Gretchen's Vegan Bakery

Winter Wonderland Gingerbread Cake

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I love winter time baking.

The flavors are so rich with layers upon layers of spice

Winter Wonderland Gingerbread Cake

My love of Gingerbread Cake has a lot to do with my love for winter

And chilly weather naturally calls for more calories!

Imagine this gingerbread cake with a big cup of vegan hot chocolate!

Winter Wonderland Gingerbread Cake

With a crisp gingerbread man cookie or tree to dunk along the way!

Well now you don’t have to imagine it

Because you can make it right now with ease!

This recipe is super moist and loaded with molasses as any respectable gingerbread cake should be!

Winter Wonderland Gingerbread Cake

 

Of course the gingerbread men and tree cookies  I used for decor are completely optional

But how else do you get a winter wonderland scene without a forest of gingerbread and chocolate trees?

Winter Wonderland Gingerbread Cake

I had so much fun with this one and I know you will too!

PS- this is another sneak peak recipe from my new book: Modern Vegan Baking now available on amazon!

Modern Vegan Baking Cookbook

Modern Vegan Baking

A perfect gift for the vegan pastry chef on your list this holidays!

CLICK HERE FOR THE YOUTUBE VIDEO TUTORIAL FOR HOW TO MAKE THIS CAKE!

Winter Wonderland Gingerbread Cake

For more awesome winter style cake recipe click the links below!

Vegan Fruitcake Recipe

White Chocolate Cranberry Cake

Pumpkin Velvet Cake with Pumpkin Spice Buttercream


5.0 from 3 reviews
Winter Wonderland Gingerbread Cake
 
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For this icing I added a bit of my aquafaba swiss meringue buttercream to it, but this is an optional step. If you prefer straight up cream cheese icing go for it!
Serves: serves 10 people
Ingredients
  • For the Gingerbread Cookie Dough
  • All Purpose Flour 3 cups (390g)
  • Baking Soda 1 teaspoon (5g)
  • Ground Cinnamon 1 teaspoon (2g)
  • Ground Ginger 1 teaspoon (2g)
  • Pumpkin Pie Spice ½ teaspoon (2g)
  • Salt ½ teaspoon (3g)
  • Black Pepper ¼ teaspoon
  • Vegan Butter ½ cup (113g)
  • Light Brown Sugar ½ cup packed (105g)
  • Molasses ⅔ cup (226g) (158ml)
  • Ground Flax Seeds 1 Tablespoon (8g)
  • Hot Water 2 Tablespoons
  • Vanilla Extract 1 teaspoon (5ml)
  • For the Gingerbread Cake:
  • Vegan Butter 1 stick (113g)
  • Light Brown sugar 1 cup (210g)
  • Ground Flax Seeds 1 Tablespoon (8g)
  • Warm Water 3 Tablespoons (45ml)
  • Hot water 1 cup (237ml) *approximately 140° F
  • Molasses 1¼ cup (425g) (300ml)
  • Baking Soda 1 teaspoon (5g)
  • Baking Powder 1 teaspoon (5g)
  • Salt ½ teaspoon (3g)
  • Ground Ginger 2 teaspoons (3.5g)
  • Ground Cloves ¼ teaspoon (.5g)
  • Ground Cinnamon 1½ teaspoon (3g)
  • All Purpose Flour 2 ½ cups (325g)
  • Natural Unsweetened Cocoa Powder 2 Tablespoons (12g)
  • For the Vegan Cream Cheese Icing:
  • Vegan Cream Cheese 2 Tubs (2cups) (454g)
  • Vegan Butter 1 stick (½ cup) (112g)
  • Confectioner's Sugar 2 cups (240g)
  • Vanilla Extract 1 teaspoon
  • Vegan Buttercream 1 cup *optional
Instructions
  1. For the gingerbread cookie dough:
  2. Combine ground flax seed with hot water and whisk smooth
  3. Let stand for at least 5 minutes to thicken to a paste
  4. Sift the flour with the baking soda and all of the spices and the salt and pepper, set aside.
  5. Cream the vegan butter with the brown sugar until light and fluffy about 4-5 minutes,
  6. Add the molasses to the creamed butter mixture and mix well, scrape the sides of the bowl and then add the flax paste and vanilla extract.
  7. Add the sifted flour mixture while blending on low speed, mix until it is all incorporated evenly.
  8. Turn out the entire dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap.
  9. Wrap the dough tightly and press into a disc.
  10. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight before rolling.
  11. Once out of the fridge you must re-roll this dough.
  12. Mash it all together and knead it back together, then RE-roll on a floured work surface until it is pliable.
  13. Cut your shapes, and place on a parchment lined sheet pan.
  14. Preheat the oven to 350° F, you will bake for approximately 12-18 minutes or until light golden brown. It is difficult to say how long exactly – as I do not know what shapes you are cutting or to what thickness you desire
  15. For the Cake Batter:
  16. Combine ground flax seed with hot water and whisk smooth
  17. Let stand for at least 5 minutes to thicken to a paste
  18. In the meantime, cream the softened vegan butter with the light brown sugar on medium -high speed until very light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
  19. Scrape bowl periodically to ensure even mixing
  20. Sift together all the dry ingredients from the baking powder to the cocoa powder and reserve.
  21. Add the molasses to the hot water and then add the baking soda to that. It will bubble up as the baking soda begins to activate. Stir to combine
  22. Add the flax paste to the creaming vegan butter and sugar mixture, and mix well.
  23. Add ⅓ of the dry ingredients, blend well
  24. Then add ½ of the molasses/water mixture slowly while mixing on low speed
  25. Stop and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl often
  26. Repeat the process with another ⅓ of the dry, the remaining liquids and then the last addition of dry ingredients
  27. Pour the batter into 2- 7" greased and parchment lined pans and bake immediately in preheated 350° F oven approximately 30 minutes or when they are springy to the touch when you gently press the centers.
  28. Cool the cake layers in the pan then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool the rest of the way while you prepare the cream cheese icing.
  29. For the Cream Cheese Icing:
  30. Smooth cream cheese and butter with a paddle attachment
  31. Add sifted confectioners sugar, blend on low just to combine
  32. Add extract then add optional vegan buttercream icing
  33. Mix smooth

