The first chill of autumn, the first fire of the season and the shorter days all have me yearning for comfort food and warming spices.
This vegan sticky ginger cake, eaten slightly warm from the oven with a hot cup of tea, heralds the new season perfectly.
Bake yourself a batch, grab a blanket and curl up on the sofa with a good movie – go on, I give you permission!
Vegan sticky ginger cake is perfect for Halloween, Bonfire Night, Harvest Festivals and for all the regular days in between.
It also makes a great alternative to fruit cake at Christmas for those who don’t like traditional Christmas cake and at Easter instead of simnel cake. I’d eat it any day of the year quite frankly!
I cut my cake into 16 very generous pieces – you could definitely cut each of those in half and have a very handy batch of 32 cakes to share or sell at school Christmas fairs!
I know I keep raving on about the joy I have found in vegan baking but it really has been a revelation to me that eggs are just not needed in baking. Look at the fluffiness in this close up – doesn’t it just make you want to dive on in?!
How to Make Vegan Sticky Ginger Cake
There’s nothing complicated about this vegan ginger cake recipe, no fancy ingredients, no weird magic – it’s just a traditional gingerbread recipe, made vegan. I don’t think even my Granny would notice the difference and she is the one who taught me to make her traditional ginger cake all those years ago!
Here are a few tips to help you on your way:
- I’ve used soya milk combined with a little vinegar to create a vegan buttermilk which reacts with the bicarbonate of soda to give the rise we all look for in a good cake.
- It is important to allow the heated butter, sugar and treacle mixture to cool so make sure you have made time for this step.
- This cake keeps well in an airtight tin but it will be stickier on day two than on day one – a bonus in my book!
Looking For More Vegan Cakes and Bakes? Try My:
- Easy Vegan Victoria Sponge Cake
- Brownies with Pumpkin and Pecans
- Chocolate Fudge Cake
- Traditional Syrupy Flapjack
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Easy Sticky Ginger Cake
Ingredients
- 225 g vegan butter
- 225 g dark muscovado sugar
- 225 g black treacle
- 235 ml soya milk
- 1 tbsp cider vinegar
- 340 g plain flour
- 2 heaped tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground mixed spice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 150C/300F.
- Grease and line a 23cm square cake tin with baking parchment.
- Melt the butter, treacle and sugar in a saucepan over gentle heat and leave to cool.
- Stir the vinegar into the soya milk and leave to stand for 5 minutes until curdled.
- Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and spices into a large bowl.
- Add the cooled treacle mixture and the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir well to combine.
- Pour the mixture into your prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for about an hour. The cake is cooked when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the tin, turn out, cut into squares and store in an airtight container.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe is fantastic! SO simple and you’re right – they look so fluffy and delicious. Thanks for sharing Chris 🙂
I made this yesterday and it is the best vegan cake I have made so far. Everything else has come out quite dry or just not the cake texture I’m used to but this is fabulous. I don’t think anyone would guess there are no eggs or dairy in it.
That’s wonderful to hear Jodie, I’m delighted it worked so well for you! I think it’s my favourite quick cake, so simple and reliable 🙂
Can I freeze this or use a round cake tin? Thank you!
You can definitely use a round cake tin and it will freeze but will lose some of its characteristic stickiness in the process, it is much better fresh! I hope that helps 🙂
Nice cake but when I followed the recipe I found it had a bicarb flavour, the treacle was a bit overwhelming, and it wasn’t nearly gingery enough. I made it again with 1 tsp bicarb, 2 tbs ginger, 1tbs cinnamon, 1tbs allspice, and I substited half the treacle with golden syrup. It came out great and colleagues were very happy! Enough spices this, way, but could handle more.
I made it and put vegan lemon butter frosting in top….it went perfect and tasted absolutely delicious
Fabulous idea Angie, lemon and ginger are a match made in heaven 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂 Chris (Thinly Spread) x
Lovely cake! I made two smaller cakes in loaf tins, we ate one as soon as it had cooled and left the other in an airtight tin for two days…….even stickier and just as lush!
Fabulous, I’m so pleased! I do actually wonder if this cake might be slightly addictive! 🙂
Love the flavour and the stickiness that develops, however my cake always seems slightly sunken in the middle and I’ve made it a few times now. Any idea what I’m doing wrong?
