Almond Flour Gingerbread Cake {with Cashew Cream cheese frosting}
The secret to this magical ginegrbread cake is the use of almond flour, apple cider vinegar and flax eggs instead of regular eggs. Imagine a warm holiday spiced cake topped with silky and creamy cashew cream cheese frosting. it is a match made in Flavor Heaven.
As a child, I always loved gingerbread cookies! And cake…
With a soft spongy texture, yummy frosting, and the flavor of gingerbread cookies, this vegan gingerbread cake is the best of both worlds.
This amazing gingerbread cake recipe is not only delicious and easy to make.
I kicked off the Christmas baking with my chewy and soft gingerbread cookies, and now I can’t help but keep the holiday spirit going with this amazing vegan gingerbread cake recipe.
Why you will love this Almond Flour Gingerbread cake
What’s not to love about anything Ginegrbread flavor?
This recipe is the perfect match between a gingerbread cookie and a festive cake.
The texture is soft, fluffy, moist and so delightful.
The flavors are decadent, complex, sweet, warm and spicy all at the same time.
It is simple to make.
The vegan cream “cheese” frosting elevates the flavor combination to a whole new level.
Ingredients needed for vegan gingerbread cake with cream cheese frosting
Vegan Gingerbread Cake
- Flax “egg” – 2 tbsp ground flax seeds and 4 tbsp filtered water
- Blackstrap molasses
- Apple cider vinegar
- Smooth almond butter
- Plant-based milk – I used homemade cashew milk
- Almond flour (packed)
- Tapioca flour
- Coconut sugar
- Baking soda
- Ground ginger
- Cinnamon
- Clove
- Salt
CASHEW CREAM “cheese” FROSTING
With their rich taste and amazing creaminess, soaked cashew nuts are a great cream cheese alternative. Especially when it comes to cashew cream cheese frosting.
- Raw cashews – soaked overnight in cold water or in hot water for 2 hours
- Maple syrup
- Apple cider vinegar
- Coconut milk – Refrigerate a can of coconut milk and only use the firm top part
- Vanilla extract
How to Make this Vegan Gingerbread Cake Recipe
Start with making the flax “eggs” by adding two tablespoons of ground flax seeds to four tablespoons of water. Allow the mixture to bloom while you prepare the other ingredients.
Then, in a large mixing bowl add molasses, plant-based milk, apple cider vinegar, flax egg, and almond butter. Wisk to combine all the ingredients.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine almond flour, tapioca flour, coconut flour, coconut sugar, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and clove. Sift if necessary.
Now, using a spatula, gently stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Do not overmix the vegan gingerbread cake batter as it will result in a dense cake texture.
Grease an 8 by 8 baking dish with non-sticking spray, then line it with parchment paper.
Lastly, pour the vegan gingerbread cake batter into the baking dish.
Bake in a preheated oven for 25 – 30 minutes.
And just wait. Your house will smell like Christmas with the gingerbread scent wafting in the air!
While the gingerbread cake cools, whip up the Cashew cream “cheese” frosting.
Making the vegan Cashew Cream Cheese Frosting
This vegan and low sugar “cream cheese” frosting lighter and tastes delicious! It pairs perfectly with the gingerbread cake.
To make the vegan cream cheese frosting, start with soaking the raw cashews in cold water overnight, or in warm water for 2 hours. Drain and rinse.
Now, add soaked cashews, maple syrup, vanilla extract, apple cider vinegar, and coconut milk to a high-speed blender. The texture should be thick and creamy. Leave it in the fridge for at least an hour for it to thicken up.
To achieve the best texture, use only the top part of the coconut milk. I recommend putting a can of coconut milk in the fridge for a couple of hours and then removing the coagulated top part of the coconut milk. That’s the part you want to use.
Icing the Vegan gingerbread cake
Before icing the holiday cake, I suggest waiting for a couple of hours for the cake to cool down completely since the frosting melts easily.
Then, spread the vegan cashew cream cheese frosting on top of the fluffy gingerbread cake.
How to serve the vegan Gingerbread Cake
There are so many ways you could serve this healthy gingerbread cake. For breakfast, dessert, or snack, all is very suitable.
- My favorite way of serving the cake is with toasted pecans and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Simple and Classic!
- Get fancy and add berries and mint leaves on top of the frosting to make this gingerbread cake look very festive.
- Crush gingerbread cookies and sprinkle on top of the fluffy vegan cake.
- Skip the frosting and serve the gingerbread cake with thick yogurt for a delicious and decadent holiday breakfast.
You are going to love this moist and sticky gingerbread cake with cashew cream frosting. It is the perfect dessert for a lighter Christmas.
Last but not least, I can’t wait for you to try it! You can use “tried it” on Pinterest or share it on Instagram by tagging #shuangyseats.
Get the recipe:Almond Flour Gingerbread Cake {with Cashew Cream cheese frosting}
Ingredients
- 2 flax “egg”, 2 tbsp ground flax seeds, 4 tbsp filtered water
- 1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup smooth almond butter
- 1 1/2 cup almond flour, packed
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar*
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup plant-based milk
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp clove
Cashew Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 1/2 cup raw cashews {soaked)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup canned coconut milk, the top part**
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Gingerbread Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F
- Mix the ground flax seeds with filtered water to make the flax eggs. Let it sit for at least 5 minutes to gel up.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: almond butter, blackstrap molasses, plant-based milk (I used cashew milk), apple cider vinegar, and flax "eggs".
- In a separate bowl, whisk together almond flour, tapioca flour, coconut sugar, spices, baking soda, and a pinch of sea salt. Gently stir the dry mixture into the wet ingredients.
- Spread the mixture into an 8×8 cake pan lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 25 minutes.
- Cashew Cream Frosting
- Add soaked and drained cashews, maple syrup, vanilla extract, apple cider vinegar, and coconut milk to a high-speed blender. The texture should be thick and creamy. Leave it in the fridge for at least one hour for it to thicken up.
- Wait till the cake has completely cooled down (2+ hours or overnight) before frosting. Take the cashew cream frosting out of the fridge and spread it onto the cake. Sprinkle with toasted pecans and cinnamon.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- * Use 1/2 cup coconut sugar if you prefer a sweeter cake
- ** For best result and thickness, leave canned coconut milk in the fridge overnight. Scoop out and use the top thick part of the coconut milk.
The Nutrition Facts above are specific to the ingredients I chose to use for this recipe, which may vary.
This recipe is one of those rare recipes where I said ‘I can’t believe this is gluten-free!’ It truly has an amazing fluffy, moist texture and is wonderfully flavored with molasses & spices. It’s the highlight of my holiday baking.
I made this during the holidays and it was SUPER moist and rich! It has also frozen nicely for me, this is a wonderful treat!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I went from paleo to paleo vegan to see how my body would tolerate it, and I genuinely felt no eggs would translate to questionable desserts. You proved me otherwise. My non-paleo boyfriend loved these as well and I didn’t even use the coconut sugar and they were still perfectly sweet and delicious! So excited to browse your other recipes because you really knocked this one out of the park. 🙂
Are there any substitutions for the tapioca flour?
Hi Chelsea,
You can use arrowroot flour if you can access it more easily. They are both paleo-friendly starch to add the chewy texture. Otherwise, you can use all-purpose flour or cornstarch for non-paleo options. Hope this helps.
Shuang
Can you substitute the flax eggs for regular eggs?
Hi Mordan,
Yes you can!
Shuang