Recipe

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Let me introduce you to the best gluten-free gingerbread cake! It's full of rich holiday spice and soft-crumbed texture thanks to oat flour.

Gingerbread is the flavor you want to help celebrate the season, and whether you need a gluten-free version or not, this cake recipe is one you'll come to again and again.

a few squares of gluten free gingerbread cake stacked on a plate

Super-Moist Gingerbread Cake with Oat Flour

You might be more familiar with gingerbread in the form of cookies and houses, but today I'm sharing an easy gluten-free version of my classic gingerbread cake with all those traditional flavors and a buttery, soft texture.

Instead of regular all-purpose flour, I use homemade oat flour; it's so easy to make and gives this recipe a golden flavor that complements the richness of molasses, maple syrup, and ginger spice!

Ingredients

To make this recipe, you’ll need old-fashioned oats to blend into oat flour, baking soda and baking powder for a fluffy texture, cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, and salt. The wet ingredients are butter (or a dairy-free alternative), molasses, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla extract, and unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or regular milk). I also use powdered sugar to sprinkle over the cake.

A four-image collage showing steps for making gluten-free gingerbread cake.
Top left: oats, eggs, spices, molasses, sweeteners, and liquids in small bowls.
Top right: oat flour and dry ingredients blended together in a blender.
Bottom left: The mixed gingerbread batter in a large bowl.
Bottom right: The batter poured into a parchment-lined square baking pan.

How to Make Oat Flour Gingerbread Cake

As I’ll show you in the video below, this gluten-free gingerbread cake is a one-bowl wonder you can make with no fuss, following these steps:

Preheat the oven and spray a 9 x 9-inch square pan generously with baking spray.
Blend the oats into flour. Add the remaining dry ingredients and pulse to combine. Whisk the wet ingredients in a bowl. Then, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until smooth.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow it to cool down before removing it from the pan and dusting with powdered sugar.

Since this recipe uses 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 of 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.

Gluten-Free Toppings for Gingerbread Cake

Garnishing gingerbread cake with the right toppings turns it into a show-stopping dessert. Here’s a few ideas to get you inspired:

Cream cheese icing
Simple glaze: powered sugar + milk.
Whipped cream + dash of cinnamon
Sliced orange + orange zest
Candied ginger slices
Fresh cranberries
Currants

gingerbread cake sliced into 16 squares on a dish

Storing & Freezing Gingerbread Cake

Cut cake leftovers into slices and store them in an airtight container in the fridge or at room temperature for up to 5 days. Enjoy chill or give it a quick warm-up in the microwave.

You can also make a few cakes ahead and freeze them. Wrap individual portions in plastic wrap, and freeze them inside a large, freezer-safe zip bag for up to 2 months. Defrost at room temperature or reheat in the microwave; it'll taste fresh like the day you baked it.

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cake (with Oat Flour)

Servings: 16 servings

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 50

Total Time: 1

Let me introduce you to the best gluten-free gingerbread cake! It's full of rich holiday spice and soft-crumbed texture thanks to oat flour.

5 from 9 votes

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Ingredients

3 cups old-fashioned 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 molasses
½ cup maple syrup
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 ½ cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk, or regular milk
2 teaspoons powdered sugar for dusting, optional

Instructions

Prep:

Preheat the oven to 350F and spray a 9 x 9-inch (22 x 22-cm) square pan generously with baking spray.

Make the batter:

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.
In a large bowl, whisk the butter, molasses, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla, and almond milk until smooth.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine.

Bake:

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.
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.

Store:

Store in an airtight container in the fridge or at room temperature for 5 days, or up to 2 months in the freezer.

Notes

To make this recipe dairy-free, swap the melted butter for equal parts melted coconut oil or a vegan butter alternative.
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.