Grain-free Gingerbread Snack Cake
gluten-free | grain-free | dairy-free | tree nut free
by Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | Dec. 12, 2024
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I love a good snack cake. I mean, who doesn’t love having cake for snack? Okay, this cake can also be enjoyed as dessert… or breakfast. But no matter when you have this cake, you will be hard pressed to stop at only one slice! It is perfectly moist, has a delicate crumb, is bursting with holiday gingerbread flavors… and the frosting tops it off, literally. You would never guess this cake is grain-free and dairy-free. The carefully selected wholesome ingredients create an allergy-friendly snack cake that looks and tastes just like a traditional cake. Everyone on your homestead will be wanting to stick their forks into a slice of this cake!
I decided to call this snack cake a modern pioneer recipe, but it certainly highlights the use of a traditional ingredient: molasses. Molasses was often used as a sweetener in the early pioneer days. They would make molasses cakes, molasses cookies, and even top their flapjacks (pancakes) with molasses or sorghum syrup. But aside from using a heritage ingredients, there’s lots more you will love about this cake!
Simple Ingredients– This grain-free snack cake only requires one flour: cassava flour. I like to keep a wide-range of grain-free and gluten-free flours stocked in my homestead pantry. However, I do know that recipes that only require one flour are just that much simpler to make! The recipe also calls for other simple ingredients you probably already have on hand for the baking season: sugar, molasses, applesauce (homemade is preferred), gingerbread spices, eggs, and oil.
Easy to Make– Baking grain-free desserts isn’t as hard as it sounds. When armed with a few recipe tips (we’ll discuss those in a minute), you can whip up this snack cake in just minutes knowing that it will turn out a success. You only need one bowl, some measuring cups and measuring spoons, and a wooden spoon or spatula to make this cake batter. Nothing fancy.
Allergy-Friendly- Lastly, you will love this snack cake because it caters to a wide range of dietary restrictions! Everybody on the homestead can enjoy a special holiday treat this season when you bake this allergy-friendly snack cake. It is…
For other delicious, allergy-friendly holiday treats, check out these grain-free gingerbread cookies or these grain-free sugar cookies!
Choosing the Right Flour– This is the only part about this recipe that might be a pain. BUT, you absolutely have to choose the right cassava flour if you want guaranteed good results. Not all cassava flours are created equal. Some are coarser than others and some are more absorbent than others, which can leave you with a dry cake.
The two brands of cassava flour that I bake with are Otto’s Naturals cassava flour and Anthony’s cassava flour. Both brands sell an organic cassava flour, but I will mention that I avoid using the Anthony’s organic cassava flour. Instead, I use the Anthony’s premium cassava flour that is simply labeled as gluten-free and non-GMO. I found that the organic Anthony’s cassava flour was much coarser and baked differently than the premium flour.
If you don’t use Otto’s Naturals cassava flour or Anthony’s premium cassava flour, I cannot guarantee that the cake will turn out moist and light.
I also love using cassava flour in my moist chocolate cake recipe, which makes enough batter for a layered cake!
Use Oil, Not Butter– When baking grain-free cakes, I have found that oil is superior to butter. Whether it’s cupcakes, muffins, or snack cakes, using oil in the recipe helps the baked good stay moist and light. Butter is a heavy ingredient, and when combined with grain-free flours, it can often make a baked good end up dense. I like to use avocado oil or olive oil in my baking projects. For cakes and other sweet treats, avocado oil is a mild-flavored oil that doesn’t affect the flavor of the baked good.
Ingredients that Add Moisture– Getting the moisture levels just right with grain-free baked goods can be tricky. You want the batter moist, but there is a fine line between moist and too moist when it comes to baking a grain-free cake. I have found that thick, moist ingredients, like applesauce, yogurt, mashed banana, pumpkin puree, or zucchini work well as ingredients that add moisture to a grain-free batter without making it too moist.
This grain-free cake batter will seem thicker than traditional cake batter. However, the batter will loosen up and thin out as it bakes. So, even though the cake make look dry when you put it in the oven, it will bake into a perfectly moist and light cake.
Bake Low & Slow– Lastly, you will want to bake grain-free cakes at a low temperature for a longer period of time. If the cake is baked at a high temperature, you run the risk of the outside browning and being done before the inside of the cake has sufficiently baked. An oven temperature of 325°F works well for baking grain-free cakes. Single layer cakes, like cakes made in an 8×8″ glass baking pan or 9″ cake pan, will need to bake for about 40 minutes.
I have not tried making this snack cake egg-free. When baking with grain-free flours, the flour really benefits from the thick moisture and extra protein provided by the eggs in the recipe. If you are feeling daring, you could try subbing in two flax eggs or chia eggs in place of the two eggs called for in the cake recipe.
Don’t have applesauce on hand? You can still make this cake! You basically just need a moist ingredient that is similar to applesauce. Dairy-free yogurt works well and does not add any distinct flavor to the cake. Other applesauce substitutions that may influence the flavor a little include mashed banana or mashed sweet potato.
As a side note, I recommend using homemade applesauce in this recipe! However, if you have to buy applesauce, look for applesauce that is organic and does not contain added sugar.
You can use any granular sugar in place of the maple sugar in this cake recipe. I use maple sugar because it is not a refined sugar and it is a light colored sugar to keeps the cake from being too dark in color. You could also use coconut sugar, however, coconut sugar will absorb some moisture from the batter, so you may need to add 1-2 more tablespoons of applesauce if you use coconut sugar instead of maple sugar. I have not tested this cake with maple syrup or honey, but those sweeteners would alter the moisture levels of the batter.
I have yet to make a successful dairy-free frosting yet, so I do splurge and buy Miss Jones Bakes dairy-free vanilla frosting. This frosting does contain sugar and palm fruit oil, but all of the ingredients are organic and it does not contain corn. If you don’t need the cake to be completely dairy-free, you can easily make your own buttercream frosting to top this cake with!
I also love to use this frosting on these gluten-free carrot cake cupcakes!
Gluten-free and grain-free baked goods will dry out faster than traditional baked goods. However, this cake will stay perfectly moist for 2-3 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature. If you need to store the cake for longer, your best bet is to freeze the cake after it has baked and cooled completely but before you frost it. If you store leftover cake in the fridge, it will dry out faster than if it is left at room temperature.
This grain-free gingerbread cake is loaded with gingerbread spice flavors and have the absolutely perfect soft & light texture of a snack cake! I love topping my cake with dairy-free vanilla frosting and enjoying it for snack, dessert, or even for breakfast with a fried egg or two!
This grain-free gingerbread snack cake will be loved by modern pioneers of all ages! It is the perfect holiday treat to bake for pioneers who have dietary restrictions. You would never guess the cake is grain-free and dairy-free. It’s lucious flavors, moist & soft texture, and those irresistible pillows of frosting on top will make this cake your go-to treat for dessert, snack… or, let’s admit it, even breakfast! I love how easy this cake comes together and the fact that it is made with simple ingredients I already have on hand in the homestead pantry. Give this delicious gingerbread snack cake a try this holiday season!
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