This gluten-free gingerbread cake has an addictively moist and springy crumb thanks to a magical blend of gluten-free flours: almond flour, sweet rice flour, oat flour, and tapioca flour. The batter is made with one bowl and a whisk, and you can have it in and out of the oven in 45 minutes. Top with mascarpone cream for a creamy, dreamy finish.
Thanks to Bob's Red Mill for sponsoring this post! All opinions are my own.

For a while now, I've been craving a cake version of my favorite gluten-free crinkle-top ginger molasses cookies: moist, spicy, chewy, and just sweet enough. I've been testing this gluten-free gingerbread cake recipe to perfection for years, and I'm thrilled to finally share it with you today!
This cake has all the cozy, rich flavors and moist, springy texture of those GF ginger cookies, but you can top it with a swoop of whipped mascarpone and eat it with a fork. It's:
- pillowy, tender & springy
- balanced - not too sweet or too spicy
- richly flavored with molasses, ginger, cinnamon, and allspice
- moist for days & make ahead-able
- optionally dairy-free & refined sugar-free
- makes your house smell amazing as it bakes!
But don't take my word for it; readers are loving it too:
Perfectly Moist & Delicious
“Great recipe! I made the cake exactly as written + a 8x8 pan, baked for 25 minutes. It was perfectly moist and delicious and just the right amount of ginger. ”
—Susan
The Coziest Cake
Last December, during the quiet week between Christmas and New Years, I started testing the recipe for this gluten-free gingerbread cake. Every rainy afternoon after lunch, instead of getting back to our usual work-from-home life, Mr. Bojon and I would curl up on the couch and watch comedies (Ghosts, the UK version) with a cup of decaf coffee and a thick slice of gingerbread cake. It was the ideal combination of things: cozy company, warm coffee, tender and spicy cake, and a billow of cream softening the flavors.
With warm spices, rich molasses notes, and a pillowy crumb, this gingerbread cake is the culinary equivalent of cozying up in a warm blanket.
Ingredients & Substitution Suggestions
Many gingerbread recipes contain a laundry list of ingredients. I worked to streamline the shopping list of this one as much as possible while still hitting the essential flavor notes.
Flours
This cake gets its fluffy, springy crumb from a blend of gluten-free flours. But the recipe is sturdy and versatile, so if you don't have these exact flours on hand, don't worry! I've given loads of substitution suggestions below.
You can also swap in a good gluten-free all-purpose flour blend in place of one or all of the flours here. My favorite is Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 (the one in the blue bag). You can learn all about these flours (and more!) in my gluten-free flour guide for bakers.
- Almond flour adds structure and moisture, making the crumb resilient and springy.
- Sub by weight sorghum flour, millet flour, teff flour, or light buckwheat flour.
- Sweet rice flour adds some hefty chew.
- Sub by weight Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 flour (in the blue bag) or cassava flour.
- Oat flour adds tenderness. Be sure to use certified gluten-free oat flour such as Bob's Red Mill brand.
- Sub by weight sorghum flour, millet flour, teff flour, or light buckwheat flour.
- Tapioca flour floofs up the batter, making it extensible and stretchy in order to capture air pockets as the cake bakes.
- Sub by weight arrowroot flour or cornstarch.
Other Key Ingredients
A handful of other ingredients brings the batter together.
- Oil adds richness. Use a neutral oil such as sunflower, grapeseed, or mild olive oil.
- Sugar adds sweetness. I prefer organic granulated sugar which has a touch of caramel flavor.
- For refined sugar-free, sub by weight maple sugar or coconut sugar.
- Molasses adds moisture, stickiness, and deep flavor. I use blackstrap molasses, which gives the gingerbread a dark hue with rich coffee notes, while lighter molasses will have a lighter color and softer flavor.
- Eggs add lift.
- I don't recommend swapping out the eggs here if you can help it, but for egg allergies, one reader had good success using 1/4 cup blended silken tofu for each egg.
- Milk thins the batter which helps it rise and bake in the oven.
- I tested this with dairy-free coconut milk beverage, but any milk or plant milk will work.
- Spices add just the right balance of flavor. I like a streamlined blend of ginger, cinnamon, and allspice.
- Feel free to add more spices if you like; cardamom, clove, nutmeg, and black pepper are all welcome here. For an extra-gingery cake, some readers have added grated fresh ginger root or chopped candied ginger.
Method
This recipe could hardly be simpler: just whisk everything together, pour it into a pan, and bake!
