Applesauce is this key to this moist and flavorful vegan ginger cake. No one will know it’s fat-free and made with whole-grain flour.
Imagine biting into this moist and tender vegan ginger cake. First you breathe in the aroma of cinnamon, and as you take your first bite, you savor the warm flavor of ginger. And then, just when you think you’ve figured out all the secrets of this sweet delight, you bite into a hidden nugget of candied ginger and POW–a rush of tingling flavor!
And then I tell you that it’s fat-free, and you just don’t believe me.
The secret is the applesauce, which is the only liquid in the cake–no eggs or egg substitutes, no non-dairy milk, no water. Applesauce makes this whole-wheat cake dense but moist at the same time while adding some natural sweetness.
The maple glaze, though delicious, is really just for show because this cake is sweet and tender enough without it. So leave it off if you like, and if you’re really intent of cutting back on sugar, try replacing all or part of the granulated sugar with erythritol, a sugar substitute that may actually have some health benefits.
With or without the sugar, if you’re a ginger lover, you won’t want to miss this cake. Consider it a Christmas present from me to you!
For more sweet winter treats, check out 10 Healthy Vegan Christmas Dessert Recipes.
Applesauce Ginger Cake with Maple Glaze
Ingredients
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons crystallized (candied) ginger , chopped small (about 3/4 ounce)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon cloves
- 2 1/4 cups unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Glaze
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 pinch ginger powder
- Additional candied ginger for serving optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a bundt pan or 9×9-inch baking pan.
- Mix the dry ingredients together; then add the applesauce, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Stir until combined but don’t over-stir. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 45-60 minutes. Test by inserting a toothpick into the center; it’s done when the toothpick comes out perfectly clean.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Invert onto cake dish.
- Prepare the glaze: Combine the maple syrup, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, and generous pinch of powdered ginger in a small saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and allow to cool and thicken. (You can put the pan in a bowl of cold water to speed up cooling.) When the glaze has thickened but is still pourable, drizzle it over the cake. Serve immediately, garnished with strips of candied ginger, if desired.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
Please pin and share!
I wish you all a happy, peaceful holiday. Be good to yourselves and to each other!
Suzanne
November 25, 2015 at 8:44 pmCould this recipe be doubled to fill a larger bundt pan?
Susan Voisin
November 25, 2015 at 8:56 pmI haven’t tried it doubled, so you would be taking a risk that it wouldn’t bake all the way through.
Kathy
December 10, 2015 at 6:39 amAbsolutely love this cake, so moist and delicious. I left the glaze off and it was still sweet and flavorful.
Lisa
January 3, 2016 at 4:03 pmCan I use arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch? I want to make it for a friend that doesn’t eat corn. If not, I’ll just make it as is for myself. 🙂
Christine
May 31, 2016 at 8:48 amMade this over the weekend–thanks Susan! I made a chocolate glaze for the top… adding a little fat, but it was yummy!
Kay
January 2, 2017 at 3:45 amWhat an absolute simple cake to bake, and yet so very delicious ! It is also a very forgiving recipe as I got the baking soda and cornstarch measurements the wrong way round…but it came out perfect! Thank you so much for this keeper recipe. I find most of your recipes keepers and have found transitioning to WFPB eating so much simpler because of them.
Patricia Giannelia
August 7, 2017 at 2:05 pmHi Susan;
Thank you so much for your varied and wonderful recipes. I am curious, however at the high sodium counts. For example, your Applesauce Ginger Cake lists 413 mg sodium per slice – from what? There is no added salt, and none of the ingredients strike me as containing a lot of salt.
Also, when using tomato sauce, do you recommend using low salt if available?
One other question re baking – how interchangeable are flours? A friend recommended using oat flour instead of whole wheat, as she finds it lighter, yet a whole grain. I was also wondering about barley, spelt or other flours (gluten is not an issue at our house, but I do like to try non-wheat options.)
thank you.
Susan Voisin
August 7, 2017 at 4:35 pmHi Patricia, Most of the sodium is from the baking soda and the 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Together they account for 403mg of sodium. I didn’t check all of the other ingredients, but I wouldn’t be surprised at trace amounts making up the rest. It’s hard to bake a cake and keep it low sodium.
I don’t generally use low salt tomato sauce, but if sodium is a concern, definitely use it.
About the flours, I haven’t had good luck using gluten-free flours instead of wheat flour. Instead, I recommend a gluten-free baking blend that combines flours and starches in such a way to imitate the effect of gluten on rising. You can probably find a recipe online for a baking blend featuring the flours you’re interested in.
Cyndi J
November 27, 2017 at 10:37 amI’ve now made this cake twice and it is excellent. The crumb and level of moistness are perfect. It’s nice to have a go-to cake recipe. Thank you.
Patricia Giannelia
December 21, 2017 at 7:24 pmAwesome cake – easy to make and delicious!
