Gluten-Free Gingerbread Loaf Cake
A fluffy Gluten-Free Gingerbread Loaf Cake with molasses, ground ginger, and a luscious vanilla cream icing. Dairy-Free + Vegan options listed in the notes.
Servings 10 slices
Calories 382kcal
Ingredients
- ½ cup milk or dairy-free milk (120 ml)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup dark molasses* (120 ml)
- ¼ cup hot water (60 ml)
- 2 cups + 2 tablespoons all purpose gluten-free flour with xanthan gum (270 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil or avocado oil (80 ml)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar - I used coconut sugar but white or brown sugar work too (100 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Gingerbread Spices
- 2 ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Icing
- 4 tablespoons butter or dairy-free butter softened at room temperature (56 grams)
- 2 ounces cream cheese or the solid part of a can of coconut cream, softened at room temperature (¼ cup, 56 grams)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar plus more to thicken to your desired consistency (130 grams)
Instructions
Gingerbread Cake
- Prep the pan and milk mixture: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a metal loaf pan with parchment paper. Stir together the milk and vinegar in a measuring cup or small bowl; set aside.
- Thin the molasses: In a small bowl, stir the molasses and hot water together until smooth. Set aside to cool until lukewarm.
- Mix the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.
- Mix the wet ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk mixture, cooled molasses mixture, eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
- Make the batter: Add the wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients. Whisk or stir until just combined. There should be no dry pockets of flour, but there will be small blueberry or pea-sized flour lumps when mixed to the best consistency.
- Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake on the middle rack for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then lift the loaf out using the parchment and cool completely on a rack before icing.
Optional Icing
- In a small bowl, beat the butter, cream cheese or coconut cream, and vanilla until smooth. Add the powdered sugar in two additions and beat until creamy. Thin with milk a little at a time if needed, or refrigerate briefly or add more powdered sugar to thicken.
Notes
Gluten-Free Flour: I use Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. For best results, use a rice-flour-based gluten-free all-purpose blend that already contains xanthan gum. Different blends can absorb liquid differently, so I recommend weighing the flour for the most consistent texture.
Molasses: Use regular unsulphured molasses, not blackstrap. Blackstrap is much more bitter and less sweet and will change the flavor of the loaf.
Hot Water: Stirring the molasses with hot water thins it so it mixes more evenly into the batter and helps keep the loaf light rather than dense.
Dairy-Free: Use plant-based milk, dairy-free butter, and solid coconut cream in the icing.
Egg-Free/Vegan: For the closest texture to the egg version, replace the 2 eggs with 6 tablespoons (90 ml) aquafaba and whip until uniformly foamy before adding. For a simpler option, add 2 tablespoons potato starch or cornstarch to the dry ingredients and 6 tablespoons water or milk to the wet ingredients.
Mixing: Do not overmix. Stir only until no dry pockets of flour remain; a few small lumps are fine and help keep the crumb light and tender.
Pan: I get the most even bake in a light-colored metal loaf pan. Dark pans can brown the edges more quickly.
Storage: Store the completely cooled loaf in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 382kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 308mg | Potassium: 295mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 284IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 2mg