This recipe makes one 8x8-inch square cake, serving 9. Or cut the cake into smaller pieces for 12 or 16 smaller servings.
Here are some other baking options:
- For a round single-layer cake, bake the batter in a 9-inch round pan to serve 8-10.
- For a GF gingerbread layer cake, double the recipe and bake two 9-inch round layers or three 8-inch round layers, and increase the topping as needed to frost the layers.
- For a gingerbread sheet cake to feed a crowd, double (or triple) the recipe and bake it in a 9x12-inch rectangular pan.
- For gingerbread cupcakes, divide the batter between 12 muffin cups lined with paper liners. Shorten the baking time as needed, and pipe the topping using a large star tip.
Whether you make this gluten-free gingerbread cake with or without dairy, square or round, plain or topped with creamy goodness, I hope it gives you all the cozy vibes of the season.
Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my award-winning gluten-free baking cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this gluten-free gingerbread cake recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cake (Moist & Floofy!)
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
Dry Ingredients
- ½ cup (60 g) Bob's Red Mill blanched almond flour*
- ½ cup (78 g) Bob's Red Mill sweet rice flour*
- ½ cup (50 g) Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oat flour*
- 2 tablespoons (15 g) Bob's Red Mill tapioca flour*
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon powdered ginger
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (125 g) organic granulated sugar*
- 3 tablespoons (60 g) molasses (I use blackstrap)
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup (100 g) neutral oil (such as sunflower, grapeseed, or mild olive oil)
- ½ cup (120g) milk or plant milk (I use coconut milk beverage)
For Topping
- 1 recipe whipped mascarpone*
Instructions
Prepare Things
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350ºF.
- Line an 8x8-inch square pan with parchment paper on all sides.
Make the Batter
- In a medium bowl, sift together the almond, sweet rice, oat, and tapioca flours with the baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and allspice.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, molasses, and eggs.
- Whisk in the oil until combined and emulsified.
- Whisk in the milk until combined.
- Whisk in the flour mixture until combined. The batter will be loose.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake
- Bake the gingerbread cake until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs, 25-35 minutes.
- Place the cake on a wire rack and cool completely.
Finish
- Remove the cake from the pan by placing a piece of parchment paper on top of the cake and then a cutting board on top of the parchment. Flip the whole thing upside down. Remove the pan and peel away the parchment that was in the pan. Now place your serving board or platter on top of the cake and flip the whole thing over again so the cake is right side up on the serving platter.
- Cover the cake in swirls of whipped mascarpone. Dust with cinnamon put through a fine strainer if you like.
- Cut into pieces and serve.
Video
Notes
- For almond flour, sub by weight sorghum flour, millet flour, teff flour, or light buckwheat flour.
- For sweet rice flour, sub by weight Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 flour (in the blue bag) or cassava flour.
- For oat flour, sub by weight sorghum flour, millet flour, teff flour, or light buckwheat flour.
- For tapioca flour, sub by weight arrowroot flour or corn starch.
- For sugar, sub by weight coconut sugar or maple sugar (about ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon)
- For dairy-free, use plant milk in the cake, and top it with paleo cream cheese frosting, vegan cream cheese frosting, or whipped coconut cream.
- The cake can be baked, covered, and kept at room temperature for up to 1 day, refrigerated for up to 3 days, or frozen airtight for up to several months.
- The whipped mascarpone can be made up to 2 days ahead.
- Once topped, the cake can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Valerie says
Ooh, canโt wait to try this served with custard.I think Iโll add finely chopped crystallized ginger. Or maybe fresh grated ginger!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Yessss all the ginger! Please let me know if you try it :D
-A
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
I could make that happen ;)
Debbie Feely says
You had me at gingersnaps cookies! I love yours. I think Iโll make this today and want to share that Iโve been using baby food sweet potatoes quite effectively for egg sub. I canโt eat legume based anything or apples. Or eggs. For this cake I will use part sweet potato part Greek yogurt, because with three eggs the extra protein helps. I do use dairy but my niece subs eggs with coconut yogurt. Just in case others need more options. Iโll let you know how it goes.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Oh thank you for these egg sub suggestions Debbie! I'll add the sweet potato baby food puree to the post - that's so clever!
I'd love to see a photo of the cake's crumb if you try it with the sweet potato and yogurt and if you feel like emailing one to me. :)
Keep me posted and happy baking!
