Gluten Free Ginger Cake

Ingredients

  • 100g unsalted butter
  • 75g black treacle
  • 60g golden syrup
  • 150ml milk
  • 200g self-raising gluten-free flour
  • ground ginger 1-2 tsp (depending on preference)
  • ground cinnamon 1-2 tsp (depending on preference)
  • 100g finely chopped crystallized stem ginger
  • 1 tsp mixed spice
  • 50g dark brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • knob of butter, for the dish
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1/2 tsp xanthan gum

Directions

This is a perfectly rich and beautifully spiced gluten-free ginger cake. It’s a ginger cake recipe that is a lovely warming addition to the winter holidays (though you can bake and enjoy this any time).

This cake is great to have at home to enjoy, but it’s also a great unique and homemade holiday present as people really love ginger cake. It’s a great cake for those who can’t eat gluten and really want to enjoy some spiced holiday treats. It’s a great recipe to make gluten-free. The use of treacle and golden syrup really helps to hold this gluten-free recipe together and keep it nice and moist.

While this gluten-free gingerbread recipe may look a little complicated, it’s actually a really easy gluten-free bake.

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cake recipe Method

Follow this method to make a delicious irresistible gluten-free gingerbread cake.

Before you start with the recipe, preheat the oven to 160 C (fan), 180 C (non-fan).

Butter your dish to prevent the cake from sticking.

Method:

  1. Sift the self-raising glutenfree flour, xantham gum, and bicarbonate of soda together into a large mixing bowl.
  2. Add the 1 – 2 tsp ground ginger and mixed spice and mix into the flour xanthan gum mixture until evenly mixed through.
  3. In a pan, heat the butter, golden syrup, black treacle, and milk. Heat up until the butter has melted, and stir everything together until they are as combined as you can get it.
  4. In another mixing bowl, crack the egg and add the dark brown sugar. Mix together thoroughly.
  5. Now add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. You will need to mix and mix for a while. It will be quite thick due to the treacle. It will take some time for all the ingredients to mix.
  6. You can choose to put all the ingredients in a food processor to make it easier if you have access to one.
  7. Once mixed, pour the cake mixture into the loaf tin.
  8. Put the baking tin in the oven for 30-45 minutes.
  9. Once baked, transfer the cake onto a cooling rack and allow it to cool.

Cream cheese frosting recipe method

Ingredients for the cream cheese frosting:

  • 200 g cream cheese
  • 100g unsalted butter
  • 300g powdered sugar
  1. Use an electric mixer to beat the butter and cream cheese together. Make sure the mix is completely well combined and smooth.
  2. Now beat in the powdered sugar, but add it in slowly, one to two tablespoons at a time.

When the cake has baked and cooled, and you’ve made the cream cheese frosting, you can either just spread or pipe the frosting onto the

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cake Baking Tips and FAQ’s

Baking tips

  1. Use a loaf tin, as this is the most traditional way a ginger cake is made. It also makes it easy to butter it once baked if that’s how you like it (many do).
  2. Keep checking your bake from 30 minutes onwards. Different ovens will cook the cake at different rates, so it’s good to keep an eye on your ginger cake until you get to know how it cooks in your own oven.

Should I line the tin in parchment paper?

This is totally up to you and if you have any. However, it will make taking it out of the tin easier and washing up afterwards more simple.

How small should I chop the stem ginger?

The smaller, the better. It’s nice to discover the small pieces in the gingerbread loaf while you are eating a piece, but if the pieces are too big, they can be overwhelming. Another way of incorporating them is to grate them in if you really only want a hint of them.

Can I make this ginger cake recipe dairy-free?

Yes, this is really easy to do. Just replace the butter with a dairy-free margarine, and you can use a dairy-free milk instead of normal milk. You can make a general dairy-free ‘buttercream’ to make the frosting dairy free instead of the cream cheese topping.

Can I make this ginger cake egg-free?

No, this cake doesn’t work with any egg replacements.

Do I need to use xanthan gum if it’s already in my self raising gluten-free flour?

Yes, it would still be a good idea to use it as it will help to keep your gingerbread properly bound (crumbling is a common issue with gluten-free baking). Using xanthan gum is the only way to successfully make this cake gluten-free.

How much ginger and cinnamon should I use in this gluten-free ginger cake?

The recipe is variable between 1-2 tsp ground ginger and cinnamon depending on how spiced you like your ginger loaf cake.

When should I add the cream cheese frosting onto the gluten-free gingerbread cake?

You need to make sure your gluten-free ginger loaf cake has cooled right down to room temperature before adding the frosting. If you add it before it has cooled, then the frosting will melt off.

Can I leave the stem ginger out?

While this is a really nice addition to the recipe, chunks of ginger are not everyone’s cup of tea. You can leave this element out if it’s not something you would enjoy.

Can I source all the ingredients easily?

It can sometimes be difficult to get everything you need for gluten-free baking, but supermarkets are stocking more and more gluten-free baking ingredients. All the ingredients in this recipe should be readily available at our local supermarket.

Can I use regular sugar instead of dark brown sugar?

If you don’t have access to dark brown sugar, then you can use normal or caster sugar. If you can use brown sugar, this would be better. Substituting dark brown sugar for regular sugar will affect the colour of the finished bake, but it will still taste great with normal sugar.

Gluten-free recipes have come a long way over time, and this gluten-free ginger cake recipe proves just how nice gluten-free baking really can be. If you want to try something a little different with this recipe, buttering a slice with a cup of tea can really hit the spot.

This is a really versatile gluten-free ginger cake recipe that you can easily play around with the make it just how you like. You’ll be keeping this in your seasonal cookbook for years to come to enjoy it again and again. There’s nothing better to warm you up than this spiced ginger loaf cake.

equipment:

  • Loaf tin
  • parchment paper
  • cooling rack

Prep time: 10 minutes- 20 minutes

cook time: 30-45 minutes

total time: 45 minutes – 1 hour 10 minutes

Try our chocolate brownie ice cream cake recipe