Easy Vegan Ginger Cake

You know how sometimes, you just feel the need for cake?  I had one of those days and decided it had to be a ginger cake.  I dug out my Granny's recipe and made a ginger cake which we thoroughly enjoyed.  However, having a few vegan friends, I thought it would be nice if I could make a vegan version.  I found a plethora of recipes online, but they seemed to need to strange egg replacement ingredients which weren't that readily available or seemed rather complicated. Then I came across this recipe: Easy Vegan ginger cake which was very similar to my Granny's recipe.  I substituted golden syrup for the black treacle/molasses and can confirm that the recipe was very simple and the end result was delicious!

The recipe is below (just in case you don't want to follow the link above).  (My comments are in pink):

Easy Ginger Cake Recipe (One Step, Vegan)

This vegan easy ginger cake is delicious, and made entirely from store cupboard ingredients. Simply put all the ingredients into a mixer and whizz. Swap in your favourite gluten free flour to make this gluten free. Free-form baking made easy. Egg Free, Dairy Free and Vegan.

Servings: 16 

Author: Helen Best-Shaw

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 40 mins

Total Time 50 mins

Ingredients

• 350 g Plain Flour

• 225 g Sugar (soft dark brown)

• 100 ml Vegetable oil

• 2-3 tsp ground ginger

• 1 tsp baking powder

• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

• Pinch salt 

• 4 tbsp black treacle / molasses (about 60g) (I substituted golden syrup – worked fine, just not so dark in colour)

• 225 ml water

Optional Extras

• ½- 1 tsp ground cinnamon ((optional))

• ½-1 tsp ground all spice ((optional))

• Dash chilli powder ((optional))

• Handful dried dates or figs ((optional))

Instructions

1. Place all the ingredients into the food processor bowl, or mixer and whizz until you have a smooth golden brown batter. ( I mixed it in a bowl as I don’t have a food processor/mixer – again worked fine)

2. Pour into 8” square pan lined with greaseproof paper and bake at GM4/180C/355F for about 35 – 40 mins until risen and a cocktail stick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Notes

• When weighing the treacle put the spoon into a jug on the scales, then zero them, use the spoon to dollop the treacle into the jug without scraping the spoon I then re-zero the scales and weigh 225g of boiling water into the jug which will dissolve all the treacle which saves any sticky scraping for spoon to food processor bowl. As the recipe is so forgiving accurate measuring is really not necessary.

• To make this gluten free, swap out the flour for gluten free flour

• This recipe can be made with wholewheat flour