Description
This Vegan Gingerbread Cake is a moist and spiced delight perfect for the holiday season or any gingerbread craving. Made without any dairy or eggs, it uses a blend of warming spices like ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mixed spice, combined with molasses and a fluffy dairy-free buttercream frosting. The cake layers are enriched with crumbled gingerbread biscuits and Biscoff cookie butter for extra texture and flavor, decorated with piped gingerbread men for a festive touch. It is a great plant-based dessert that everyone can enjoy.
Ingredients
Scale
Ingredients for the sponge
- 480ml dairy-free milk (soya milk works best)
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 420g self-raising flour
- 300g caster sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 120ml sunflower oil
- 1/2 tablespoon black strap molasses
Ingredients for the buttercream
- 530g dairy-free butter (e.g., Flora block butter)
- 500g icing sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Dairy-free milk (if needed)
- 4 heaped tablespoons Biscoff spread / cookie butter (melted)
- Ginger biscuits (for crumbling inside the cake layers and on top)
- Cocoa powder (for the buttercream gingerbread men decoration)
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pans: Preheat your oven to 180°C fan (350°F) and line three 8-inch loose base or push-up cake tins with greaseproof paper. If you only have one or two tins, bake the cakes separately, covering unused batter with a damp tea towel until ready.
- Create Vegan Buttermilk: In a bowl, combine dairy-free milk and apple cider vinegar, whisk until fully mixed, then set aside for 10 minutes to curdle, creating a vegan ‘buttermilk’.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, sift together self-raising flour, caster sugar, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, mixed spice, baking powder, and bicarbonate of soda. Mix well to combine evenly.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: Add sunflower oil and black strap molasses to your vegan buttermilk and whisk until thoroughly combined.
- Make Batter: Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until smooth and well incorporated.
- Pour Batter into Pans: Evenly divide the batter into the lined cake tins, tapping them gently on the work surface to release any air bubbles.
- Bake Cakes: Place the tins in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. They are done when a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean and the cakes feel springy to touch.
- Cool Cakes: Remove cakes from the oven and place them on a cooling rack. Allow to cool slightly before removing from tins, then cool completely. Store in a sealed container if frosting will be applied later.
- Prepare Buttercream: In a large mixing bowl, whip dairy-free butter using a stand or hand mixer until creamy. Sift in icing sugar, ground ginger, and cinnamon, then whip on high speed for five minutes until light, smooth, and airy. Adjust consistency with dairy-free milk (if too thick) or more icing sugar (if too soft).
- Create Piping Frostings: Transfer 2 tablespoons of white buttercream into a small piping bag with a tiny cut tip for detail work. Take 1/4 of the buttercream into a separate bowl, gradually add cocoa powder until it reaches a light brown gingerbread color, then pipe into a medium round tip bag.
- Assemble Cake Layers: Place the first cake layer onto a serving plate or stand. Spread an even layer of white buttercream on top using a spatula. Optional: create a well in the frosting, fill with 2 tablespoons melted Biscoff spread and crushed gingerbread biscuits.
- Stack Remaining Layers and Crumb Coat: Add the second layer, gently press to adhere, then the third layer. Coat the entire cake with a thin crumb coat of frosting to trap crumbs.
- Chill Cake: Refrigerate the crumb-coated cake for 15-20 minutes to firm the frosting, preparing for the final coat.
- Final Frosting Layer: Remove from fridge and apply a thicker, smooth second coat. Use a cake scraper to smooth the edges neatly.
- Decorate: Pipe a swirl of white buttercream around the top edge of the cake with a star tip. Pipe gingerbread men shapes all around the sides using the brown cocoa buttercream, adding white icing details. Crumble some gingerbread biscuits onto the top of the cake for texture and decoration.
- Serve: Slice and enjoy your festive vegan gingerbread cake!
Notes
- Store the cake in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Best consumed within 3 days for optimal freshness.
- Before serving, remove the cake from the fridge and let it reach room temperature for about 15 minutes for the best texture and flavor.
- Un-iced cakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (approx. 1/12 of the cake)
- Calories: 420 kcal
- Sugar: 32 g
- Sodium: 210 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 52 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
