Perfectly Spiced Gluten Free Gingerbread Cake
The most tender gluten free gingerbread cake you've ever had, with all the right warm winter spices and plenty of molasses, maple syrup, and honey. It's your new favorite snack cake!
Yield: 9 squares of cake
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2 ½ cups (350 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I used Better Batter; please click thru for appropriate blends)
- 1 ¼ teaspoons xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (109 g) packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons (42 g) unsulphured molasses
- 6 tablespoons (126 g) pure maple syrup
- 4 tablespoons (84 g) honey
- 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 (50 g (weighed out of shell)) egg at room temperature, beaten
- 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) warm water
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) neutral oil (vegetable, canola, grapeseed, etc.)
For the cream cheese glaze
- 1 cup (115 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon lukewarm water plus more by the drop
Instructions
Make the cake.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and line an 8-inch square baking pan and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and granulated sugar. Whisk to combine well.
- Add the brown sugar and mix to combine, breaking up any lumps.
- Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the molasses, maple syrup, honey, butter, egg, water, and oil, and mix to combine well. The batter will be thick.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth the top with a moistened spatula.
- Place the pan in the center of the preheated oven. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with, at most, a few moist crumbs attached (40 to 50 minutes).
- Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the glaze.
- While the cake is cooling, make the cream cheese glaze. In a small bowl, place the confectioners’ sugar, cream cheese, and 1/4 teaspoon of lukewarm water.
- Mix until a very thick paste forms. Add more water by the drop, mixing to combine well after each addition, until you have a thickly pourable glaze.
- When the cake is cool, slice into squares and serve with a dollop of cream cheese glaze.
Notes
Originally posted on the blog in 2011 (!). Recipe unchanged, photos and video new, text mostly new.