Vegan Ginger Cake

This vegan ginger sheet cake is moist, slightly sticky and filled with warming spices. It’s easy to make, and tastes delicious served with a warm drink on a cold day!

I’ve been meaning to make a ginger cake for quite some time.

Seeing as I currently have enough brown sugar to last me a lifetime and the weather is getting super chilly outside, I thought now would be the perfect time.

I love this recipe because it’s one of those classic, sweetly spiced Autumnal desserts that can be thrown together easily without too much effort.

Try my other vegan cake recipes:

• Chocolate sheet cake
• Sticky toffee pudding
• Coffee cake
• Biscoff cake
• Lemon drizzle
• Vanilla sheet cake

I paired it with cream cheese frosting and it tastes absolutely delicious fresh out of the fridge! It’s moist but light and reminds me of carrot cake a little bit.

Without the carrots, obvs.

There’s no treacle in this recipe!

I made this ginger cake without treacle because personally, I’m not a huge fan. I don’t mind the taste but it’s just not the easiest to find or work with.

I needed some for my gingerbread men recipe last year and could only find it in those old-school style tins which are VERY messy. Treacle is not an ingredient I use very often so the leftovers ended up going to waste.

Instead of treacle, I used a combination of dark brown sugar (for the rich molasses flavour) and golden syrup. See: Is golden syrup vegetarian?

I found that golden syrup did the job for this cake just as well, and I can use the leftovers for tasty treats like flapjacks and rocky road!

How to make vegan ginger cake

Step 1:

First off, preheat your oven to 180C/350F and line an 8×10-inch rectangular tin with baking paper.

It can also be baked in a loaf pan if you’d prefer, but you’ll need to keep it in the oven for a bit longer. Just keep an eye on it and test it every so often.

Step 2:

In a large bowl, mix together your dry ingredients.

This includes 280g of self-raising flour (2 + 1/8 cups), 1/2 tsp of baking soda, 2-3 tsp of ground ginger (depending on how strong you want it), and 1/2 a teaspoon of ground cinnamon.

I’d recommend sifting the dry ingredients together to prevent lumps from forming when you add the liquid.

Step 3:

Next, you’ll need to mix the wet ingredients together over the stove.

Add 105g of vegan butter (1 tablespoon less than 1/2 cup) to a saucepan along with of 150g dark brown sugar (3/4 cup), 190g of golden syrup (1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon) and 200ml of soy milk (3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon).

Place the pan over a low heat and stir gently every-so-often. Be careful not to boil the mixture- a low heat is fine.

Once the butter has melted completely, remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool for a few minutes

Step 4:

Pour the wet mixture into your bowl with the dry ingredients.

Fold everything together gently with a wooden spoon until you have a smooth cake batter.

Make sure there are no flour pockets in the mixture/sticking to the bottom of the bowl.

Step 5:

Transfer the cake batter into your baking tin and bake for 22-25 minutes, until a toothpick through the centre comes out clean.

Step 6:

Leave the cake in the tin until it’s completely cool. Then, flip it out onto a cake board or plate and gently peel off the baking paper.

For the Icing

I made my ginger cake with cream cheese frosting but this sponge is so versatile!

You could top it with plain water icing, vanilla buttercream or lemon drizzle instead. Or anything else that you like!

This cake is also delicious just served on its own, without any kind of topping. It tastes amazing served warm with vegan custard or ice cream.

If you don’t feel like making your own frosting, you can use a ready-made one instead. Just make sure to read the labels and make sure they don’t contain any animal-derived ingredients.

I know a lot of Betty Crocker’s icings are free-from dairy and they’re available from pretty much any supermarket so they make for a super quick and convenient option!

If you DO want to make your own frosting, here’s how!

Step 1:

In a large bowl, mix together 100g of vegan cream cheese (3.5oz), 60g of vegan butter (1/4 cup) and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract until combined.

I like to use Violife for the cream cheese as it gives the most consistent results.

Step 2:

Measure out 315g of icing/powdered sugar (2+1/2 cups). Add it into the bowl, a little bit at a time, and mix until JUST combined.

If it’s too thin, you can add more icing sugar. If it’s too thick, just add a splash of plant-based milk.

Step 3:

Place the frosting in the fridge for around 1 hour to let it firm up a little bit. I wouldn’t recommend putting it on the cake straight away as it will eventually run down the sides.

FAQ:

I hope you love this recipe! Let me know if you enjoy it by leaving a rating or comment below.

Happy baking! xo

5 from 5 votes

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Vegan Ginger Cake

Moist ginger cake without treacle that tastes delicious topped with cream cheese frosting.

Course Dessert

Cuisine vegan

Keyword vegan ginger cake

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Servings 16

Calories 285 kcal

Ingredients

• 280 g Self-raising flour (2 + ⅛ cups)
• ½ Teaspoon Baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
• 2-3 Teaspoons Ground (dry) ginger (depending how strong you want it)
• ½ Teaspoon Ground cinnamon
• 150 g Dark brown sugar (¾ cup)
• 105 g Vegan butter (1 tablespoon less than ½ cup)
• 190 g Golden syrup (½ cup + 1 tablespoon)
• 200 ml Soy milk (¾ cup + 1 tablespoon)

For the frosting:

• 100 g Vegan cream cheese (3.5 oz)
• 60 g Vegan butter (¼ cup)
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 315 g Icing/powdered sugar (2 + ½ cups)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C/325°F if using a fan or convection oven). Line an 8×10-inch rectangular tin with baking paper.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, ginger and cinnamon. I recommend sifting them to prevent lumps forming when you add the liquid later.

3. To a small saucepan, add the brown sugar, butter, golden syrup and soy milk. Put it over a low heat and stir gently every so often. Be careful not to boil the mixture!

4. Once the butter has completely melted, remove the pan from the heat and leave it to cool for a few minutes.

5. Pour the wet mixture into the bowl with your dry ingredients and mix well until you have a smooth cake batter. Make sure there's no flour stuck at the bottom of the bowl.

6. Transfer the cake batter into the lined tin and bake for 22-25 minutes, until a toothpick through the centre comes out clean.

7. Leave the cake in the tin to cool completely then flip it out onto a cake board or plate. Gently peel off the baking paper.

For the frosting:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese, butter and vanilla.

2. Mix in the icing sugar, a little bit at a time until JUST combined.

3. Place the frosting in the fridge for 1 hour to let it firm up before spreading it onto the top of the cake.

4. Cut into 16 square slices and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

• Store covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Ginger Cake

Amount Per Serving (1 slice with frosting)

Calories 285 Calories from Fat 72

% Daily Value*

Fat 8g12%

Sodium 115mg5%

Carbohydrates 51g17%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 29g32%

Protein 2g4%

* All values are an estimate only and will vary depending on the food brands used.