Layers of gluten free vegan gingerbread spice cake and creamy dairy free orange buttercream, topped with a mountain of beautiful sugared cranberries.
Every year for Thanksgiving, I try to create a new dessert. One that I haven’t done before. I always make the classic pumpkin pie {because it’s a total must}, but I feel the need to make something new and exciting. It needs to taste amazing and “wow” my family. I think I did those two things with this recipe!
This cake is a total showstopper. It just is. The layers of soft gingerbread spice cake and creamy dairy free orange buttercream. Orange and gingerbread are so happy together. I decided to frost this cake with the easiest technique! It creates this gorgeous scallop edge on the layers and then a petal effect on the top. So simple and so cute.
The real crown jewel of this cake is that tower of sugared cranberries. This was my first time making sugared cranberries and I wish I had made them sooner. They are so pretty! You soak the cranberries in a simple syrup, then dry them for a bit before tossing them in sugar. Even though they are coated in sugar, they still keep their tartness. I’m in love.
Does this cake take time to make? Yes. Is it worth it? Yes! You can do it, I promise. Just be patient with yourself and follow each step. Everyone will be amazed when you show up on Thanksgiving with this stunning gluten free vegan gingerbread layer cake with sparkly sugared cranberries
- 1 cup cane sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- 1/4 cup cane sugar {for rolling}
- 3 cups Sarah's gluten free flour blend
- 1 cup brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 3/4 cup So Delicious unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk
- 2/3 cup grape seed or sunflower seed oil
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup cane sugar
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup non-hydrogenated shortening
- 3 cups organic powdered sugar
- zest of 1 orange
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1-2 tablespoons So Delicious unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- To make sugared cranberries, start by mixing 1 cup sugar and water in medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add cranberries. Stir to coat. Allow cranberries to soak 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Transfer cranberries to wire cooling rack, letting dry about 20 minutes.
- Pour remaining sugar into shallow dish. Toss dried, still tacky, cranberries in sugar. Place on parchment paper to dry completely, about 1 hour. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 3 8-inch round cake pans by spraying with cooking spray and lining bottom with parchment paper.
- Whisk together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In large mixing bowl, stir together almond milk, oil, water, sugar, applesauce, molasses, vinegar and vanilla. Mix until well blended. Add flour mixture and stir until smooth.
- Divide cake batter evenly into prepared cake pans {it's helpful to use measuring cup}. Bake 23-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 5 minutes, then invert onto cooling rack to cool completely.
- To make orange buttercream, place shortening in bowl of standing mixer with paddle attachment. Beat until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Add sifted powdered sugar, orange zest, maple syrup, almond milk and vanilla. Mix until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Fill large piping bag with buttercream, fitted with large round tip.
- Place one cooled cake layer on cake plate/stand. Add large dots of buttercream to outer border of cake. Using offset spatula or spoon, swipe dots inward, creating scalloped/petal edge. Fill in center with even layer buttercream.
- Top with another cake layer. Repeat frosting technique. Tope with final layer. Create petal/scallop edge and repeat with a second layer of petals. Fill in center with buttercream.
- Garnish center of cake with carefully placed tower of sugared cranberries. Slice and serve.
Can I use canola oil or olive oil in this recipe?
You sure can! Just be sure to use a lighter olive oil, one that doesn’t have a strong flavor.
this looks great. How do you cook your cranberries?
I made this for a Christmas Eve party! The cranberries were a beautiful touch, and I even tried the frosting technique. The cake looked pretty good (I’m no professional, but I did get compliments!) No one could believe it was gf/df!
Also I used 2 9″ pans (didn’t have 8″), and the cake turned out fine.
I just love your cake recipes, they are perfect for special occasions, and turn out beautiful and delicious ever time I make them!
I meant to also give 5 stars 🙂
I’m so glad to hear! Thank you, Francesca!
Thanks for posting the part about the 9″ pans, I was wondering if it would cook through well without drying out the edges.
This is one of the prettiest cakes I’ve ever seen! Looks delicious, too!
Thank you, Bethany!
Can I use almond flour?
Unfortunately, you can’t do an even swap. Almond flour bakes up much differently than my flour blend.
Can this same recipe be used for cupcakes?
This looks delicious! If I made a double batch of the buttercream, do you think it’ll be firm enough to ice the entire cake to stack it with another tier (this one would be the top tier)?
Yes, you would have plenty of frosting!
Hi Sarah, this recipe sounds so delicious! Do you think it would work as cupcakes? If so, how long would you bake it? Thanks, Sarah Z.
Yes, it would work beautifully as cupcakes! I would bake them for 17-19 minutes at 350 degrees.
This looks lovely! Would I be able to substitute regular all purpose flour if I didn’t need it to be gluten free?
I haven’t tested the recipe with regular flour so I can’t for sure guarantee the same results. I would start out by using about 2 1/2 cups AP flour, then adding a bit more if the batter seems to thin. hope that helps!
Can the cake layers be frozen for a few days before constructing the cake? I’m presenting several cakes together and would like to do as much advance preparation as possible.
A great cake you have shown here.
Hi! I’m hoping to make this cake tomorrow. Questions: do you think a pre-packaged gluten free all purpose flour mix would work as a 1:1 substitute? And do I need to buy regular molasses or will blackstrap work? Looking forward to trying this gorgeous cake!!
yes, it should work great and regular molasses is perfect 🙂
I made this cake last year for a neighborhood party. My husband is GF, so I do most of my baking GF so he can have some. No one else was GF at the party, but were very surprised by how good the cake was! I swapped out GF flour in the cake, and butter in the frosting for and it turned out great! No, it was AMAZING!!!! It looked amazing too! Everyone at the party went on and on about how great the cake tasted! My husband was disappointed that we ate the entire cake at the party… he had hoped that there would be left overs to bring home.
This cake was truly magnificent! It’s very hard to find something both egg and dairy free as well as gluten free, and for no one eating it to know was amazing. I made it as two 9 inch cakes, and the birthday boy was very pleased. Thanks!
yay! so glad to hear you enjoyed it!