Hi Dee, I’m so glad you’re enjoying the cake! A sunken cake could be one of three things – either the oven door has been opened before the cake is cooked through, it could be that the cake sat for a bit before going in or it could be that you have a bit too much raising agent in the mix. I would trouble shoot the first two and, if they don’t work, I’d reduce the bicarbonate of soda by maybe a 1/4 teaspoon and see if that helps. I would say, however, that if it has sunk a bit but it still tastes great I’d probably just stick with it! Hope that helps 🙂 x
This sounds delicious but do you think it would work with gluten free flour please?
🙂
Hi Hazel, I haven’t tried it with gluten free flour myself so I can’t vouch for it working. However, it’s got to be worth a go, this cake is delicious! If you’re baking with gluten free flour make sure it is one which contains Xanthan Gum. I think I’d add a bit more milk to the mixture and the cake might need a few extra minutes in the oven. Thanks for asking this question – I have a coeliac friend who would love this cake so I’m going to give it a go gluten free myself – if you try it before I do, please let me know how you get on! Chris x
Excellent recipe Chris – thank you. I made this exactly to the instructions and the cake came out perfect. Used Vitalite sunflower spread for the ‘fat’. Everyone has commented on how good it tasted and were surprised when I told them that the cake was full vegan. I’m not vegan, my GF prefers not to eat eggs so I bake to suit her – mostly 🙂
Never left a rating on a recipe before… but this was too delicious!! I’m going to have to break my ‘no cakes during the week’ rule to finish it off.
How lovely of you! You made me giggle too! Thanks Pixie! x
This was delicious!
My tin is a bit smaller than the one stated so made 3/4 of the mixture instead. However, I only added half a cup of sugar, rather than 3/4 cup. I used a mix of golden caster sugar and dark soft brown because that was all I had. I also have a fan oven so it was done in 45 minutes. It was perfect!! Will definitely make again 🙂 🙂 Thank you!
Fantastic! I’m so glad you liked it and thank you for popping by to share your adaptations and adjustments 🙂 x
Very glad to find this recipe.
Thank you 🙂
Beautiful recipe,so tasty!!
Excellent news!
This is lush.
No plain flour so used SRF.
Didn’t have enough brown sugar so just used what was in the packet.
Used cows milk.
I’m not vegan but don’t eat eggs.
Put lemon icing on the top. Perfect!
Excellent! Thanks for dropping by to let me know! x
Amazing!! Perfect for a cold Sunday evening. My only problem was that my cake tin was a bit small and the middle sank slightly.
Such a delicious and rich cake recipe!
It’s so decadent and sweet. Perfect for when you are having some serious sugar cravings.
Goes perfectly with a cup of tea as well.
Thank you! It certainly does go very well indeed with a cup of tea!
I don’t usually leave reviews on internet recipes because they’re usually ok but nothing you could say were exceptional.
I had to come back and leave a review on this one because it’s not just ok, it’s amazing!
We’ve used an old family recipe for decades for sticky gingerbread but this one knocks the spots off it and it’ll be the only one used in our house from now on.
Thank you so much for sharing.
Oh this has made me smile widely, thank you so much for taking the time to come back and comment!
Easy recipe to follow and great sticky traditional ginger cake. Went down a storm on Christmas Day and I was able to make it a few days ahead.
This recipe is delicious and so easy. I made it two days before Christmas and those who tried it Christmas Day couldn’t believe it was vegan. Two weeks later my son-in-law asked if there was any left. I’d kept it in an airtight container and it was even more sticky and delicious so to his pleasure he got the last pieces. My husband is now hankering after me baking it again. I can see that this will be a regular bake for our family. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Have you got a recipe for vegan parkin? This used to be one of my favourite cakes before I became egg intolerant.
Hi Denise, how fabulous, thank you! It is defintely our favourite family cake – I made it again last week for my youngest’s 17th birthday (surrounded by ninjabread men – hilarious!). It just hits the right spot! I do have a parkin recipe, I will have to make and photograph it and then I’ll pop it up for you! It probably won’t be for a while as I have a long list of recipes I’m working through – are you on my email list? I am about to relaunch my newsletter and I pop my latest recipes on there.
Thanks Chris. I will be watching for the Parkin and other recipes you share and have just subscribed to your newsletter.