Simple Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Cake

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This sweet and simple vegan gingerbread loaf cake is so easy to make, moist, soft, fluffy, and flavourful with fresh ginger, molasses, and cosy and warm spices. It’s extra decadent with smooth and creamy vegan vanilla buttercream frosting. Perfect for any festive occasion like Christmas!

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Gingerbread loaf was something I discovered while I was in London, I instantly fell in love with the lovely aroma of spices and the fluffy yet moist texture. I made it for several occasions back then but this is the vegan version of my gingerbread loaf cake, and it turned out amazingly! No one can tell that this is made entirely with plant-based ingredients, it’s so delicious and a nice and comforting treat to have over Christmas. 

This recipe is super easy and can be made in just one bowl. One of the best holiday recipes you’ll love sharing with your loved ones! 

Main ingredients and substitutions

*Use room temperature ingredients unless otherwise instructed. Always sift flour and other powdery ingredients.

Plain flour: I used plain flour as the base of this recipe. If you want to make this loaf gluten-free, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend such as King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill. 

Brown sugar: You can also use other sugars like caster sugar, granulated sugar, etc. If you want to make it refined sugar-free, use coconut sugar or date sugar. 

Molasses: I used molasses from Wholesome Sweeteners, it’s so far the best molasses I’ve tasted! Molasses is also a great source of iron and calcium. I like drizzling some on my porridge to flavour and boost nutrition.

Applesauce: I used my homemade applesauce recipe for this gingerbread recipe. You can use store-bought applesauce too or other mashed fruits such as mashed banana or pear.

Vegan butter: I love vegan butter from Naturli. But you can use other vegan butter like Earth Balance too. If you can’t find vegan butter, vegetable oil may work in place but the texture will be probably oilier.

Soy milk: I like using soy milk in my recipes since it makes the best vegan buttermilk but you can use other plant milk as well such as almond, oat, rice, etc.

Fresh ginger: I grated a thumb of ginger to add to the batter. It adds a nice ginger flavour to the loaf cake.

Spices: I used cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and clove powder.

Cornflour: You can substitute cornflour for arrowroot flour, tapioca flour, or potato flour if you want.

Apple cider vinegar: Apple cider vinegar can be replaced with lemon juice.

Other ingredients: baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

*I use bone char-free sugars for all of my recipes. I cover the topic in my article Vegan Baking 101. Go to the “Is sugar vegan?” section to learn more!

Recommended equipment for this recipe

Loaf tin: I used a 2lb loaf tin for this recipe. A 1.5lb tin will probably be ok to hold the loaf without overflowing, but cannot be guaranteed.

Grater: A grater is used to grate fresh ginger. A lemon grater work perfectly here, it’s what I used.

Mixing bowl: Use a large mixing bowl to mix ingredients from the start so that you only use 1 bowl. The less dishes later the better!

*The ingredient list and measurement for this recipe can be found in the recipe card at the bottom.

How to make vegan gingerbread loaf cake

Step 1: Mix the wet ingredients and sugar

Preheat the oven to 180°C(350°F). First thing first, let’s make vegan buttermilk! In a bowl, mix the soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside until it thickens.

While the vegan buttermilk is curdling, let’s mix other ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, add the melted vegan butter and brown sugar and whisk until they are fully combined. Add the molasses, applesauce, grated ginger, and vegan buttermilk and whisk until well combined. 

Step 2: Make the batter and bake

Once the wet mixture is all combined, add the flour, cornflour, ginger powder, cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder, clove powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix until just combined with a large wooden spoon or a silicone spatula. Do not over-mix here! Overmixing will lead to a tough and rubbery texture in the gingerbread loaf. 

Pour the batter into a loaf tin and bake for 50 mins until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. It’s ok to have a moist crumb on the toothpick, it’s perfect! If it comes out with wet uncooked batter though, bake for another 5-10 mins and do the toothpick test again.

Take the loaf out of the oven and cool it down to room temperature until it’s not too hot to touch. Take the loaf out of the tin and transfer it onto a cooling rack and cool it completely. While it’s on the cooling rack, let’s make the vegan vanilla buttercream frosting!

