• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Meaningful Eats logo

  • Home
  • About
    • About Erin
    • Work With Me
    • Contact
  • Recipe Index
  • Favorites
    • Cookbooks
    • Favorites
    • In My Pantry
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter

Home > Holiday Recipes > Gluten-Free Gingerbread Bundt Cake

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Bundt Cake

LAST UPDATED: December 8, 2020 PUBLISHED: Dec 4, 2020 31 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links.

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

This Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cake is rich with molasses, cinnamon and ginger. It tastes just like old-fashioned gingerbread cake and makes an elegant holiday breakfast or dessert!

shot of gluten free gingerbread cake on plate

Gingerbread cake is one of my favorite things to make during the holidays. It’s perfect for breakfast, brunch or dessert and is a great easy cake to bring to parties and holiday meals.

This gingerbread cake recipe turns out like old-fashioned traditional gingerbread. It’s rich in ginger and molasses flavor and has a nice crumb and texture. You’d never guess it’s gluten-free!

This gluten-free gingerbread is delicious topped with a cream cheese glaze or simply dusted with powdered sugar. Either way you make it it’s sure to disappear at your holiday gathering!

Ingredients You’ll Need

overhead shot of dry ingredients used to make gingerbread cake

Gluten-Free gingerbread cake has a few very specific, classic ingredients. I also have some ingredients I include in this gluten-free version to help it turn out perfect every time.

  • A high-quality gluten-free 1:1 baking flour: I like to use gluten-free measure-for-measure flour blend like King Arthur Flour in my baked goods. It works best to use a blend that contains xanthan gum in this recipe.
  • Almond flour: Adding a little almond flour gives this cake richness and flavor. If you’re looking to make this nut-free see the recipe card for instructions. It will still turn out great!
  • Ginger + Spices: Ginger, of course, is the main spice in gingerbread! And this recipe has plenty of it. A few other seasonal spices like cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg also round out the flavor.
overhead shot of wet ingredients for gluten-free gingerbread cake
  • Lemon juice: A little lemon juice gives gluten-free baked goods some extra lift and helps the crumb to be tender rather than dense.
  • Molasses: A quintessential ingredient in gingerbread! I use easy-to-find unsulphured molasses.
  • Hot water: If you look at any classic gingerbread recipe they all use hot water to thin the cake. This gluten-free version uses the same trick!

How to Make Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cake

step by step instructions of how to make gluten-free gingerbread

These how-to numbered pictures match up with the instructions below.

  1. Mix together the dry ingredients in a bowl.
  2. Add the butter (or shortening) and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix to combine.
  3. Mix in the molasses, egg and vanilla.
  4. Gradually add the dry ingredients, 1/2 cup at a time.
  5. Slowly drizzle in 1 cup of hot water.
  6. Bake. It will smell amazing!

Once the cake is cooled you can top it with a dusting of powdered sugar for a simple cake or drizzle it with some cream cheese glaze for a more decadent dessert. Either way is delicious!

slice of gluten-free gingerbread on white plate

More Gluten-Free Holiday Recipes:

  • Gluten-Free Sticky Toffee Pudding makes a show-stopping holiday dessert. 
  • Gluten-Free Dinner Rolls – soft, fluffy and the perfect with any holiday meal. 
  • Gluten-Free Drop-Style Sugar Cookies – festive, chewy and buttery!
  • You can find my whole collection of Gluten-Free Holiday Recipes here!

If you make this recipe or have any questions leave me a comment below. I’d love to hear from you!

Hungry for more? Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter for all of the latest updates.

gingerbred cake on gray plate with red and white napkin

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cake

Author: Erin Collins
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 50 mins
This GLUTEN-FREE Gingerbread Cake is rich with molasses, cinnamon and ginger. EASY to make and tastes just like like old-fashioned gingerbread.
5 from 13 votes
Servings: 10 servings
Print
5594shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients:

  • 2 cups gluten-free 1:1 baking flour
  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice

Other:

  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 1 stick butter, (8 tablespoons, 1/2 cup)
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup molasses
  • 1 cup hot water

Cream Cheese Glaze (Optional):

  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted if needed
  • 1-2 tablespoons hot water

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 10 to 12 cup bundt pan.
  • In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the brown sugar and butter. Mix until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time beating after each addition. Mix in the lemon juice and molasses. Mix well to combine, scrapping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
  • Add the flour mixture in three additions alternately with the water starting and ending with the flour. Mix until just smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
  • Bake for 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with, at most, a few moist crumbs.
    Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Cool completely.
  • MAKE THE GLAZE: Using a hand or stand mixer, beat together the butter and cream cheese. Make sure they are both softened so the glaze isn't lumpy. Add the powdered sugar and mix to combine. Thin the mixture with 1-2 tablespoons of hot water. Microwave the glaze for 15 seconds to make to pourable (but not too hot), then drizzle over the cake.