-A
Debbie Feely says
Ok. Thatโs a fail. I made cupcakes and they rose beautifully then fell dismally. Poor babies. Husband says more room for topping. I suppose it is the runny batter. I do this routinely with your chai spices nectarine cake recipe which I make several times a month in various forms. Better remove my remarks.
Marjy says
I think it's great that you tried and posted the results! I vote for keeping the comment up so folks will know that the substitution didn't work. I think it's as helpful to know what didn't work as what did.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi Debbie,
Aw bummer! It happens! I wonder if it would work if the liquid in the recipe were reduced; maybe halve the amount of milk? Please let us all know if you experiment with this one again! Kristie, below, is also interested in an eggless version as well as some cookie advice if you have a moment to point her in the right direction.
Thank you so much for all your great suggestions! I'll leave them up if you don't mind since they seem helpful for other readers as well. :)
xo,
A
Debbie Feely says
Yes, I was thinking less liquid. I also want to compare with Snixykitcgebs gingerbread recipe. Hers is gingerbread and my subs work, but I like the subtle difference that makes this cake. I ate one flat wet cupcake with my dilโs trimmings of caramel, whipped cream and toffee bits and it was sublime. Not a word I usually use.
Amy says
This cake is excellent! I can't tell you how many gluten free cakes that I've made that have gone straight into the trash. This was not only delicious right out of the oven but for a couple of days afterwards which, in my experience, is unheard of, in the gluten free cake world. I didn't ice it and chopped up some crystalized ginger to add to the mix. I'll definitely be making it again!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
I'm so glad you loved this gingerbread cake! Adding chopped candied ginger is brilliant - you can rarely have too much ginger IMO. Thanks so much for the great feedback and rating!
Trish says
Ooo - canโt wait to get home and try this! Iโve been waiting for you to post this since you told me it was in the works. My husbandโs favorite too so I canโt wait to see what he thinks. And I think Iโll make your whipped mascarpone - should be perfect with it.
I love all of your pan substitutions and I have a question about another possibility. Would this work for a jelly roll type cake? I make a pumpkin one that I add candied ginger and toasted pecans to (the filling that is). Thank you for your thoughts!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi Trish!
Aw I can't wait to hear how you and your husband like the gingerbread cake. I love the idea of a jellyroll style cake, though I'm not sure this would be sturdy enough to roll up. I think I would try the roulade cake in my book, subbing some molasses for the sugar and adding in the spices. That one has more eggs and less fat to make it more spongy and malleable. Mmm now I'm hungry! LMK what you try!
xo,
A
Kristie says
Do you think flax eggs would work or better to stick to one of the substitutes you suggested? So you have a favorite egg sub in cookies? My one year old is allergic to eggs and Iโm hoping not to ruin all of our holiday cookies!
Debbie Feely says
Kristie, I am egg free. Not always successfully. I think subbing three eggs like here is iffy. So it helps to find recipes with fewer eggs. For Alannaโs choc chip cookies I sub 2 oz of cream cheese for the egg, then when doubling the recipe use a tablespoon or two of water for the second egg. Husband likes his cookies flatter and crisper. Flax egg works in cookies but I canโt use it. Flax egg tends to be gooey in cake type recipes. A mix of applesauce and Greek yogurt was my go to until I realized Iโm allergic to apples. Now I use sweet potato and yogurt. I see egg free cookbooks that use cornstarch sub for egg, with water. Iโve also used boxed powdered egg subs but donโt like the texture. Iโll check out the egg free sites I follow and add those here.
Debbie Feely says
Sarahbakesglutenfree.com has quite a few vegan recipes. I donโt love vegan baking due to lack of flavor but it gives ideas for egg free then you can add butter etc for flavor.
Mommyshomecooking.com is egg free. Again, ideas for egg free but not gluten free.
Overall, of everything Ive tried, Alannaโs recipes are the most consistently good tasting and most likely to be allergy free, as well as easiest to adjust. It just takes time to experiment. For holiday cookies check out Alannaโs beautiful crispy sugar cookies. Sub flax egg or cream cheese for egg.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi Kristie,
Great questions! I asked one of my longtime readers, Debbie, to chime in with sub suggestions since she's tried a lot of my recipes egg-free. See her comments below. That's cool that cream cheese can work in cookie recipes - brilliant!
You can also find more egg-free recipes here, and vegan recipes here.
