This is a wonderfully rich and moist gingerbread cake - dark from a full cup of molasses and full of flavor. This cake screams HOLIDAYS and it is our Christmas morning tradition. I make it first thing in the morning (see note below for more detail) and we eat it after opening gifts. It's wonderful with coffee or ginger tea.
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Gluten-Free & Vegan Gingerbread Cake
Adapted from the Gingerbread Snacking Cake on smittenkitchen.com.
Notes: Taste your molasses before using it - it should be deep and rich but also good, not bitter or harsh. Because there's a full cup, it can make or break the cake.
Everything in this cake happens quite quickly, so it's helpful to have your dry ingredients whisked together and your wet ingredients measured out beforehand. Because I make this on Christmas morning, I prepare my dry ingredients in a bowl the night before. Then I set out the baking soda, molasses and coconut sugar before I go to bed, along with the pan, so in the morning all I have to do in terms of preparation is peel and grate the ginger and make the chia seed slurry.
Also, the original recipe calls for lining the bottom of the baking dish with parchment paper so you can easily cool the cake on a wire rack. I skip this and simply let the cake cool in the pan and then slice and serve straight from there. Butt if you'd like to cool on a rack, I suggest using the parchment as it's hard to turn the entire cake out without it.
Recipe updated 1/1/2023
Dry Ingredients:
170 grams teff flour
75 grams amaranth flour, plus more for dusting pan
105 grams arrowroot powder
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
Wet Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup coconut oil, plus more for greasing pan
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 cup unsulfured blackstrap molasses
1/2 - 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (gently placed onto the spoon, not tightly packed)
2 teaspoons ground chia seeds whisked with 6 tablespoons very hot water, prepared just before adding to the batter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease the bottom and sides of a 9x13 inch baking dish with coconut oil, then dust with amaranth flour.
Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk together well.
In a large saucepan (I recommend at least 3 quart), bring the water to a gentle boil, add the baking soda (this will delightfully remind you of a grade school science experiment), remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Next, whisk in the coconut oil until melted, then add the coconut sugar, molasses and fresh ginger and mix well. Finally, prepare the ground chia seed / hot water mixture (I whisk it with a fork - it should be the consistency of beaten eggs as this is your egg substitute), making sure that there aren't any large chia clumps in it. Add the chia mixture to the saucepan and stir everything together so that it's homogenous and smooth.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk until just combined. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Place pan on cooling rack. When cooled (or at least mostly cooled), sliced and enjoy!
Serve on its own, or with a dollop of whipped cream or whipped coconut cream. My kids insist on homemade whipped cream, and because I make this on Christmas, I always oblige.
Enjoy and happy holidays however you celebrate!!
