Smoky Vegan Gingerbread Cake (Runner-Up Recipe Contest Winner!)

Congratulations to Hannah of Bittersweet! After kitchen-testing every entry in the Simply Organic Dairy-Free Bake Off, her Smoky Chipotle Vegan Gingerbread Cake recipe was chosen as the Runner-Up Winner for taste, performance and creativity.

Hannah won a $250 gift card to use in the Revol Porcelaine Online Store! I see many more vegan baked good recipes in her future with their bake-ware.

One of our kitchen testers said:

This cake is really really good! It has a really unique flavor profile. It isn’t spicy, but the smoked almonds give it a good hint of smokiness and the crystallized ginger provides a really nice kick. The cake itself is dense and moist – almost like pound cake. It’s super comfort food. We loved everything about it, but the icing is really sweet, and optional in my opinion.

Since smoked almonds can be hard to come by in smaller towns, and you may not have time to order online, we found this great smoked almonds recipe. You can purchase pre-sliced or chopped almonds for a simple DIY solution.

Special Diet Notes: Smoky Chipotle Vegan Gingerbread Cake

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan, and vegetarian.

Smoky Chipotle Vegan Gingerbread Cake (Runner-Up Recipe Contest Winner!)

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

1 hour

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!