Easy ginger cake – this one bowl sticky vegan ginger cake is so quick and easy to make and tastes amazing; it is the best ginger cake (vegan or otherwise) I have ever eaten! Egg and dairy free.
This easy vegan ginger traybake cake is one of my absolute favourite cakes of all time. It also happens to be one of the easiest cakes I have ever made! You would never know that it is vegan and egg and dairy free.
It is very moist and sticky with a good hit of ginger, and although it is great fresh from the oven, it keeps well too and just gets stickier and better with time. It reminds me of the McVities Jamaican Ginger Cake that I grew up eating (though this one is much nicer and more flavourful!).
It is also made using entirely non-perishable store cupboard ingredients so it can be whipped up any time without needing to pop to the shops – perfect for cake emergencies!
This is the same cake recipe that I used for my Christmas Woodland Animal Ginger Cake, but this time I baked it as a sheet cake rather than a layer cake. It is a very versatile and forgiving recipe!
It is such a delicious, sticky cake that it doesn’t really need any kind of adornment, but a drizzle of zingy lemon glaze does provide a nice contrast to the sweetness and warmth from the ginger.
This recipe makes a fairly large cake – about 24 small squares; so it is perfect for feeding a crowd. It also keeps really well in an airtight container if you do have leftovers and is perfect for snacking on; or warmed up for dessert with custard!
How To Make Easy Ginger Cake:
(For ingredients and full instructions see the recipe card below)
*For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.*
This is a really quick and easy one bowl recipe. Start by preheating the oven. Grease a traybake tin and line with a strip of baking parchment.
Tip the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, ground ginger, mixed spice, caster sugar and salt in to a large bowl and whisk with a balloon whisk until well combined.
Add golden syrup, treacle, sunflower oil and boiling water and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Take care not to over-mix however as this can make vegan cakes tough. The heat from the water will melt the golden syrup and treacle so that they mix in easily.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for about 25 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. The cake is quite delicate when warm so leave it to cool in the tin for about 20 minutes before you carefully flip it out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
To make the lemon glaze, gradually stir fresh lemon juice into sifted icing sugar until it reaches a drizzling consistency then drizzle it over the cooled cake and serve.
Can Easy Vegan Ginger Cake Be Frozen?:
Yes. Once the cake is cooled it can be wrapped and frozen; either whole or in individual slices.
Variations:
- For an extra kick of ginger, stir a large handful of chopped candied or stem ginger into the batter before you bake the cake.
- Mix in a couple of handfuls of chocolate chips or chopped dried dates, figs or cranberries.
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Easy Ginger Cake (Vegan)
Ingredients
Easy Ginger Cake:
- 450 g (3 + 3/4 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour sifted
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 4 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp mixed spice (pumpkin spice)
- 160 g (3/4 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 160 ml (2/3 cup) sunflower oil (or another neutral oil)
- 200 g (7oz) golden syrup
- 200 g (7oz) treacle (molasses)
- 360 ml (1 1/2 cups) boiling water
Lemon Glaze:
- 75 g icing (powdered) sugar sifted
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Grease a 23x33cm / 9x13inch rectangular cake tin and line with a strip of baking parchment.
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Whisk together the sifted plain flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, ginger, mixed spice, caster sugar and salt in a large bowl.
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Add the golden syrup, treacle, sunflower oil and boiling water to the bowl and whisk until no lumps of flour remain.
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Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for about 25 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
-
Leave to cool in the tin for 20-30 minutes then carefully flip the cake out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
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To make the lemon glaze, place the sifted icing sugar in a bowl and gradually stir in enough lemon juice to reach a drizzling consistency. Drizzle the glaze over the cake, cut into squares and serve.
Recipe Notes
- For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.
- For an extra ginger kick you can add a couple of handfuls of chopped stem or candied ginger to the batter.
Annabell
I cannot wait to bake this myself! – absolutely divine!
Paula
This cake is lovely! I made it yesterday and in true ginger style it tasted even better today! Really lovely!
Georgie
I made this and your chocolate sheet cake for a bake sale & both got raves reviews! The ginger cake is perfectly spiced and rises perfectly. Thanks for the recipe!
Sally
This looks absolutely amazing! Keen to try it for a party – do you think it would work with gluten free flour?
hannahhossack
Hi Sally, thank you! I haven’t tested it but I think it should work fine with a gluten free flour blend.
Sally
Thank you! I made a half batch using GF flour and it worked fine. I had no treacle so had to do a last minute substitute with honey + dark muscovado sugar but the cake still managed to survive. Added the handful of chopped ginger as well. Will definitely come back to this recipe again!!
Laura
Oh my, this takes me back to my childhood! Can’t wait to try this, thank you!! 🙂 I don’t live in the UK. What substitutes can you suggest for golden syrup & for treacle?
