Wild Blueberry Gingerbread

This comforting wild blueberry gingerbread dessert is a delicious compromise between sweet blueberry quick bread and rich traditional gingerbread. Like most baked goods, it is lovely when warm, but don’t be afraid to make this one ahead. The flavors and sweetness deepen and the texture becomes delightfully moist when allowed to sit for a few hours or overnight.

To note, I specifically use wild blueberries in this cake for several reasons. Most importantly, their smaller size disperses and suspends better in the batter (don’t you hate it when all of the berries sink to the bottom?!) for little bursts of berry goodness in every bite. They also have a stronger flavor making this a true blueberry gingerbread, rather than a cake dotted with random moist fruit (you know the ones). Wild blueberries can be bought year round, in the freezer section. I pick them up at Trader Joe’s.

I created this blueberry gingerbread recipe for the Wild Wonderland Recipe Book, which is completely FREE! Just click here or on the image below to download. The ebook contains wild blueberry recipes from my kitchen, Hannah Kaminsky (the vegan dessert queen), and Regan Jones (renowned foodie dietician).

If you love wild blueberries, definitely try my recipe, download this great recipe ebook, and check out Wild Blueberries on Pinterest and Facebook.

Special Diet Notes & Options: Wild Blueberry Gingerbread

By ingredients, this wild blueberry gingerbread recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, peanut-free, soy-free, tree nut-free, and vegetarian. Choose your milk alternative wisely to make it tree nut-free and soy-free, too. Sorry, I haven’t tested this one gluten-free as of yet! You may want to trial the recipe with your favorite gluten-free blend, including xanthan gum or a similar binder. For other special diet concerns, I have tested the following:

For Egg-Free / Vegan: I’ve included an option at the end of the recipe. I tested with egg replacer, which created delicious results that were a bit more moist than the original.

For Refined Sugar-Free: A little less sweet and deeper in flavor, but for those of you who are coconut / palm sugar fans, this wild blueberry gingerbread recipe is the perfect backdrop for that swap. See my note at the bottom of the recipe.

Wild Blueberry Gingerbread

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

1 hour

 

I created this recipe for Wild Blueberries and their FREE Wild Wonderland Recipe Book.

Author: Alisa Fleming

Serves: 18 servings

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups frozen wild blueberries
• 3 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose or white-wheat flour, divided
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda (high altitude adjustment: 1-1/4 teaspoons above 3000 ft; 1 teaspoon above 6000 ft)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 cups sugar (see below for options)
• ¾ cup rice bran, grapeseed, or canola oil
• 2 large eggs (see below for egg-free option)
• 6 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
• 1-1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons water
• Powdered confectioners’ sugar, for topping

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350ºF and grease and flour an 9x13-inch baking dish.
2. Place the blueberries and 2 tablespoons flour in a medium bowl and toss to evenly coat each blueberry.
3. Place the remaining 3 cups flour in a large bowl, and whisk in the baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.
4. In a mixing bowl, blend the sugar, oil, egg, molasses, and vinegar until smooth.
5. Stir in half of the flour mixture, followed by the water, and then the remaining flour mixture. Do not over mix, a few small lumps are okay.
6. Gently stir in the blueberries with any residual flour.
7. Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan, making sure to scrape out as much as you can.
8. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
9. Let cool before cutting into slices. Plate and sift powdered sugar over top of each piece.

Notes

Sugar Alternatives: For a mellower unrefined sweetness, replace the sugar with coconut / palm sugar. I recommend grinding the coconut sugar to a powder in a spice grinder prior to adding it to your recipe.

Egg-Free / Vegan: Omit the eggs, increase the water to 1-1/2 cups, and blend 1 tablespoon egg replacer (such as Energ-G) and 2 tablespoons cornstarch in with the wet ingredients until smooth. For vegan and non-GMO, be sure to use organic sugar or the coconut sugar alternative.

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