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Gingerbread Cake with Oat Flour

Moist, rich gingerbread cake made with molasses, maple syrup, and perfectly spiced with ginger, cloves, and cinnamon. It’s a classic treat everyone will love!

stacked slices of gingerbread cake

Nothing says the holidays like a slice of gingerbread cake and this recipe is made with Quaker Oats, giving it a crumbly soft and moist texture complete with rich seasonal flavors.

Dusting the top with a little powdered sugar will give it a festive look and feel to every slice.

Oat Flour Gingerbread Cake 

You might be more familiar with gingerbread in the form of cookies and houses, but today I’m sharing an easy cake recipe with all those traditional flavors and a buttery, soft texture. 

Instead of using regular all-purpose flour for this cake, I used Quaker Old Fashioned Oats

Instead of using regular all-purpose flour for this cake, I used Quaker Old Fashioned Oats to make oat flour. It makes this treat have a nutty flavor that really complements the flavors of molasses, maple syrup, and spices, but don’t take my word for it, try it for yourself. 

Ginger Cake Ingredients 

Quaker Old Fashioned Oats are a staple in my pantry. I’ve shown you their versatility in recipes from baked oatmeal, pancakes, muffins, cookies to dinner recipes like my Roasted Veggies and Savory Oats.

Of course, it’s no surprise that I turn this nutritious staple into flour and use it in baked goods as the main ingredient in this gingerbread cake.

Here’s everything you’ll need to make this recipe:

  • Old Fashioned Oats
  • Baking soda
  • Baking powder
  • Cinnamon
  • Ground ginger
  • Ground cloves
  • Salt
  • Butter, melted
  • Molasses
  • Maple syrup
  • Eggs
  • Vanilla extract
  • Unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • Powdered sugar

You can find my Classic Gingerbread Cake recipe here which uses all-purpose flour.

How to Make Oat Flour Gingerbread Cake 

Gingerbread cake is a one-bowl wonder recipe since the dry ingredients get blended with the oat flour and combined with the wet ingredients. 

They say the best “how-to” is always a visual so here is a video showing you how I transform my oats into cake!

https://youtu.be/T5LGk6sF5qc

For those that love step-by-step:

Prepare
Make the oat flour and preheat the oven to 350F and spray a 9 x 9-inch square pan generously with baking spray. 

Mix the Dry Ingredients
To the oat flour add the baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. 

Whisk the Wet Ingredients
In a separate large bowl, whisk the butter, molasses, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla, and almond milk.

side by side photo of flour in a blender and cake batter in a bowl

Combine
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until smooth. 

Bake
Place the pan in the oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center. 

overhead view of gingerbread cake batter in a square pan

Dust
Remove the cake from the oven and cool completely before removing it from the pan and dusting with powdered sugar. 

Is Gingerbread Cake Gluten-Free

Traditional gingerbread cake is made with regular flour, which is not gluten-free. I love that Quaker Oats has a Gluten-Free Oat canister available for those that need to fully avoid gluten. Look for specially marked Gluten-Free products.

The great news is that all of Quaker’s varieties are a good source of fiber, essential vitamins, and minerals per ½ cup serving. While you’re not getting a full serving for this treat recipe, it’s always a great idea to incorporate oats into your meals like with my Baked Cranberry Oatmeal, another festive recipe.

Making Gingerbread Cake Dairy-Free 

Thankfully this is an easy cake recipe to make with dairy-free ingredients by swapping the melted butter for equal parts melted coconut oil or a vegan butter alternative.

How to Bake the Best Gingerbread Cake 

Outside of following the recipe there are a few tips and tricks to make sure your cake turns out perfect, every single time. 

sprinkling powdered sugar over a square cake from a mini sifter

How to Measure the Oats

Since this recipe uses Quaker’s Old-Fashioned oats, it’s important to note that you measure 3 cups of oats into the blender. From there, it will yield approximately 2 ¾ cups oat flour. Oats to flour ratio isn’t a 1 to 1 ratio, but I thought it would be simpler to start with the oats.

Line the pan
To prevent the cake from sticking, be sure to generously spray the pan or line pan with parchment paper. 