Video

Recipe Notes

MAKE IT NUT-FREE: Substitute the almond flour for an additional 1/3 cup gluten-free 1:1 baking flour.
MAKE IT DAIRY-FREE: Use shortening instead of butter. You can also use dairy-free cream cheese in the glaze with excellent results. I like the brand Kite Hill almond cream cheese. 
It works best to use a gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum in this recipe. I like to use gluten-free measure-for-measure flour (also called 1:1 baking flour) blend like King Arthur Flour in my baked goods. 
I use unsulphured molasses (the regular Grandma’s kind you find at the grocery store) for this recipe. 
Nutrition Facts
Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cake
Amount Per Serving
Calories 484 Calories from Fat 198
% Daily Value*
Fat 22g34%
Saturated Fat 11g69%
Cholesterol 75mg25%
Sodium 345mg15%
Potassium 445mg13%
Carbohydrates 69g23%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 51g57%
Protein 6g12%
Vitamin A 548IU11%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 122mg12%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
NUTRITION INFORMATION:
Calories: 484kcal

RECIPE ORIGINALLY PUBLISH 11/2015. Post updated 11/2019.

slice of gingerbread cake dusted with powdered sugar
Erin of Meaningful Eats

Hi, I'm Erin!

BS Food Science, MS Nutrition
I believe you can make amazing, gluten-free food with everyday ingredients that everyone will enjoy. I'm here to share my tried-and-true recipes with you! More About Erin

freebies

CTA

Join my free email list to receive this Gluten-Free Dinners cookbook!

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




  1. Magda Dumka says

    December 22, 2020 at 4:45 pm

    Could I use olive oil for this cake instead of butter?

    Reply
    • Erin Collins says

      December 30, 2020 at 1:06 pm

      Yes I think that will work great!

      Reply
  2. Christine says

    December 25, 2020 at 2:28 pm

    5 stars
    Made this today. It was so good my hubby had two slices, and he doesn’t eat sweets. Thank you for making these yummy recipes available.

    Better yet, when I told him I had found recipes for good rolls and bread, he bought me a professional Kitchenaid 6 quart mixer (refurbished by Kitchenaid so great price). Score and score!

    Reply
    • Erin Collins says

      December 26, 2020 at 4:21 pm

      I’m so happy you liked the gingerbread! And so fun about the kitchenaid mixer 🙂 I hope you enjoy the recipes!

      Reply
      • Christine says

        December 26, 2020 at 5:53 pm

        So far I’ve made the yeast rolls and gingerbread. Both were so good I’ve shared your website with many of my GF friends. It’s so exciting to finally find good tasting (and textured) GF recipes. No more cardboard tasting food.

        Reply
  3. Peggy says

    January 06, 2021 at 7:12 pm

    5 stars
    The. Best Ever Ever Ginger Cake. Honestly we made it for New Years dessert. I was the only one celiac and the others thought yea whatever I’ll just have the Carmel topping (skid gluten free ) Every one absolutely loved it. We had it later in the same evening as well. So delicious. I can’t stop thinking about it. I will make it again soon ..,., real soon

    Reply
  4. Norma Harris says

    January 07, 2021 at 8:52 am

    Love It! Love it! Love it! Thank you for publishing this. You are a blessing!!!!

    Reply
« Older Comments

Primary Sidebar

Erin of Meaningful Eats

Hi, I'm Erin!

BS Food Science, MS Nutrition
I believe you can make amazing, gluten-free food with everyday ingredients that everyone will enjoy. I'm here to share my tried-and-true recipes with you! More About Erin

Freebies

freebie
Join my free email list to receive this Gluten-Free Dinners cookbook!

Popular Posts

Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies {Grain-Free}

chocolate chip cookies topped with sea salt on brown parchment paper

The Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

sliced pepperoni pizza on wooden cutting board

The Best Gluten-Free Pizza Crust

one caramel cube on parchment paper

Soft, Buttery Homemade Caramels

Seasonal Posts

chicken and rice in white bowl with fork topped with cheese

Instant Pot Southwestern Chicken and Rice

slice of gluten-free angel food cake on white plate with strawberries

Perfect Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake

bbq chicken in instant pot with marble background and blue striped towel

Instant Pot BBQ Chicken

The Best Gluten-Free Banana Bread

Featured On:

  • Back To Top
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2021 Meaningful Eats • Privacy Policy