Shobha Swamy
January 5, 2018 at 5:10 pmAwesome cake! Thanks a ton for this amazing recipe. This cake is our family favorite! I used fresh ginger (1/4 Cup) in place of all the Ginger powder, since our family is a hug fan of fresh Ginger.
A keeper recipe. I have shared it with many friends and taken as a gift to many. I have also made this cake GF and it turned out amazing too! THANKS a lot Susan! I am a Food For Life Instructor from PCRM and I love your no added oil recipes! Keep up the good work, Susan! 🙂
Virginia
January 31, 2018 at 5:51 pmA very moist, tender and gingery cake. This was a big hit with my ginger loving family & friends. I also love that it is vegan, which means I can make it for anyone. I swapped Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour blend in place of the ww flour, as gluten intolerance needed to be considered. Because I was not certain how this change would affect the recipe I kept the designated amount of sugar, though 1 cup seemed like a LOT. VERY (TOO) SWEET, for my taste preference esp. with the maple syrup glaze (though still edible… ;-). The glaze is great, so will keep that and plan to cut the sugar by 1/3 to 1/2 the next time I make it. The cake is definitely moist and tender enough with the applesauce to make this change. I’m giving it 4 stars instead of 5 because it is too sweet – otherwise a great recipe.
Aimee B.
October 17, 2018 at 3:53 pmI can’t remember if I’ve already commented on this amazing recipe or not, but we LOVE it! I’ve been searching high and low for a low fat option for my husband for the holidays. He is diabetic and we are following Dr. Barnard’s plan, which pretty much eliminates oils and fats. This is PERFECT! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I didn’t have crystallized ginger, so added another 1/2 t of the ground. I also added 1/2 t caramel extract and omitted the glaze. I’ve been thinking I may add in some raisins next time. It’s really a lovely cake. Thank you. 🙂
Romy
November 11, 2018 at 4:26 pmLoved it!
Finally baked it today. I cut the recipe in half and cooked it in a loaf pan (40 minutes). It was delicious. I do have a question/dilemma I am really sensitive to the flavor of Baking Soda so I replaced with Baking Powder (1:3). On the Next batch I am going to try and cut back on the Baking Powder by one teaspoon since I could kind of taste it and see if that works.
Last of all, I added a 1/4 cup fine wheat bran for fiber. It was lovely.
Thank You for such a delicious recipe!
Tricia
October 8, 2019 at 12:36 amCan’t believe I haven’t seen this recipe sooner and don’t know how you can keep from just eating the whole thing in one sitting, especially when still warm from the oven! I cut the sugar by barely a quarter cup just because I always reduce the sugar in recipes and knew the candied ginger would add more sweetness. I also was just a smidge short on applesauce (used sugar free homemade chunky style with cinnamon) so added about a 1/8 cup of FF Greek yogurt to make up the difference for the right moisture level. Only took about 40 min. in my square baking pan. Moist and not too overly dense like many whole wheat/fat free baked goods tend to be. If you are a ginger fan this is perfect.
Jane
December 21, 2019 at 3:03 pmCan anything besides xilytol or erythropoietin be substituted for the sugar. Can’t use those sweeteners
Susan Voisin
December 21, 2019 at 3:35 pmYou can use anything that is meant to be used as a direct 1:1 replacement for sugar.
Jamie
December 25, 2019 at 8:35 pmDelicious! I made this for Christmas today, and everyone loved it. I didn’t have time to make the glaze, but nobody felt anything was missing. Thank you!
Julie Blesener
December 28, 2019 at 10:49 amI made this recipe for Christmas eve, just as is, and everyone loved it. My cranky brother in law, who never gives a compliment, said that this recipe is a keeper and he loved it! Thanks for the easy recipe!
sofia
January 5, 2020 at 4:13 amhi susan! this recipe looks absolutely amazing and i was just wondering if it tastes anything like a gingerbread cake? thank you for sharing your amazing baking with the world!
Susan Voisin
January 5, 2020 at 8:41 amHi Sofia, yes, I would say it tastes a lot like gingerbread. Hope you enjoy it!
Jenn
December 15, 2020 at 5:17 pmHi Susan!
This looks delicious.! Any idea if I could use the mini bundt cake pans for this, and if so, how long to bake? It would be nice to share with the neighbors for the holidays:)
Susan Voisin
December 15, 2020 at 5:27 pmI definitely think you can use the mini bundts because people have made them before as cupcakes. I would test them with at toothpick after 15 minutes and every 5 minutes after that. They should cook pretty quickly.
SF Fatfree Vegan
September 7, 2021 at 10:03 pmMy entire family loved it. Made it for Rosh Hashana. Cut the sugar a little, used fresh ginger, and added chopped apple. Made it in a bundt cake and cooked it for 47 min. Was really moist and flavorful. Thank you!