For this cake, I think I would try using 1/4 cup applesauce and 1/4 cup Greek yogurt in place of the eggs. Normally you'd use 1/4 cup per egg, but when Debbie tried this with sweet potato puree and yogurt, it sounds like it was too wet. So maybe this will work? And if the texture isn't perfect, I bet it would still taste good warm topped with some eggless ice cream! Alternatively, I've made this chocolate cake using Just Egg and it worked pretty well; it was a bit more dense and moist than when made with eggs. Again I would try using just 1/2 cup in place of the 3 eggs here to avoid making the batter too wet.
Here are a few egg-free holiday cookies in case it helps:
GF sugar cookies (see the vegan variation using flax egg - I tested this and it worked great!)
GF Linzer cookies (made with the same base as the sugar cookies)
GF & vegan tahini chocolate chip cookies
GF graham crackers
Please let me know what you try!
-Alanna
Kristie says
Debbie and Alanna, thank you so much for the great suggestions and other recipes! My little guy is also allergic to sweet potato, but I'll definitely try your other recommendations. I've gotten used to baking GF for my husband who has celiac (thanks in large part to this blog and your cookbook!), but egg free is a whole new experience.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Oh man, those are two tough food restrictions to be dealing with together. Your husband and kiddo are so lucky to have you! I'm so glad the blog and book have been helpful.
Please let me know which recipes you try or if any other questions come up!
-A
Summer says
Hi Alanna,
To make this paleo friendly, what would you suggest substituting for the oat flour? Your recipes are our favorite and always turn out so well! I made the pumpkin tart with adjustments to the crust from a comment and it turned out beautifully. Thank you for all you post.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi Summer,
Oh great question! I would try using the same sub as for the ginger molasses cookies: half cassava and half almond flour (about 95 grams of each if I did the math correctly!) in place of the sweet rice, oat, and almond flours.
Please let me know if you experiment. Happy baking!
-A
Stephanie says
Made this yesterday, it was easy and delicious!
For the sweet rice flour I subbed Cup4Cup by weight, and cornstarch for the tapioca. Didnโt have oat flour on hand so blended some rolled oats quickly (10-15 seconds). Realized halfway through I didnโt have ground ginger so I used about 3 Tbsp fresh grated ginger and whisked it with the wet ingredient step. Did the mascarpone topping as written.
Came out so moist, very addictive and problematic that it was so easy to whip up!! Perfect for the season.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Oh I'm so glad this gingerbread cake worked well, particularly with those modifications. Brilliant! I bet the fresh ginger gave it a little extra zip; I'll have to try that next time. Thanks so much for the note!
Susan says
Great recipe! Iโve been experimenting with gluten free baking and your book + website is my go to resource. I made the cake exactly as written + a 8x8 pan, baked for 25 minutes. It was perfectly moist and delicious and just the right amount of ginger. I used a cashew cream frosting on the pieces we consumed. Remaining cake into the freezer for sometime later this month๐
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Yay I'm so glad you liked it! Thanks for the lovely feedback, it's much appreciated :D
Trish says
Alanna, this is a really good recipe - but of course! Itโs nice and moist and so enjoyable served with the mascarpone topping. I was surprised that the ginger wasnโt more noticeable because of the amount used. I only had regular molasses and I think that blackstrap would make this taste more โgingerbreadyโ & compliment the spices used. Canโt wait to try this with the blackstrap molasses, I even made a special trip to find it for the next try! Always a pleasure to make one of your recipes :-)
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Aw thanks for trying the gingerbread Trish! I'm so glad you liked it (+ the mascarpone topping) You could definitely up the ginger if you'd like more of it, or add some freshly grated ginger. I use Diaspora Co's ginger which is quite potent! I'll be so curious to know how you like it with the blackstrap molasses, so do keep me posted!
Janet Purcell says
The recipe calls for 1/2 cup each of almond, sweet rice, and oat flour, yet, the grams are listed as 60g, 75g and 50g respectively. So the cup measurements are the same for each and the gram measurements vary. Is that ok?
Beginner
Janet
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi Janet,
Great question and yes you're exactly right! The almond, sweet rice, and oat flours weigh different amounts for the same volume. Let me know if you try the gingerbread cake!
-Alanna
Marjy says
Thank you for my new gingerbread recipe! I swore by the Moosewood recipe until I had to break up with gluten and this may be better. Even after I goofed and had to stir the oat flour in after I'd poured it in the pan...
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Aw I'm so glad you love this GF gingerbread and honored that it compares favorably to Moosewood - I adore that cookbook! So glad that stirring the oat flour in at the end worked too - happens to the best of us!!