Baking Pan
A 9×9 inch (22cm x 22cm) square cake pan will create thicker slices but you can always use a 9-inch (22cm) round pan. 

Molasses
You’ll want to use the finer molasses with a sweet, rich flavor and not Blackstrap, which can be bitter. 

Maple Syrup
The recipe calls for  pancake syrup. As a substitute, honey may also be used.

Powdered Sugar
This ingredient is completely optional and used as decoration.

large square gingerbread cake topped with powdered sugar and craberries

Does Gingerbread Cake Freeze Well

To develop this recipe I’ve tested quite a few batches and I can tell you that this gingerbread cake freezes very well.

You can make a few of them ahead of the holidays and gift them or stash them in your freezer to enjoy with your family.

Here’s how to make it last longer: 

  1. Slice the cake into individual portions. 
  2. Wrap each slice with plastic wrap and place them in a large, freezer-safe zip bag. 
  3. Seal the zip bag and freeze for up to 2 months. 

When you’re ready for a quick treat remove the desired amount of cake from the freezer and defrost at room temperature or reheat in the microwave, it’ll taste fresh like the day you baked it. 

How Long Does Gingerbread Last? 

In the freezer, gingerbread cake will last for up to 2 months. If stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator, in an airtight container it will be good for 5 days.  

cut squares of gingerbread cake topped with powdered sugar

What Fruits Go Best with Gingerbread Cake? 

Gingerbread has an incredible flavor all on its own but garnishing it with powdered sugar and winter fruits on top can turn this simple cake into a show-stopping dessert. 

  • Sliced orange or orange zest- you can even add zest to the batter
  • Fresh cranberries
  • Currants

Of course. I’m the type to grab a cup of coffee and enjoy it with my cake -just like my breakfast bowl of oats. For more delicious oat recipes, head over to QuakerOats.com.

four plates of gingerbread cake topped with powdered sugar
Print

Gingerbread Cake

squares of gingerbread cake topped with powdered sugar
Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

Moist, rich gingerbread cake made with molasses, maple syrup, and perfectly spiced with a crumbly cake texture thanks to the oats. It’s a classic holiday recipe everyone will love.

  • Author: Laura Fuentes
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 16 servings 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 cups Old Fashion Oats, blend into flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon ground ginger
  • ¾ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup butter, melted
  • ¼ cup blackstrap molasses
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 1 ½ cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 2 teaspoons powdered sugar for dusting, optional

Instructions

  1. In a blender or food processor, blend 3 cups of old fashioned oats into flour. Add the baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Give it a pulse or two to combine.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350F and spray a 9 x 9-inch (22 x 22-cm) square pan generously with baking spray.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk the butter, molasses, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla, and almond milk until smooth.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick, when inserted in the middle, comes out clean.
  6. Allow the cake to cooldown for ten minutes and then transfer it to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before removing from the pan. Dust with powdered sugar, if using.
  7. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Equipment

Clean Treats Cookbook

Buy Now →

Nutrition

  • Calories: 178
  • Sugar: 14.4g
  • Sodium: 226.5mg
  • Fat: 5.6g
  • Saturated Fat: 2.3g
  • Trans Fat: 0g
  • Carbohydrates: 28.4g
  • Fiber: 1.5g
  • Protein: 3.9g
  • Cholesterol: 30.9mg

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @LauraSFuentes on Instagram and hashtag it #momables

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Gina Bustos

    December 23, 2020 at 7:39 am

    Would using plain unsweetened almond milk work ok?

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      December 24, 2020 at 12:40 pm

      perfect!

      Reply
    • Ivette Mendes

      December 31, 2020 at 3:56 pm

      I tried this recipe with coconut milk instead of almond milk, came out really good, melts in your mouth.
      Thank you for this recipe

      Reply
      • Laura Fuentes

        January 04, 2021 at 12:03 pm

        Brillant swap! I glad you enjoyed this Gingerbread Cake recipe!

        Reply
  2. Eva Grace

    December 11, 2020 at 10:34 pm

    This was the easiest gingerbread cake I’ve ever made. It was DELICIOUS!! It was hard to only eat two slices!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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