Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cake with Oat Flour

Every bite of this gluten-free gingerbread cake boasts rich holiday spices and molasses in a soft-crumbed texture. It is THE allergy-friendly version of the classic treat everyone will love.

Gingerbread is the flavor you want to help celebrate the season, and whether you dust your cake with powdered sugar or top it with cream cheese icing, this recipe is one you’ll come to again and again.

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 cake recipe with all those traditional flavors and a buttery, soft texture. 

Instead of regular all-purpose flour, we 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!

Don’t you love discovering allergy-friendly versions of your favorite desserts that actually taste incredible? I do, and you’ll find many more recipes like this one in my latest cookbook: 

Ingredients

Old-fashioned oats are a staple in my pantry mainly because of their versatility to star in delicious recipes like baked oatmeal, pancakes, muffins, cookies, and these Roasted Veggies and Savory Oats! 

Of course, it’s no surprise that you can turn this nutritious staple into flour and use it for baked goods like this one! Here’s what you’ll need: 

• Old-fashioned oats: added to a blender and turned into oat flour. 
• Leavening agents: this recipe requires both baking soda and powder to give the cake a fluffy texture. 
• Cinnamon: the king of holiday spice. 
• Ground ginger: essential for gingerbread spice. 
• Ground cloves: super fragrant with a warm-sweet flavor. 
• Salt: brings out the best in the other ingredients. 
• Butter: makes a soft, moist cake. 
• Molasses: use unsulphured molasses like Grandma’s Original. 
• Maple syrup: too much molasses can be overpowering, so we cut it with this breakfast staple.
• Eggs: binds the ingredients and helps the cake rise. 
• Vanilla extract: for good measure. 
• Unsweetened vanilla almond milk: or regular milk. 
• Powdered sugar: to sprinkle over the top of the cake! 

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!

For those that love step-by-step get the preview here, and then scroll to print out the whole recipe:

1. Prepare
   Make the oat flour and preheat the oven to 350F and spray a 9 x 9-inch square pan generously with baking spray. 
2. Mix the Dry Ingredients
   To the oat flour add the baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. 
3. Whisk the Wet Ingredients
   In a separate large bowl, whisk the butter, molasses, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla, and almond milk.
4. Combine
   Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until smooth. 
5. 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. 
6. Dust
   Remove the cake from the oven and cool completely before removing it from the pan and dusting with powdered sugar. 

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. 

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. 

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

How to Serve Gingerbread Cake

Gingerbread can be served fresh from the oven, chilled, or reheated- any way you like! If leftover cake is present, cut it into slices and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator or at room temperature for up to 5 days.

When you’re ready for a snack, remove a chilled slice and bite in, or give it a quick warm-up in the microwave.

Gluten-Free Toppings for Gingerbread Cake

Gingerbread has an incredible flavor, but garnishing it with right toppings can turn this simple cake 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

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.