Fortunately I have a stash of Bird’s custard powder that I found in an Indian shop That’s a dream combination with this cake, if you ask me!
hannahhossack
Hi Laura, you can use molasses instead of the treacle; golden syrup is a bit trickier, there isn’t really a perfect substitute. Maybe corn syrup? But I have never used corn syrup before so I can’t say for sure. Your best bet would actually be to make your own golden syrup! It isn’t too hard, here is a recipe: https://www.internationaldessertsblog.com/make-golden-syrup/ I hope you manage to find something that work for you and yes, this cake plus custard is heavenly!
Fran
This recipe worked brilliantly and the cake rose really well. It’s full of flavour with a good texture. Absolutely no compromise is made with this cake on flavour or anything else compared with non-vegan.
Cassia
Can I use vegan milk instead of water?
hannahhossack
Hi Cassia, there is no need to use milk, it works perfectly with water. I haven’t tested it using milk so I don’t know how it would affect the cake.
Cassia
Thanks for the reply!
Rosie
I made the Ginger sheet cake but popped it in a springform pan, it turned out perfectly and is delicious!
Ranjan
Can’t wait to make this.
This is now in my recipe folder
Egg free galore is always welcomed.
Thank you.
Carolyn
Have 2 questions in regards to ingredients for ginger sheet cake:
What exactly is golden syrup? Would that be like maple syrup?
What is treacle?
hannahhossack
Hi Carolyn, golden syrup is a thick syrup with a buttery caramel flavour that is commonly used in baking in the UK, it is much thicker than maple syrup. It is worth seeking out if possible, Lyle’s is the most common brand. If you are in the US I have heard that a lot of stores have it in either the baking of foreign foods sections, or you can order it online. I’m not sure what the best substitute for it would be I’m afraid, possibly light molasses or corn syrup though we don’t have those here so I can’t say for sure.
Treacle is similar to molasses, though I think it has a deeper flavour.
Marija
This cake was amazing! Not too sweet and held together well.
I want to make it ahead for xmas – do you think it freezes ok? Or jow long does it last outside of freezing?
hannahhossack
Hi Marija, so glad you enjoyed it! Yes, it should freeze fine. Otherwise it should keep for at least five days in an airtight container.
Carol hook
Can you use coconut oil instead of sunflower oil ,
hannahhossack
Sure, I don’t see why that wouldn’t work.
Sabrina
Hello is there a way to use freshly grated ginger in place of the powdered ginger? I would love the added health benefits and to use up some ginger I have if possible! Thanks in advance!
hannahhossack
Hi Sabrina, sure! just grate some in to taste. Add it along with the wet ingredients.
Sabrina
Thanks!! 🙂 can’t wait to try this!
Sarah
I’ve never been a fan of ginger in anything but I thought I would try and make a cake to see if I could learn to like it. Well….I LOVE IT! This cake is divine and SO easy to make. Think this will be a regular bake!
Karen
\This was the easiest and mot amazing cake I have made for years. I made it with gluten free flour and substituted the honey and golden syrup for equal parts molasses and date syrup. It was light fluffy, rich and delicious. We ate 3/4 in one sitting. Amazing recipe, can\t recommend highly enough.
Amy
I want to make this in an 8 inch tin…how would I go about changing the measurements?
hannahhossack
I reckon the recipe would make two slightly thinner 20cm/8inch square cakes.
Amy
Thanks… I just did it in a traybake one to test the recipe today… was hubbys request….his verdict -hes hoping its one of them cakes that taste nicer the next day. App it lacked flavour…. I used the right measurements if anything I added extra.. oh well see what it’s like tomorrow lol
hannahhossack
Sorry to hear it wasn’t quite flavourful enough, I always find the ginger flavour of this cake quite strong so maybe my ground ginger is more potent than yours. You can always add some grated fresh ginger to the batter if you want it to have an extra kick, and a couple of handfuls of chopped stem or candied ginger wouldn’t go amiss either.
Amy
Thanks… i was trying to find a recipe that didnt require stem ginger… yours seemed perfect… and also a perfect vegan option for my customers… I will see what’s it’s like tomorrow… can always tweak it…I’ve not tried it yet
Sheena
Amazing recipe, really easy to follow! The cake has gorgeous intense flavour and texture was great too ☺️ Thank you for sharing Hannah xx
Liz
Made this yesterday,and it was lovely and made the kitchen smell gorgeous too.
I agree with your comment about the McVities Jamaican Ginger Cake.
I added some chocolate drops and fiery ginger pieces to the mixture as per your variations.
Will also try adding some fresh ginger next time too.
Looking forward to trying more of your recipes – first off may be the lemon curd 🙂
Jamila
What is golden syrup please? Thank you!
hannahhossack
Hi Jamila, It is a thick, sticky, golden coloured syrup that is very common in the UK. There is no substitute for it as it is very unique. It is possible to make your own however with a few basic ingredients: https://www.daringgourmet.com/how-to-make-golden-syrup/