Step 3: Make the vanilla buttercream frosting and assemble

With a stand mixer with a balloon attachment or a hand mixer with a large bowl, beat the vegan butter until it’s creamy and paler in colour for about 2-3 mins. Add the icing sugar and beat again scraping the side as needed, about 2-3 mins. Add the soy cream and vanilla and beat further for about 2-3 mins until the buttercream is smooth, creamy and fluffy. 

Once the loaf is completely cooled down, spread the vanilla buttercream on top and sprinkle some sugar sprinkles on top.  Slice and enjoy!

Serving tips and ideas

• Serve with a cup of tea or coffee for an afternoon snack or dessert after dinner.
• If you want to make it extra decadent, top a slice with a spoonful of vegan whipped cream!

Expert tips and tricks

Use room temperature ingredients

I used melted vegan butter for this recipe so make sure to use all room-temperature ingredients, especially soy milk. Cold soy milk can solidify the butter and can spoil the texture of the loaf.

No over mixing

It’s tempting to mix the batter very well until it’s silky smooth but stop when the wet and dry mixtures are just combined. Over-mixing will cause a tough, rubbery, and dense texture which you don‘t want to get in this gingerbread loaf recipe!

Use a digital scale to weigh ingredients

Always use a digital scale rather than measuring cups when you are baking. It’s so much more accurate and measuring correctly is very important to achieve the best result.

Recipe variations

• Use my caramel buttercream frosting to make caramel gingerbread loaf cake!
• If you don’t want buttercream frosting, simple dust of icing sugar will add a subtle sweetness to the loaf cake.
• Or you can drizzle some maple syrup or sugar syrup instead of buttercream frosting too!

How to store

• Refrigerating: The loaf can be stored in the fridge for up to 2-3 days in an airtight container. You can put the loaf sliced or unsliced. The loaf and buttercream frosting will become hard in the fridge so let it sit at room temperature until they are soft again when serving. You can store the loaf and buttercream frosting separately in the fridge too!

• Freezing:  You can store the gingerbread loaf in the freezer too. Slice the loaf first and wrap each slice with clingfilm or place them in a freezer-friendly airtight container then store in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. When serving, thaw it in the fridge overnight and/or let it sit at room temperature until it’s soft again.

*Although you can store this recipe in the fridge or freezer, it’s always best to consume it fresh and as soon as possible.

Q and A

Can I make muffins with this recipe?

I haven’t tried making muffins or cupcakes with this recipe but I imagine it would work! The batter will probably make 9 muffins or 10-12 cupcakes. If making cupcakes, double the amount of vanilla buttercream frosting.

Why did my gingerbread loaf sink in the middle?

If your gingerbread loaf sank in the middle, it could be that you measured the ingredients inaccurately or added too much baking powder or baking soda. 

Inaccurate measurement is one of the common root causes of baking failures. If you used measuring cups, try using a digital scale instead.

Adding too much leavening agents in the batter can cause sinking in loaves and cakes too. This happens when the loaf rises too rapidly in the oven before it’s fully cooked, creating a big hole in the middle. And when you take it out of the oven, it can’t hold its shape because of the huge hole in the middle which causes the top to sink into the hole. Hence making the loaf sink in the middle.

So if you think you added more leavening agents to the batter than it needs, try adding the correct amount stated in the recipe card below. If you followed the recipe exactly and it still happened, your leavening agents(baking powder or baking soda) might be stronger than the ones I use. In this case, use slightly less amount and see if it helps.

Want to master the basics of vegan baking?
Check out Vegan Baking 101 – the beginner’s guide to vegan baking for you to become an excellent vegan baker and familiar with the basics of vegan baking, ingredients, and techniques with useful tips!

You will LOVE this vegan gingerbread loaf cake because it is:

• soft and moist
• fluffy
• full of cosy spices
• perfect with vanilla buttercream
• lovely Christmas cake

Want more recipes like this?

Try my other delicious cake and dessert recipes you might enjoy!

• Ginger cake
• Apple crumble cake
• Banoffee pie
• Brownie cake

Visit the cakes and cupcakes page and recipe page for more delicious recipes!

Please leave a comment and rate this recipe with 5 stars in the comment section below if you like the recipe! Let me know and tag me @thechestnutbakery on Instagram too. Thank you for making my recipe, friends!

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