Amazing Fluffy Gingerbread Cake
This is a perfect cake for the holiday season,
since a warm spicy comfort food snack is most
appreciated on chilly days, even here in South
Florida.

This cake is Gluten-Free, dairy-free,
and even vegan if you use the egg-free option,
and can even be molasses-free as well if you
use one of the substitutes below.

This recipe wasn’t gluten-free when I found it,
but it looked so easy and quick to throw together.
I just couldn’t resist trying it with my personal
gluten-free flour creation, and I got this fabulous
result!

No one would expect “Fluffy” to describe a
gluten-free Cake so I was so thrilled with the
results of this recipe, a delicious warm spicy
gingerbread cake. The texture of this cake is so
light and amazing that I call it “cake,” because it’s
more like sweet cake than traditional gingerbread.

Molasses-Free Substitutes:

I’ve read that *dark brown sugar can replace molasses
in a recipe (cup for cup). Also Black Strap molasses
might be tried. (Black Strap is less sweet than unsulphured
molasses). I haven’t tried it yet, but I’ve read that Black Strap
can throw off the taste you’re accustomed to in molasses
based recipes, yet I believe it would work well here, if you
prefer the cake to be less sweet. Dark corn syrup also works.

Due to cost, or flavor, or availability of molasses, you
may want to partially substitute molasses and still
get the molasses flavor.

This cake is the sweetest of my cake recipes, since
I’ve toned down my sweet-tooth, so I lowered the
sugar and added more spice. 

Ingredients

1/4 cup + 2 tbs. oil (olive or coconut) 
1/4 cup sugar (white, raw, or coconut)
1 large egg (or egg substitutes).
1 cup unsulphured molasses
(or honey, date honey, or dark brown sugar)

Whisk:
1½ cups oat flour
1 cup tapioca
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ teaspoons xanthan or guar gum
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Gradually stir in:
1 cup hot water

            Optional Add-ins :
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ tsp. lemon or orange zest
¼ cup raisins or cran-raisins
¼ cup chopped pecans or walnuts

MOLASSES CAN BE SUBSTITUTED WITH:
honey, light or dark corn syrup, *dark brown
sugar, or date honey. Those will alter the flavor
but not too seriously. (Granulated sugar may
not fully dissolve).

*If you need to make dark brown sugar (if
called for) in any recipe, simply add two
tablespoons of molasses to 1 cup
(minus-2 tbs.) of white sugar.
*****************************

INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Grease and flour an 8 or 9-inch square baking pan,
or line it with parchment sprayed with oil as I did here.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, Beat oil and.
sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
(I used an immersion blender).

Mix in egg, then molasses, and beat until smooth.

In another large bowl sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon,
ginger, cloves, and salt and whisk together.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the molasses
mixture, mixing after each addition, until fully incorporated.
Then gradually mix in the water until smooth.

Pour the gingerbread cake batter into the prepared pan.
The batter will be a thin liquid consistency. You will wonder,
“How will this become a cake?” Trust me, it will!

You can sprinkle with 1/4 cup of dried raisins or chopped
walnuts or nothing extra.

How to Bake Your Gingerbread Cake:

Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. Insert a toothpick
in the center of the cake; it should come out clean. The surface
should feel firm to the touch, not wet anywhere. If it does,
remove cake from the oven. If not, bake up to 25 more minutes,
checking often for doneness. A toothpick inserted in the center
should come out with a few crumbs stuck to it, but not gooey batter.

How to To store Your Gingerbread Cake:
The surface is a bit sticky, so I cover the cake with
parchment or waxed paper, then put it into an
airtight container in the fridge to store it. You can
Store it up to 7 days, or for longer storage, freeze
it in an airtight container up to a month.

Allow the gingerbread cake to cool in the pan before serving.
That amount of time will finish the internal cooking.
Serve topped with whipped cream, ice cream,
powdered sugar, or nothing at all.

**************************************