Nothing screams winter more than baking festive cakes like this vegan gingerbread cake with orange glaze. Rich and warming with ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon, sticky and sweet from the treacle, and finished with a bright, tangy orange glaze.

It’s super easy to make, completely plant based, and the perfect treat to enjoy on a cold day with a cup of cocoa.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Ingredients laid out for gingerbread with orange glaze including flour, sugar, molasses, butter, spices, and orange — Key ingredients prepared for making gingerbread cake with orange glaze.

Plain Flour

The foundation of the sponge.

Ground Ginger, Cinnamon, and Nutmeg

The core spices that bring warmth and depth. Allspice would also work well added into the mix.

Black Treacle (aka Molasses)

Treacle adds the stickiness, as well as the deep caramel flavour. It is essential for making gingerbread cakes, and cannot be replaced by regular sugar. If you absolutely cannot find black treacle, then golden syrup would be the next closest thing. And if (like here in Austria) neither are easy to find, then date syrup would be the next best thing in terms of flavour, consistency, and colour.

Muscavado

This unrefined sugar is naturally moist, rich, and full of molasses flavour — it gives the cake its signature stickiness and depth that plain brown sugar can’t quite match. Light muscovado adds gentle caramel notes, while dark muscovado brings an intense, almost toffee-like richness. If you can’t find it, soft brown sugar will work, but the flavour won’t be as intense.

Flaxseed ( aka) Linseed

Ground flaxseeds mixed with water create a gel that mimics the binding power of eggs. They hold the sponge together while keeping it completely plant-based. If using whole seeds (like me) then run them through a coffee grinder or smash them with a mortar and pestle.

Dairy-Free Butter

We will need it completely melted before using. You can also replace with a neutral oil such as sunflower or rapeseed oil.

Plant-Based Milk

Oat, soy, or almond milk all work well. Oat milk tends to give the creamiest result in baking.

Baking Powder

The raising agent that gives lift and keeps the cake soft and fluffy.

Orange Zest & Juice

These are used in the glaze that goes over the final cake. You can also stir a little zest into the cake batter for an extra note of citrus.

Icing Sugar

This, along with the orange juice, will make the glaze. Sift it before adding the orange juice to avoid it lumping up,

Step-by-Step Instructions

Preheat the oven to 170°C (150°C fan) / 350°F. Grease and line a loaf tin (or 20cm square tin) with baking paper for easy removal.
Make the vegan “egg “- If you have whole flaxseeds, then you will need to grind them down to a powder. The easiest way to do this if by pulsing them a few times in an electric coffee grinder. Once you have a powder, mix ground flaxseeds with water. Stir and set aside for 5–10 minutes until thick and gel-like.

This alternative can be used in many baking situations where whole egg is required. For reference, 1 tbsp of ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tbsp water will be the equivalent of 1 egg.

Flaxseed mixture in a glass bowl with spoon for vegan baking — Ground flaxseed mixed with water to make a vegan egg replacement.

Mix the dry ingredients – in a large bowl, whisk together the plain flour, baking powder, ground ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon.
Mix the wet ingredients – Melt the vegan butter and whisk in the muscovado sugar, treacle, and plant-based milk until everything is combined. Add the flaxseed mixture.
Combine wet and dry – pour the melted mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. The batter should be smooth and slightly sticky. Don’t overmix or the cake will become dense.

Dry ingredients for gingerbread cake mixed in a glass bowl — Flour, spices, and sugar combined in a bowl for the cake batter.

Wet ingredients for gingerbread cake being whisked in a glass bowl — Flour, spices, and sugar combined in a bowl for the cake batter.

Bake the cake – transfer the batter to the prepared tin and smooth the top. Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. If the top browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil.

Don’t worry if it doesn’t rise much. It doesn’t act like a traditional sponge because the treacle will make it denser. It will rise, but probably maximum 30% higher than the initial batter.
Cool completely – leave the cake in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool fully. It has to be completely cooled before adding the glaze, or it will melt and run off. Try to be patient here…

Freshly baked loaf of gingerbread cake cooling on a wire rack — A whole gingerbread cake loaf cooling after baking.

Make the orange glaze – sift the icing sugar into a bowl and gradually whisk in fresh orange juice and zest until smooth and pourable. Add the juice very slowly, just one tsp at a time, to avoid making it too thin. If you add too much, just whisk in a little more icing sugar to thicken it up.
Finish and serve – drizzle the orange glaze generously over the cooled cake, and sprinkle on some chopped candied orange peel to garnish. Allow it to set for 10–15 minutes before slicing.