A homey and comforting gluten-free gingerbread snacking cake that welcomes December with warm spices and molasses.
Gluten-Free Gingerbread Snacking Cake
We had our first fire the other night and it's been c-o-l-d at night. Though my mind may still be back in the lazy days of summer the temperature and forecast tells otherwise: winter is coming, and I've stocked up tea and wool socks. To welcome December I made a wonderful gluten-free gingerbread snacking cake that filled my house with the delicious smells of holidays and spice and the cozy mornings of winter break. We're not there yet, but I can almost see the turn of the year on the horizon.
I know I post a lot of recipes calling for oat flour (though, reminder! Sorghum flour is a great and worthy substitute if you can't do or don't care for oats) but it really is one of, if not my favorite, gluten-free flour with which to bake. I love oats in general, in porridge or in granola or tucked into muffins, and when they're ground into flour they produce sweets with a beautifully fluffy texture and flavor that is so appreciated in gluten-free baked goods. Here, I paired oat and almond flour to make a dense, sturdy cake that's sweetened with molasses and coconut sugar and richly spiced with all the good spices we expect in a gingerbread cake. I'm not kidding when I say this cake lasted about two days in my house. My girls loved it, always my barometer for a successful cake. Substitutions follow the recipe if you'd like to make it dairy-free or swap in different flours. If you're making up your holiday wishlist and don't own one yet, I highly recommend a digital scale for accuracy!
Ingredients You'll Need For Gluten-Free Gingerbread
- Oat flour: A wonderful whole grain gluten-free flour made from ground oats
- Almond flour: Use almond flour rather than almond meal
- Baking powder and baking soda
- Coconut Sugar: You could use maple sugar instead
- Buttermilk: To make dairy free, use your favorite non-dairy milk and mix in 1 Tablespoon vinegar
- Eggs: Choose large eggs
- Unsalted butter
- Coffee or hot water
- Ground spices: ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves
Tips for Success
- Let batter rest for at least 15 minutes before baking. Oat flour really benefits from a rest to let it absorb liquids.
- Bring ingredients to room temperature before using.
- See “Notes” section following the recipe for substitution suggestions.
How to Store
The gingerbread will keep, tightly wrapped or in an air-tight container, in the fridge for 5 days.
Recipe
Gluten-Free Gingerbread Snacking Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups/180 g oat flour
- ½ cup/60 g almond flour
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground clobes
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- ¾ cup molasses not blackstrap
- ¼ cup coffee or water
- 2 eggs large
- 1 cup buttermilk
Instructions
- Grease a 9" square pan and line with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
- Place the melted butter in a small bowl. Whisk in the molasses, then pour into the dry ingredients in the bowl, mixing to moisten.
- Add the coffee or water to the batter, stirring to combine. Whisk together the egg and buttermilk; stir into the batter.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan. Let rest for 15 minutes for flours to hydrate, and preheat oven to 350°F.
- Place the pan in the oven bake the gingerbread for 35 to 45 minutes, until the cake just begins to pull away from the edge of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let cool in pan at least 30 minutes. You may slice and serve the gingerbread straight from the pan. Gingerbread will keep, well wrapped, in the fridge for up to five days.
Helen Spiridakis says
Love all the possible substitutions. You leave no stone unturned. This gingerbread is absolutely delicious. Happy Holidays.