Ari W.E. says
Amazing recipe from my fave resource, thank you as always! For the reviewers above: I subbed 1/4 cup blended silken tofu for each egg, to great success. My family has been making gingerbread cake on Christmas morning for two generations now, so being able to make it with my late onset allergies really made this season for me. Delicious, tender, moist, spiced perfectly, just a TREAT
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Aha! I never thought of silken tofu for an egg substitute in cake - that's brilliant!! Thanks so much for testing it out and for the note, I hope that's helpful for other readers who are egg-free and can do tofu. So glad the cake was a hit!!
Kathy says
Yum yum yum. I made this as written and then added some chopped dried ginger for even more gingerness. Perfect for a snack with eggnog in that post-Xmas, not-yet-New-Years week. I admit I accidentally jiggled the pan while it was cooking and experienced a little collapse of the loaf, but nothing that detracted from eating it. :-P
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Aw I'm so glad the gingerbread was a hit despite the accidental jiggle. This is the best week for gingerbread IMHO! Thinking I need to bake another one myself. :D
Monika says
I made the mesquite double-ginger molasses ginger cookies from your book last weekend and they are delicious! I baked half the first day, and half two days later - it was amazing how much better the second batch tasted.
Iโd like to make this gingerbread, but the only grain that I can tolerate is rice and I canโt have tapioca/cassava either. Could mesquite flour be used in place of the oat flour?
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi Monika,
Aw I'm so glad you're enjoying the book and that you love the mesquite gingersnaps - yay! That's great to know that the flavor improves as the dough sits.
I think mesquite will work in place of the oat flour in this gingerbread cake! It's usually best to sub by weight, but I know that when I used mesquite flour in cookies, I needed a little more of it than other flours, so you might want to increase it by a couple tablespoons or so. And you could use extra sweet rice flour in place of the tapioca.
I'll be very curious to hear how it turns out, so please keep me posted if you try it!
Bojon appรฉtit, and happy baking!
-Alanna
kathleen says
I made this for our New Year dinner. It was delicious - so moist and not too sweet. I skipped the frosting and topped with a dollop of Cocojune vanilla yogurt. It was a big hit.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
I'm so glad you loved the gingerbread cake! Mmmmm I love Cocojune and it makes such a lovely instant topping for desserts. Happy to hear that you enjoyed it!
Susan says
I have a wheat allergy and have experimented with various gf recipes. Almost every one was a disappointment. The lure of Gingerbread Cake was too much to resist. I had to substitute some of the flours using your suggestions. The result is AMAZING! Such a good texture and so tasty - I am having a hard time not devouring the whole cake! Thank you for this recipe that I will make many, many times!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Awww this makes me so happy to read. I'm glad you loved this cake and that the flour substitutions worked well. Which ones did you end up using?
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it!
Maureen says
You had me at floofy!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Aw! Let me know if you try the recipe :)
Dorina Miller says
Excellent gingerbread recipe exactly as listed! Thankful for the author's thoughtful list of substitutions: found myself with insufficient almond flour so chose to top off measurement with teff: wonderful! No embellishments needed but dollop of crรจme fraรฎche was a delightful sub for mascarpone.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Yay, I'm so glad you loved the gingerbread and that the substitution suggestions were helpful. You can never go wrong with creme fraiche in my opinion!
dipti says
Greetings from London! This was our cake of choice for Christmas this year, to replace our classic English rich (gluteny) fruitcake. I did swop buckwheat for oat, and the result was very delicious. It has a curious texture - a little chewy, reminiscent of mochi, and of a steamed cake at an old Cantonese restaurant we used to frequent. In taste it reminds me of an English treacle pudding! I will make this again with more ginger, fresh and crystallised, and perhaps dark brown sugar, which I have more often. I used to make Delia Smith's gingerbread with wheat flour, which is much sweeter - yours is nicer. I served this without icing, often with a young, citrussy goats cheese, and then once with butter sauteed pears and creme fraiche. I will make this again. Thank you Alanna, for this tasty cake recipe.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Awww I'm so glad you two loved this cake! I bet the buckwheat added a lovely, rich flavor and made the texture extra springy. I know what you mean about the texture - my mom used to make a steamed pudding during the winter holidays and it does remind me of that recipe! Both of those toppings sound absolutely sublime. I also love the idea of adding more ginger and using dark brown sugar. Please let me know how it goes if you try it this way!
Really appreciate the great feedback! <3