Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cake
This gluten-free gingerbread cake is a soft, spiced Christmas loaf made with a gluten-free flour mix, warm gingerbread spices, cocoa and a touch of honey or maple syrup. It comes together in one bowl, needs no eggs and no dairy, and goes into a cold oven so it rises slowly into a tender, fragrant crumb. If you want a fuss-free holiday bake that fills the kitchen with the smell of cinnamon, cloves and ginger, this is the one to start with.
I never imagined I would love gluten-free baking so much! Ever since I began holding gluten-free baking classes in Bucharest, with the help of Schar Romania, I started baking a lot. I decided to post this gluten-free gingerbread cake recipe first because we had a small incident during the cooking class. I didn’t have total access to the restaurant kitchen’s oven, and I don’t speak Italian either (the chef being Italian), so he not only preheated the oven but also set the temperature to somewhere between 50C and 100C! After 20 minutes I went to check if the cake was rising properly, and that is when I noticed the temperature was not right. I tried to fix the situation, but the cake didn’t turn out exactly as it was supposed to. Lesson learned, and now you get the version that actually works at home.
The ingredients that make this gingerbread cake work
The base is 280 g of gluten-free flour. I used Mix C Patisserie by Schar, which is built for cakes and pastries, but if you are not gluten intolerant you can swap in the same weight of regular flour. The cocoa powder deepens the color and rounds out the spice, while baking powder is the only leavener here, so make sure yours is fresh. For liquid I used soy milk, though any plant milk you have on hand will work. Three tablespoons of olive oil keep the crumb moist without any butter.
For sweetening I used both sugar and honey. You can use maple syrup in the same quantity instead of honey, which is what I would reach for to keep it fully plant-based. I rarely eat sugary stuff, so once or twice a year I allow myself a treat like this. Because you liked my gingerbread spice mix so much at the class, I wrote out the full blend in the recipe card: cinnamon, anise, cloves, cardamom, ginger and nutmeg, with a little brown sugar to carry it all.
Why the cold-oven start matters
This recipe asks you to put the cake into a cold oven and then set it to 170C, rather than preheating first. The slow warm-up gives the baking powder more time to generate gas before the structure sets, which helps a dense, spiced batter like this one rise more evenly and stay tender. My oven mishap at the class taught me the flip side of this: if the temperature is too low and never climbs, the cake simply will not set, so a working oven with a reliable thermostat is key. Bake for about 35 minutes and test with a toothpick in the center — it should come out clean or with a few dry crumbs, not wet batter.
Tips for getting it right
Sieve the flour, cocoa and baking powder together so the spices distribute evenly and you avoid lumps. Mix your milk with the honey or maple syrup and the oil first, then pour the wet ingredients over the dry ones and stir just until combined; overmixing a gluten-free batter can make it gummy. Grease your tin well — I used a rectangular jena tray about 45×15 cm, which gives a lower, loaf-style cake, so if you use a smaller or deeper tin keep an eye on the bake time. Let the cake cool a little before slicing, as gluten-free crumbs are more fragile while warm.
How to serve and store it
Serve this gingerbread cake with melted chocolate drizzled over the top, or simply dust it with powdered sugar for a more old-fashioned look. It keeps well for a few days in an airtight container at room temperature, and the spices actually deepen on the second day. You can also bake it a day ahead, which makes it handy for a busy holiday table. If you want to build a whole gluten-free dessert spread, it sits nicely next to my gluten-free cocoa sponge cake, a gluten-free vanilla cake, or the festive vegan Christmas pound cake. For more ideas, browse the rest of my gluten-free chocolate cake with berries and pineapple and other holiday bakes.
If you bake this gingerbread cake for your own holiday table, I would love to know how it turned out — did you go with honey or maple syrup, and did you crown it with melted chocolate or powdered sugar? Please rate the recipe and leave a comment below with any tweaks you made. I really hope you’ll love this one as much as my class did!
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Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cake
Ingredients
- 280 g gluten-free flour Mix C Patisserie by Schar or regular flour, if you’re not gluten intolerant
- 230 g sugar
- 4 Tbsps honey or maple syrup, same quantity
- 2 Tbsps cocoa powder
- 3 Tbsps gingerbread spice mix ingredients below
- 10 g baking powder
- 280 ml soy milk or any other veg milk of choice
- 3 Tbsps olive oil
- praf salt a pinch
My homemade gingerbread mix:
- 4 Tbsps brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground anise
- 2 tsps ground cloves
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- ½ Tbsp ginger powder
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Mix the flour, cocoa and baking powder, then sieve them into a large bowl. Add the salt, sugar and gingerbread spice mix.
- Mix the milk with the honey, then add the oil.
- Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ones in the bowl and stir until smooth.
- Grease the pan you want to use. I used a rectangular Jena tray, approximately 45×15 cm.
- Pour the batter into the pan.
- Place it in a COLD oven and set the temperature to 170C. Bake for 35 minutes, then check with a toothpick to see if it’s done.
- Serve with melted chocolate or powdered sugar on top.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
As written with honey it is vegetarian, not vegan, because honey is an animal product. The recipe gives maple syrup as an equal swap in the same quantity, so if you use maple syrup along with the soy milk and olive oil, the cake becomes fully plant-based and vegan.
Starting in a cold oven and bringing it up to 170C lets the baking powder release more gas before the crumb sets, which helps this dense, spiced batter rise evenly and stay tender. Just make sure your oven actually reaches and holds 170C, because a cake that never gets hot enough will not set.
I used Mix C Patisserie by Schar, a blend made for cakes and pastries, which gives a soft crumb. Any all-purpose gluten-free baking mix should work, and if you are not gluten intolerant you can use the same weight (280 g) of regular flour.
Yes, the full blend is in the recipe card: cinnamon, ground anise, cloves, cardamom, ginger powder and nutmeg, with a little brown sugar. Mix them together and use three tablespoons in the batter, then store any extra in a sealed jar for other holiday bakes.
Bake at 170C for about 35 minutes, then insert a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean or with a few dry crumbs the cake is ready; if there is wet batter on it, give it a few more minutes and test again.
Keep it in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days; the spices actually deepen by the second day. It holds up well baked a day in advance, which makes it convenient for a holiday table.
I’ve just made this using my own blend of gf flours, koko df milk, xylitol instead of sugar and carob powder instead of coco powder – it came out perfectly! I topped it with a mix of powdered xylitol and carob powder. Even my partner who usually isn’t keen on gf foods loved it! It didn’t rise all that much and wouldn’t have filled the size of tray you mentioned though, not sure why. Just as well though as I only had a smaller tray. But great texture and lovely taste! Thanks for the recipe. It’s the first of yours I have tried and I will no doubt be trying your others soon… ☺
Hi Tessa! That sounds like an awesome GF blend! Will try! 🙂 I think it didn’t rise that much because you used a different flour blend. The one I use has some ingredients in it that also make it rise, but I am glad you liked it this way too! 🙂
That would make sense thanks. Do you know what the other raising agent in your blend was? May experiment further! ☺
This is what it contains: maize starch, maize flour, thickener: locust bean gum.
Also, don’t take it out of the oven right away. Let it cool a bit in the oven.
This cake looks amazing! I will try it today. Thank you.
You’re welcome! How did it turn out? 🙂
Can you swap 100g of sugar for 100g of roughly chopped, soaked dates?
Maybe use date sugar or date syrup instead. It should work. 🙂