Pumpkin gingerbread - this delicious vegan loaf cake is the best of both worlds! A pumpkin bread, gingerbread hybrid, it is sweet, soft, sticky, spicy and incredibly moreish!
Flavoured with spices, treacle or molasses, brown sugar and pumpkin, it is also very easy to make in just one bowl!
Based on my vegan banana gingerbread recipe, this pumpkin version is perfect for Autumn!
With plenty of ginger and black treacle (or molasses for those of you outside of the UK), it definitely leans more towards gingerbread flavour than pumpkin spice, but the pumpkin helps give it a lovely soft, moist texture.
It is incredibly moreish and is lovely with a cuppa, but I bet it would also be amazing served warm with custard for pudding!
Ingredient Details:
Tinned pumpkin puree: You need to use pure pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling. It is available from many larger supermarkets in the UK, or online. Alternatively you can make your own by roasting and pureeing pumpkin or butternut squash.
Brown sugar: Dark brown soft or muscovado sugar adds a lovely treacle flavour. You can use light brown instead, but do go for dark if you have it.
Treacle: I use black treacle but molasses will also work.
Golden Syrup: If you weren't already aware then golden syrup is vegan friendly! Lyle's is the most well known brand, but supermarket own is absolutely fine and is what I use. See below for details.
Milk: You can use any kind you like but it should ideally be unsweetened and soy milk is best as it has the highest protein content.
Plain flour: Just regular plain (all-purpose) flour. I don't recommend swapping it for wholemeal, it will make the cake too dense.
Oil: Any neutral flavoured oil will work, I use olive.
Baking powder and soda: Make sure that you use both, they are not interchangeable.
Spices: Ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves add loads of spicy, warming flavour. Feel free to vary the spices to suit you; a bit of cardamom would be a lovely addition.
Vinegar: This reacts with the raising agents to help the cake rise. I use cider vinegar but white or red wine vinegar is fine too.
How To Make Pumpkin Gingerbread:
(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)
- Step 1: Whisk together the pumpkin puree, treacle, golden syrup, brown sugar, oil, milk and vinegar in a large bowl.
- Step 2: Whisk in the baking powder and soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and salt, followed by the flour.
- Step 3: Pour the batter into a lined 2lb loaf tin and spread it level.
- Step 4: Bake for 1 hour.
Top Tips:
USE SCALES. As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scales rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
Tablespoon and teaspoon measurements are for standard measuring spoons, NOT regular kitchen spoons. A Tablespoon is 15ml and a teaspoon is 5ml.
For the best results, please weigh out the pumpkin, golden syrup and treacle (and everything else for that matter!). I really can't stress enough how much better baking by weight rather than volume is!
Make sure that you don't over-beat the batter as that can make the cake tough. Just mix it until no dry lumps remain. I recommend stirring it by hand with a balloon whisk.
If you want to make sure that the cake has a perfect crack down the centre, dip a butter knife in oil and run it through the batter before putting it in the oven.
For even more ginger flavour you can add a couple of handfuls of chopped crystallised (candied) ginger to the batter before baking.
This pumpkin gingerbread would be lovely topped with a simple lemon glaze.
FAQ's:
This vegan pumpkin gingerbread will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for around 5 days.
Yes this cake freezes really well, either whole or in slices. Make sure that it has cooled completely first then wrap it well to avoid freezer burn and freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to defrost at room temperature.
Golden syrup is a very common baking ingredient in the UK; it has a buttery caramel flavour and the texture of honey, but is vegan friendly. It can be tricky to get hold of elsewhere, though apparently lots of stores in the US have it in the foreign foods section or you can get in online. You can also try making your own!
There isn't really a good substitute for it as it is very unique, but if you aren't able to get hold of any and don't want to make your own then you can swap it for light molasses, agave or corn syrup instead.
More Vegan Ginger Cake Recipes:
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Pumpkin Gingerbread (vegan)
Ingredients
- 240 g (1 cup) pumpkin puree
- 100 g (5 Tablespoons) black treacle (or molasses)
- 100 g (5 tablespoons) golden syrup
- 100 g (packed ½ cup) dark brown soft sugar
- 82 g (6 Tablespoons) neutral oil (I use olive)
- 80 g (⅓ cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy)
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 3 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 260 g (2 cups + 1 Tablespoon) plain (all-purpose) flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4. Line a 2lb loaf tin (approx 11.5 x 21.5 cm / 4.5 x 8.5 in) with baking parchment.
- Whisk together the pumpkin puree, treacle, golden syrup, brown sugar, oil, milk and vinegar in a large bowl until well combined.240 g (1 cup) pumpkin puree, 100 g (5 Tablespoons) black treacle (or molasses), 100 g (5 tablespoons) golden syrup, 100 g (packed ½ cup) dark brown soft sugar, 82 g (6 Tablespoons) neutral oil (I use olive), 80 g (⅓ cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy), 1 teaspoon vinegar
- Whisk in the baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and salt.1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), 3 teaspoons ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground allspice, ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Finally add the flour, stir the batter with a balloon whisk until no dry lumps remain but be careful not to over-beat the mixture.260 g (2 cups + 1 Tablespoon) plain (all-purpose) flour
- Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 1 hour until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the tin. Once cold, store in an airtight container.
Notes
- See post above for tips, details and step-by-step photos.
- All of my recipes are developed using grams, and as with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup coversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
- Tablespoon and teaspoon measurements are for standard measuring spoons, NOT regular kitchen spoons. A Tablespoon is 15ml and a teaspoon is 5ml.
If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess
Emily
Can’t wait to make this! Do you reckon a smallish (10-cup) bundt tin would work as well as a loaf?
FYI I think cane syrup from the Southern US is pretty close to golden syrup; it can also be hard to find but is what I usually use in recipes that call for light treacle.
Hannah
Hi Emily, I have only tried it as a loaf but I think that a bundt tin would work fine, the bake time may be slightly less though. Good to know about the cane syrup!
Louise
I used pumpkin purée I'd made myself & was a bit concerned whether I'd get a good result compared with the consistency of the tinned kind.
I used a rather random mix of bread flour, wholewheat flour & cornflour as I was out of plain flour.
In spite of those potential problems, this came out perfectly. Beautifully risen, lovely moist texture, great flavour.
I will definitely make it again but will probably up the ginger a little - might add a little fresh or preserved ginger. I do like things VERY gingery!