1 cup / 240 ml unsulphured molasses, dark molasses, sometimes labelled "unsulphured" or "robust" (I like Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Unsulphured Molasses) - Use black treacle in the UK
2teaspoonsvanilla extract
½ cup / 120gvegan butter, plus a little more for greasing the pan (for oil-free option see recipe notes)
½ cup / 100 gdark brown sugar
¼ cup / 4tablespoonsunsweetened applesauce, (in the UK cook a couple of apples down with 2 tbsp water until soft then blend to make applesauce)
3 cups / 375gall purpose flour, (in the UK use plain flour)
1heaping teaspoonbaking soda, (bicarbonate of soda in the UK)
5 - 8tablespoonsfresh orange juice, the amount varies, see directions
Optional decorative items
fresh cranberries
fresh rosemary sprigs
Instructions
Adjust an oven shelf to the lower third of the oven, then preheat to 350 °F (175 °C). Grease a 9 to 10 inch Bundt Pan with plenty of vegan butter. (see recipe notes for other pan options)
Put the boiling water in a jug or small bowl, and add the molasses. Stir really well until it has dissolved completely in the water. Add the vanilla to it, stir quickly again, then set aside.
Beat the butter with the brown sugar until light and fluffy. A stand mixer with a paddle attachment or an electric handheld mixer makes it easier but you can do it by hand if you need to. It needs at least 5 minutes of beating. Scrape down the sides with a spatula as needed. Then add the applesauce and beat again to combine.
In a large bowl, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, salt and pepper. Give them a quick whisk to combine them.
With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in three or four additions alternating with the hot water/molasses and mixing each addition just until incorporated. Avoid over-mixing. Try to start with the dry ingredients and end with the dry. If doing it by hand, do the same and mix in between additions.
Pour/spoon the batter into the prepared pan and get it straight into the oven without hanging around. Bake for around 47 - 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out with just a few sticky crumbs on it but no obviously wet batter and the cake is just starting to come away slightly from the sides and bounces back when pressed gently with a finger. This is a large cake and oven times will vary so don't be alarmed if it's not ready at 47-50 minutes. Just keep checking every 5 minutes or so.
It is very important to let the cake cool completely in the tin. Do not remove it until it has cooled.
Once the cake is cool, remove it from the pan and place on a serving plate or cake stand.
Make the glaze by combining the powdered sugar and orange juice in a small bowl. Add the orange juice very gradually 1 tablespoon at a time to the powdered sugar, giving it a really good stir between each addition. You won't need much orange juice at all. Way less than you think you will when you start. Suddenly it will all dissolve and become a lovely thick, just pourable glaze. You need it to be as thick as possible, while still being just pourable. It should be so thick that it pours slowly. If you accidentally add a little too much orange juice, just add a little more powdered sugar to thicken it up again.
Glaze the cake. See recipe notes for tips on how to do it neatly. Leave the glaze to firm up for a few minutes before serving.
Once the frosting has firmed up a little you can decorate the cake. I don't think you can beat some fresh cranberries and rosemary for a simple, but festive, natural look!
Notes
Success Tips
Follow the recipe closely and as always with recipes involving flour, I highly recommend that you use a kitchen scale. Cup measurements are not accurate enough to get the best and consistent results. If you do need to use cups, spoon the flour into the cup then level off the top with a knife without compacting it or shaking it down. By doing it like this you will get roughly the correct amount and make your chances of success better. Do not scoop the flour up into the cup as you will end up with much more than intended and it will affect the outcome of the recipe.
Do not over mix the batter.
Alternate the wet and dry ingredients when mixing the batter. See below for why this important.
Grease your pan very well.
Rub your measuring cup/jug with a little oil prior to measuring the molasses. It will make the whole situation less sticky and it will pour out like a dream leaving no remnants.
Don't overcook the cake. Once time is nearly up, check frequently. It's better to very slightly undercook it than overcook it. A toothpick inserted should have some sticky crumbs on it, but not obviously wet batter.
Allow the cake to cool completely in its pan. Don't remove it until it is completely cool. Usually with cakes we remove them more or less right away, so they don't get damp from the steam emerging inside the pan. With this cake though, we actually want it to be sticky. Steam is your friend.
When you make the frosting, follow my directions for adding the orange juice carefully. There is no exact amount. It varies a little every-time. It's important to keep the frosting as thick as it can possibly be, whilst still being drizzle-able.
Larger cake recipes bake times tend to vary from oven to oven. Different cake pans bake differently too. Your bake time may be longer or shorter than mine. Use my time as a guide and check regularly. It's important not to over-bake this one.
To make oil-freeFor best flavour and texture I recommend using vegan butter, but this cake can be made oil-free by using cashew or almond butter as the fat instead of butter. Use the same volume of nut butter as butter. The cake will be denser but that's not necessarily a bad thing with a ginger cake. Even when making this cake oil-free, you will still need to grease the pan very well.How to glaze a bundt cakePut the cake on a cake stand or a plate and have the frosting in a jug with a nice lip for pouring. Aim the jug of frosting along the very top middle ridge of the cake and pour slowly, while simultaneously and carefully spinning the cake, so that your hand holding the jug stays in just about the same spot at all times but the cake moves. This ensures that the frosting is poured evenly all around and runs neatly. Keep going until it is covered very generously. You don’t need to be spinning the cake particularly fast. Just keep it turning at all times. The frosting will very slowly run down the edges of the cake and make beautifully neat, smooth rivers. You won’t need to do any spreading. If you feel the need to practice first, make up a bit of extra frosting using powdered sugar and water, and practice on your upturned bundt pan. That way you can perfect your technique before you let yourself loose on the real cake.Try using my vegan cream cheese frosting as an alternative to the glaze on this cake. To storeThis cake stays perfectly moist for days and days. We have enjoyed it up to a week after it was baked. Just be sure to keep it well wrapped or in an airtight container. The flavour just keeps getting better and better! It's best to store it at room temperature as it can dry out in the fridge. We want it to stay soft and moist.To freeze Let the Vegan Gingerbread Cake cool completely in the pan, then remove and wrap very well. Freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight and then glaze or dust with powdered sugar before serving.To make this cake in other pan sizesThe batter will fit into:
1 (9 x 13 inch) pan
2 (9 inch) round cake pans
1 (9 inch) tube pan
1 (10 inch) spring form pan
Obviously, the baking times will change for all of these and I haven't been able to test the recipe in all of them to tell you exactly but:
In a 9 x 13 inch pan, start checking after 30 mins
In 2 x 9 inch cake pans start checking after about 23 mins
In a 9 inch tube pan start checking after about 35 - 40 mins
In a 10 inch spring form start checking after about 60 minutes
To check, use the toothpick test. Stick it into the centre and when you pull it out, if cooked, you should just see some moist crumbs sticking to it. If you poke the top gently with your finger it should bounce back and the cake should be just starting to come away from the sides of the pan.To make in a 9 x 5 inch loaf panI have tested this cake in a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. You will need to reduce the ingredients as listed below. Follow exactly the same directions as for a bundt cake but first grease the pan then line it with baking parchment and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until it's coming away from the edges of the pan slightly and a skewer/toothpick inserted come sout mostly clean but with some sticky crumbs on.
½ a cup and 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons / 160 mls boiling water
⅔ cup and 1 tablespoons / 213 g unsulphured molasses
1¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
5 ½ tablespoons / 80 g vegan butter
⅓ cup / 67 g dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons of unsweetened applesauce
2 cups / 250 g all purpose flour (plain flour in the UK)
¾ teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda in the UK)