Smoky Chipotle Vegan Gingerbread Cake (Runner-Up Recipe Contest Winner!)
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
If time allows, this cake does get even better with age, so try to make it a day in advance for the flavor to really meld and sing. I don’t blame you if you can’t wait, but at least allow the glaze to set before slicing and serving!
Author: Hannah Kaminsky of Bittersweet
Serves: 12 to 16 servings
Ingredients
Vegan Gingerbread Cake
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup smoked almonds, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1¼ teaspoons chipotle powder
- 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon smoked salt
- 1 cup brewed and cooled coffee
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ cup 100% grade B maple syrup
- ¼ cup molasses
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
Faux-Fondant Vanilla Glaze
- 3 cups (3/4 pound) powdered confectioner’s sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon light agave nectar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Vegan Gingerbread Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF and lightly grease a 9-inch round cake pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, almonds, crystallized ginger, cocoa, baking powder, chipotle powder, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until no clumps remain.
- In a medium bowl, mix the coffee, pumpkin, brown sugar, oil, maple syrup, molasses, and fresh ginger until smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry, and stir with a wide spatula to bring the two together. Do not over-mix; stir just until the batter is relatively smooth.
- Transfer the batter into your prepared baking pan and smooth out the top.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. You may have a few moist crumbs sticking to it, but it shouldn’t be wet.
- Let cool completely before preparing the glaze.
Faux-Fondant Vanilla Glaze
- In a medium saucepan, combine the confectioner’s sugar, water, and agave. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches 100ºF. It won’t look very different from when you began, but should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Quickly pour the icing over the cooled cake and smooth across the top and over the edges. It sets quickly so you want to work fast!
Recipe by Go Dairy Free at https://www.godairyfree.org/recipes/smoky-vegan-gingerbread-cake