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Lucie Loves To Bake

    Hello Gretchen! I have only just got round to baking this cake and oh my goodness its bloody amazing!!!!!!!! Its so moist and melt in your mouth too. I just made a dairy free vanilla frosting (was feeling lazy!) for the filling and it complimented it so well as the actual cake was rich. I also added a touch more ginger and cinnamon but I don’t think it needed it. I would love to offer this cake to customers that I create wedding cakes for, my only worry is because its so so moist I wonder if it could be cut up like a wedding cake is rather then triangles. I have experienced vegan cake structures improving in time so maybe I will see tomorrow, what are your thoughts? Thank you so much, its made my Christmas much more sweeter 😉 Love Lucie xx

    • Gretchen

      Thanks! Im so glad you loved it! Me too!!

      I think it will work just fine for a wedding! Knife dipped into hot water before slicing will help it out too!

      • Lucie Loves To Bake

        Thank you lovely!! My partner came home, enjoyed a slice and assumed it was ‘normal’ cake. He said it was very moist and so light too. I then reminded him it was vegan and was like ‘noooooo way!!’ haha. Thank you so much, going to add it to my vegan wedding cake flavour list, perfect for winter weddings as one of the tiers I think!! xxxx

  3. Lauren

    Hi Gretchen,
    Could I possibly adapt this recipe to fit 3 6inch cake tins? do you know of a way I can adjust the ingredient amounts?
    Thanks 🙂

  4. Mru

    Hi Gretchen,
    I baked this one..but it gave a uncooked doughy like feeling even it was completely baked…like u know it was sticking to my upper palate.. texture was fluffy but d cake was doughy when are.What can be the reason..I used same ingredients in d cake..
    Regards,
    Mru

  5. Mru

    Hi Gretchen,
    Also wanted to know if I could use honey in lace of molasses as I will be out of molasses very soon now.

    Regards,
    Mru

  6. Andrea

    I’m so grateful for your recipes Gretchen! I’ve made your gingerbread cake twice now for Christmas for family that has allergies to egg, dairy (and nuts) and it’s come out beautifully moist, and delicious. It’s really nice to have a source for vegan recipes that don’t taste or look like cardboard. I know when I make one of your recipes that I am going to be able to bring something safe for them but also worth eating, which is not easy to come by, so thank you for all your hard work in veganizing your recipes.