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5 from 2 votes

Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Cake

This is the BEST vegan gingerbread loaf cake you’ll try! This vegan loaf cake is made with molasses and warm spices,  topped with a simple cinnamon-sugar drizzle. This easy cake comes together with pantry ingredients and is a holiday must make! Egg and dairy-free.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Christmas cake, gingerbread, loaf cake, vegan
Servings: 1 9x5 loaf
Calories: 2052kcal
Author: Lora

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 ½ tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp cardamom
  • ¼ tsp allspice
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg I used freshly grated for optimal flavor
  • ½ cup unsweetened applesauce room temperature
  • cup coconut sugar
  • ½ cup molasses not Blackstrap
  • 1 cup dairy-free milk room temperature (I used unsweetened almond milk)
  • Glaze Optional
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons liquid of choice water, plant-based milk, cranberry juice, orange juice
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon or to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°. Place a rack in the center of the oven. Prep a 9 x 5 loaf pan by greasing with coconut oil (or whatever oil you like) or line with parchment paper and spray with baking spray (or use margarine, and flour the parchment paper) and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, sea salt, and spices.
  • In another bowl, add the sugar, applesauce, molasses, and dairy-free milk. Stir together to combine well.
  • Start adding the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients in 3 parts, stirring side and bottom of bowl, using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, with each addition to combine.
  • Stir until there are no clumps of dry ingredients visible; careful not to overmix.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
  • Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the toothpick comes out clean.
  • Add the cake batter to the prepared loaf pan and bake for 40-50 mins. After 40 minutes, check the cake is ready by toothpick into it, which should come out clean. If the toothpick has lots of sticky cake residue on it, bake for another 5-10 minutes, as needed.
  • Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack to cool completely.
  • Meanwhile, prepare the cinnamon sugar glaze (glaze is optional).
  • To make the glaze: In a small mixing bowl, add 1 tablespoon of dairy free milk (or whatever liquid you're using) at a time to the powdered sugar. Stir until a cohesive glaze forms. If the glaze is too thin: add more powdered sugar, one tablespoon at a time. If it’s too thick, add more dairy-free milk (or whatever liquid you’re using) 1 teaspoon at a time.
  • Remove from oven and let cool completely before drizzling with glaze. Enjoy!

Notes

This easy sticky ginger cake could be made all in one bowl, but I like to whisk the dry ingredients and stir the wet ingredients in another bowl and then combine the two together.
Additions
Raisins: Juicy raisins or sultanas make a sweet addition to this loaf.
Dried cranberries: You can also add some dried cranberries (or fresh, if you have any on hand) to the gingerbread cake batter for gorgeous holiday color.

Nutrition

Calories: 2052kcal | Carbohydrates: 466g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2134mg | Potassium: 3225mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 262g | Vitamin A: 976IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 1231mg | Iron: 23mg