Lemon Gingerbread Cake

Have you ever had gingerbread in the form of cake? If not, you must! I came up with this gluten-free lemon gingerbread cake recipe after having / being inspired by my husband’s grandmother’s lemon ginger cookies. The combination of the two flavors is heavenly!

This is a good, warm, and cozy dessert for winter. The texture is heavier than a typical cake which makes it perfect for a bundt pan. It is moist, easy to make, and it is even vegan! The lemon glaze and zest on top give it a refreshing zing without being too tart. The cake itself is free of refined sugar, though the glaze is not. Make this for your next dinner party!

Ingredients You Will Need:

• unsweetened applesauce
• blackstrap molasses
• hot water
• oil
• coconut sugar
• 3 organic lemons
• gluten-free all-purpose flour
• baking powder
• baking soda
• fine sea salt
• ground ginger
• ground cinnamon
• organic powdered sugar

This cake is delicious with a hot cup of tea or coffee! For another gingerbread recipe, try my Soft Gingerbread Cookies.

How to Make Lemon Gingerbread Cake

First, use a zester on the lemons until you have about 1 teaspoon of zest. We will next need fresh squeezed lemon juice. Cut two lemons in half and use a juicer until you have 1/4 cup of lemon juice. Set the lemon juice and zest aside.

Next, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly oil a bundt cake pan. Then heat 1 1/4 cups of water to just under the boiling point. I usually heat the water to about 180 degrees Fahrenheit.

Then in a medium sized bowl that can withstand heat, pour in the coconut sugar, applesauce, molasses, oil, lemon juice, and hot water. The hot water helps to dissolve the coconut sugar as well as to mix all of the ingredients together for a nice and smooth cake batter. Use a metal whisk to mix it all together. Then whisk in the lemon zest.

Now, it’s time to add the dry ingredients. Pour in the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, and ground cinnamon. Continue using the whisk until all ingredients are well-incorporated and the batter is smooth.

Pour the batter into the bundt pan and bake it in the oven for 32-35 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely before removing from the pan or drizzling with the lemon glaze. To remove it, gently run a butter knife around the cake, separating it from the sides and the middle of the pan. Then, take your serving plate and place it upside down on top of the bundt pan. Hold on to the plate and pan and gently flip them so that the cake pops out.

It is now time to make the lemon glaze. In a bowl, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Then whisk in part of the powdered sugar, add the water, whisk and add the remainder of the powdered sugar. This prevents the glaze from clumping too much. Whisk until it is nice and smooth, as shown below.

Now, this is the messy part. Since this is a glaze, it is runny before it sets. You may want to place the cake on a cooling rack before applying the glaze so that your serving plate isn’t messy. Then carefully slide the cake onto a serving plate. The key is not putting too much of the glaze on all at once and you will most likely have extra that can be served on the side for those that may want more. Top the glazed cake with some lemon zest, if desired. Serve and enjoy!

Storage Tips and Notes

• Extra glaze can be stored in an air tight container at room temperature for 2 days
• Extra cake can be cut into pieces, wrapped, and stored in the freezer
• Store the cake at room temperature for up to 2 days for best results