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Vegan Grain-Free Gingerbread Cakes {oil-free}

Healthy gingerbread, made with ease in a muffin tin! These moist and delicious vegan grain-free gingerbread cakes are also oil-free, gluten-free (made with chickpea flour).

individual vegan grain-free gingerbread cake with a bite taken out

It’s been a tumultuous week, full of highs and lows, victories and defeats. But one thing is clear: to move forward, we must unite.

My modest proposal: make (and share) some gingerbread.

overhead shot of vegan grain free ginger bread cakes on a cooling rack

I am 100% serious. I have yet to meet someone who is averse to gingerbread, so what better way to make nice, as well as make civilized conversation, than with a batch (or two) of moist, tender gingerbread cakes. Don’t forget to brew a pot of strong tea, for good measure.

Recipe Benefits

These particular cakes can be savored by almost everyone on your list. Specifically, they are:

  • Grain-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Vegan (no eggs, no dairy)
  • Oil-free
  • Fast & easy to make

Ingredients for Grain-Free Vegan Gingerbread

The exact amounts of each ingredient are indicated in the recipe card at the end of the post.

The combination of chickpea flour and flaxseed meal produces min cakes that are tender and moist with a delicate crumb.  The flaxseed provides natural, healthy fats, without adding oil, keeping the gingerbread moist and tender.

Additionally, I’ve kept the sweetener–coconut sugar and molasses– to a minimum, just enough to taste indulgent while keeping these in the dual categories of snack and dessert.

overhead shot of vegan gingerbread cake made in a muffin tin

Be Generous with the Spices

A timidly-spiced gingerbread is a teatime tragedy, so I’ve erred on the side of robust flavor for these cakes (warning: you may swoon as these bake). Talk about healing powers, too: while the cakes work by soothing strained relationships and conversations, the spices have notable palliative properties for whatever else is ailing you this November. For example:

Ginger: Contains the powerful antioxidant gingerol, which, among many functions, eases nausea (umm, yes please, need that…), boosts immunity, and reduces inflammation.

Cinnamon: Contains powerful antioxidants that improve dental health, boost brain function, and may alsoprotect against cancer, diabetes and inflammation

Cloves: Cloves can aid in digestion, boost immune system and liver functions, and may protect the body against cancer, diabetes, headaches and oral diseases.

Nutmeg: another antioxidant powerhouse, nutmeg can help to soothe indigestion, releive pain, strengthen cognitive function, detoxify the body, boost skin health, reduce insomnia, and much more.

Here’s to good health and harmony, in ways big and small.

stack of 3 vegan gingerbreads, sprinkled with confectioners' sugar
overhead shot of vegan grain free ginger bread cakes on a cooling rack

Vegan Grain-Free Gingerbread Cakes {vegan, oil-free}

Yield: 9 cakes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Vegan grain-free gingerbread, made with ease in a muffin tin! These moist and delicious cakes are also gluten-free & oil-free.

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup (150 mL) nondairy milk (I used plain almond milk)
  • 1 teaspoon vinegar (neutral one, like white or cider vinegar)
  • 3/4 cup (90 g) chickpea flour
  • 5 tablespoons (34 g) flaxseed meal
  • 2 tablespoons (18 g) coconut sugar (or packed brown sugar)
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 and 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 3 tablespoons (45 mL) dark molasses (not blackstrap)
  • 2 tablespoons (30 mL) water

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Generously grease or spray 9 cups of a standard muffin tin.
  2. In a small bowl or cup, stir together milk and vinegar. Let stand for 5 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, flaxseed meal, coconut sugar, ginger,cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda and salt.
  4. Add the milk mixture, molasses, and water; whisk until blended. Divide batter evenly among prepared cups (just under 1/4 cup for each muffin cup).
  5. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 16 minutes until puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely in tin set on a cooling rack. Run knife around edge of each cup and remove from tin.

Notes

Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days, in the refrigerator for 1 week or freezer for 3 months.

Nutrition Information
Serving Size 1 cake
Amount Per Serving Calories 80Total Fat 1.6gSaturated Fat 0.2gCholesterol 0mgSodium 148mgCarbohydrates 13.1gFiber 3gSugar 6gProtein 2.9g

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @powerhungrycamilla on Instagram and hashtag it #powerhungrycamilla

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Gail

Sunday 20th of November 2022

Hi Camilla, I just discovered your site through querying 'steel cut oat scone' and now am devouring your recipes! (I have not made one yet, but the ingredients look perfect for me and nutritionally superior, as well.) I have a lot of food sensitivities, one of which is flax. In this recipe, as flax is used as a course flour, how much chia seed meal would work? I saw in another recipe you advised someone to use less chia seed than flax but they served a binding function. Your no or low fat, no or low sugar, high fiber recipes are luring me into the world of baking!!! Until now baking was just a fattening menace that threatened health and waistline. I am very excited to try these. Thank you...

Camilla

Wednesday 30th of November 2022

I am so happy to connect, Gail! In this recipe, you could use an equal amount of ground chia seed in place of the flaxseed meal (if using whole seeds in place of flaxseed meal, you would use a smaller volume since the whole seeds are more dense than flaxseed meal). Cheers!

Vegan Coconut Almond Flour Cake {grain-free, oil-free} | powerhungry®

Tuesday 10th of November 2020

[…] Healthy Grain-Free Gingerbread Cake {Vegan, Oil-Free} […]

Sofia Hafeji

Saturday 28th of September 2019

Hi Camilla,

I'm very happy I've found your website. I have allergies and the ingredients you use is near perfect for me. They,are delicious and the icing is a must.

Flaxseed does sometimes give me trouble. I've searched online and soya or chai seeds are a few of the options, but they are both out of the question for me. Otherwise the advice is bananas or other fruit.

What would you recommend?

Thanks,

Sofia.

Camilla

Monday 30th of September 2019

Hi Sofia! I am so happy you found the site :)

So sorry to hear you cannot do flax; I do tend to use it often. I am not always using it as an egg replacer. For example, in this recipe, it is working much like a coarse-ground flour (meal) to add bulk as well as moisture (since it is rich in healthy fat). So banana or applesauce would not work here. Can you eat oats? You could replace the flax with an equal amount of ground oats (I would suggest adding a bit more coconut oil, to make up for the loss of fat from the fat).

Another suggestion that I think could work well: finely grind unsweetened coconut flakes in a food processor. You get the similar fiber/bulk of flaxseed meal, and also the healthy fat. I have a biscotti recipe on the site that uses ground coconut this way, as well as a 2-ingredient coconut banana cookie.

Fingers crossed that one of these solutions works for you, Sofia. Also, since others have mentioned an intolerance for flax and other seeds, you are inspiring me to do some experiments with no-flax options. :)

Jennifer

Wednesday 11th of January 2017

Didn't have chickpea flour so substituted coconut flour. Fail. Turned into crumbles.

Camilla

Thursday 6th of April 2017

Hi Jennifer, Sorry they flopped! Coconut flour and chickpea flour are worlds apart in terms of how they work. As a general rule, coconut flour cannot be used for a direct substitution for any other flour, and vice versa.

June

Monday 9th of January 2017

Camilla, I am anxious to try these...they look delicious!

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