranberries on top

How long does this Gingerbread Loaf Cake keep for?

This Gingerbread Loaf Cake does taste best when fresh, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.

Substitutions you can make

  • You can use any type of oil: coconut oil, olive oil or vegetable oil.
  • You can use any type of plant-based yogurt: almond, soy, cashew or coconut yogurt all work well.
  • If you can't find plant-based yogurt, you can replace it with any type of plant-based milk, or use an equivalent amount of blended up silken tofu.
  • You can replace the date syrup with maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc.
  • You can replace the ground almonds (almond meal) with ground walnuts.
  • For a nut-free version: replace the ground walnuts with ground sunflower seeds.
  • You can use plain flour, wholemeal (whole wheat) flour or spelt flour instead of the gluten-free flour if you’re not gluten-free.

Tips for baking with ginger

  • Freshly grated ginger can be quite strong, so if making this for children or for people who don't like ginger, you might want to use a little less than the amount listed in the recipe.
  • If you can't use freshly grated ginger, you can substitute around 1 tablespoon ground ginger - the flavour is better with freshly grated ginger though!
A gluten-free vegan gingerbread loaf cake topped with white frosting and dried cranberries with two slices next to it

More vegan Christmas recipes

  • Strawberry Trifle
  • Gingerbread Cake
  • Wellington
  • Yule Log
  • Christmas Pudding
  • Sugar Cookies
  • Gingerbread Cookies
  • Christmas Burger
  • Peppermint Brownies
  • Orange Bread
  • Gingerbread Cookie Bars

If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

Watch how to make this recipe

Sliced gluten-free vegan gingerbread loaf cake topped with white frosting and dried cranberries

Gluten-Free Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Cake

This Gluten-Free Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Cake is perfectly spiced, fragrant, and covered in a rich "cream cheese" frosting. It's the perfect festive sweet treat for Christmas!
4.18 from 17 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: gluten-free gingerbread cake, vegan gingerbread cake
Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes
Servings: 12 slices
Calories: 294kcal
Author: Rhian Williams

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 60 g (¼ cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
  • 200 ml (⅘ cup) unsweetened plant-based yogurt (I used coconut yogurt but you can use any other plant-based milk) *
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
  • 12 tablespoons date syrup (or sub maple syrup or any other sweetener)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch salt
  • 3 tablespoons fresh grated ginger **
  • 150 g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds (almond meal) ***
  • 150 g (1 ¼ cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
  • 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
  • ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
  • 2 teaspoons mixed spice (or a mixture of nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon)

For the frosting:

  • 100 g (⅔ cup) raw cashew nuts soaked in cold water overnight or in hot water for 15 minutes
  • 6 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice

To decorate (optional):

  • Dried cranberries , roughly chopped

Instructions

For the cake:

  • Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
  • Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if not using any other oil).
  • Once melted, add the yogurt to the same bowl along with the vinegar, date syrup, vanilla, salt, ginger and ground almonds.
  • Sift in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and mixed spice.
  • Transfer the mixture into a loaf tin lined with greased baking paper - I used a one-pound loaf tin.
  • Bake in oven for around 40 minutes until risen slightly and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
  • Once out the oven, transfer the cake from the baking tin onto a wired rack to leave it to cool completely before applying the frosting.

For the frosting:

  • Drain the soaked cashews and add to a food processor or blender with the maple syrup and lemon juice.
  • Whizz until completely smooth, adding some plant-based milk or water to thin out if necessary.

To frost and decorate the cake:

  • Use a knife (or palette knife) to spread frosting over the top of the loaf.
  • Decorate with chopped dried cranberries, if desired.
  • Tastes best when fresh, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.

Video

Notes

*
*You can use any type of plant-based yogurt: almond, soy, cashew or coconut yogurt all work well. If you can't find plant-based yogurt, you can replace it with any type of plant-based milk, or use an equivalent amount of blended up silken tofu.
**Freshly grated ginger can be quite strong, so if making this for children or for people who don't like ginger, you might want to use a little less. If you can't use freshly grated ginger, you can substitute around 1 tablespoon ground ginger instead - the flavour is better with freshly grated ginger though!
***You can alternatively use almond flour.
Nutrition Facts
Gluten-Free Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Cake
Amount Per Serving
Calories 294 Calories from Fat 144
% Daily Value*
Fat 16g25%
Saturated Fat 5g25%
Sodium 30mg1%
Potassium 143mg4%
Carbohydrates 36g12%
Fiber 3g12%
Sugar 20g22%
Protein 6g12%
Vitamin C 4mg5%
Calcium 101mg10%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Made the recipe?Tag @rhiansrecipes on instagram and use the hashtag #rhiansrecipes!

Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Maria

    January 22, 2020 at 12:56 pm

    5 stars
    I absolutely loved this cake. I used agave syrup and I didn't make the topping (didn't have any cashews) and it tasted amazing. I thought 3tablespoons of fresh ginger would be too much but it's just right. I love ginger. Well done Rhian!

    Reply
    • Rhian Williams

      January 22, 2020 at 3:08 pm

      Thank you so much, so glad you liked it!!

  2. Rosie

    September 01, 2020 at 1:41 am

    Hello Rhian,

    This is the first ginger cake recipe I've found that uses fresh ginger!

    Thank you!

    Also read your about page, you seem like a lovely person. All the very best to you! <3

    Reply
    • Rhian Williams

      September 01, 2020 at 1:58 pm

      Thank you so much for your kind words!!

  3. Janelle Ivory Cua

    March 01, 2021 at 7:50 am

    What can be substituted for the gluten free flour blend? Can I substitute oat flour directly?

    Reply
    • Rhian Williams

      March 01, 2021 at 7:30 pm

      Yes you can, but the texture will be slightly different!

  4. Janet Lord

    December 18, 2022 at 4:08 pm

    I love ginger and this sounds wonderful however I have a family member with nut allergies and was wondering if there would be a substitute for the almond meal? I won’t do the topping

    Reply
    • Rhian Williams

      December 19, 2022 at 5:32 am

      Thank you! You can replace the almond meal with ground sunflower seeds!

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A collage of two Gluten-Free Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Cake photos
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Hi, I’m Rhian! I make easy, undetectably vegan + gluten-free recipes, including healthy comfort food and naturally sweetened desserts using plant-based ingredients.

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