This vegan gingerbread loaf recipe is the perfect treat this holiday season. It has that classic gingerbread flavor in a delicious, moist loaf.
Do you love a spicy cake with sweet molasses? If you do, check out this gingerbread loaf.
This sweet bread screams Christmas to me- so much so that when I made it out of season, it just felt wrong eating it.
Do you have any foods that you only eat at Christmas time, and it just feels weird any other time you eat them?
We always have monkey bread for Christmas morning, and my mother-in-law made it in October. Although absolutely delicious, it felt weird.
Anyway, back to the gingerbread. Let's talk about the frosting-
This gingerbread cake can have a couple of different frostings or glazes to go on top of it.
You can use the standard glaze that comes with this recipe, or it would also taste delicious with a vegan cream cheese frosting.
But I recommend that you make a frosting for it; it isn't a super sweet cake with all those spices, so the frosting is a must.
I've never tried the Starbucks version, but everyone who had a slice enjoyed it.
Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Recipe Q&A
What's the difference between gingerbread and ginger cake?
Gingerbread is more of a spicey cake with gingerbread flavors like; molasses, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice, and a ginger cake is just flavored with ginger.
The ginger cake also doesn't typically have molasses, making it a lighter color.
Can I add nuts?
If you love chopped nuts in your gingerbread loaf, feel free to add them to the batter or the top.
Can I make this gingerbread gluten-free?
Yes, if you want to make this gluten-free, use an all purpose gluten-free flour in a 1:1 ratio.
Can I make gingerbread without molasses?
This specific recipe calls for a lot of molasses, so it can't be substituted.
However, some people use a mixture of maple syrup and corn syrup to get that molasses feel. Still, molasses has a specific spicy flavor, making this a great recipe.
Can I make gingerbread without the frosting?
You can, but I wouldn't with this specific recipe. It needs the extra sweetness the frosting brings.
What ingredients do you need for a vegan ginger loaf cake?
Check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full instructions.
- non dairy milk (almond milk, soy milk, oat milk, whichever you like)
- white vinegar (or apple cider vinegar if that's all you have)
- vanilla extract
- regular molasses *Not blackstrap molasses
- vegan butter
- apple sauce
- oil
- cloves
- allspice
- ground cinnamon
- ground ginger
- salt
- baking soda
- all purpose flour
- brown sugar
Glaze/ frosting
- powdered sugar
- vanilla extract
- non dairy milk
How do you make the best vegan gingerbread loaf cake?
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees, grease a loaf pan, and set aside.
Get a large liquid measuring cup, add 1 cup of vegan milk, and add 1 TB of vinegar, stir, and set aside.
Take a large bowl and add the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and all the spices; whisk until combined well.
Add the remaining wet ingredients, applesauce, vanilla, molasses, vegan butter, and oil to the vegan milk/vinegar mixture and stir.
Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until well combined, but don't over-mix. Pour this loaf cake batter into your prepared loaf pan and bake in the preheated oven for 50-55 minutes until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
This will continue cooking in its pan, so don't overbake it. Let it remain in the pan for about 10 minutes, then remove it to a cooling rack (wire rack) carefully to let the cake cool.
The baking time will vary based on the size of the baking pan.
Once the loaf is cooled, you can make the frosting.
Take a small bowl and combine the frosting ingredients and stir with a fork until combined if it's too thin or too thick, add more powdered sugar or non-dairy milk.
Now you can cover the top of the cake with the frosting, letting it drip down the sides.
How do you serve this vegan gingerbread cake recipe?
This is best served at room temperature.
How do you store this vegan gingerbread recipe?
The gingerbread needs to be stored in an airtight container on the counter or fridge for up to 5 days.
I prefer the flavor at room temperature versus cold.
Can you freeze quick breads?
Yes, most quick bread freezes well.
Make sure the bread is at room temperature before placing it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
You can keep the bread whole or sliced.
Let the bread come to room temperature on the counter before serving.
Want some other vegan gingerbread recipes?
Want some more vegan sweet bread recipes?
Vegan Gingerbread Loaf
Ingredients
- 1 cup non dairy milk
- 1 TB vinegar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 TB applesauce
- ¾ cup molasses
- 4 TB vegan butter melted
- 4 TB oil
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ¼ teaspoon all spice
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 TB ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup brown sugar
Glaze/ frosting
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar or more as needed
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 TB non dairy milk more or less as needed
Instructions
- Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees, grease a loaf pan, and set aside.
- Get a large liquid measuring cup, add 1 cup of vegan milk, and add 1 TB of vinegar, stir, and set aside.
- Take a large mixing bowl and add the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and all the spices; whisk until combined well.
- Add the remaining liquid ingredients, applesauce, vanilla, molasses, vegan butter, and oil, to the vegan milk/vinegar mixture and stir.
- Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until well combined, but don't over-mix. Pour this mixture into your prepared loaf pan and bake in the preheated oven for 50-55 minutes until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. This will continue cooking in its pan, so don't overbake it. Let it remain in the pan for about 10 minutes, then remove it to a cooling rack carefully to finish cooling.
- Once the loaf is cooled, you can make the frosting. Take a small bowl and combine the frosting ingredients and stir with a fork until combined if it's too thin or too thick, add more powdered sugar or non-dairy milk. Now you can cover the loaf with the frosting, letting it drip down the sides.
Notes
Nutrition
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