Gluten Free Gingerbread Cake

I can't seem to get enough gingerbread this year, it's so different than the usual chocolate or pumpkin dessert! I honestly don't think I've had gingerbread in about 10 years, so this was such a delicious and healthy treat for Christmas.

This recipe was adapted from one of my favorite dessert blogs, Chocolate Covered Katie.

There are 3 secret ingredients that make this cake special. The first is blackstrap molasses. It is used as a sweetener rather than regular white sugar, and is loaded with nutrients like calcium, iron, copper, magnesium, manganese, and potassium. The second is ground flax as a replacement for eggs. Flax is filled with heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids and is a cholesterol-free option for egg replacement. The last secret ingredient is carrot juice! The juice helps keep the cake moist without loading it with fat, and compliments the sweet molasses and cinnamon perfectly.

This Gingerbread Cake is 100% gluten free, and the ingredients can easily be substituted with vegan and vegetarian options.

Makes 1 cake

You will need:

• 2/3 cup milk of choice
• 1/4 cup blackstrap molasses (regular is fine)
• 1/4 cup liquid sweetener of choice (I used Agave)
• 1/3 cup carrot juice
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp melted coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
• 2 tbsp ground flax meal
• 1 cup Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Baking Flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400F. Grease a cake tin or line with parchment paper for the batter.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together milk, molasses, liquid sweetener, carrot juice, vinegar, oil, and flax meal. Allow to sit at least 5 minutes so the flax can gel slightly.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and sugar. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stirring until just evenly combined. You don't want to over mix this batter.

Pour the batter into the cake tin and place in the oven for 25 minutes. A toothpick should come out clean after the timer goes off. Let the cake sit on the stovetop for another 20 minutes to cool and obtain the correct consistency. You can either place the cake in the fridge to save for later, or remove from the cake tin and top with whatever your heart desires! I used whipped cream and sifted some cocoa powder over the top.

Enjoy!