Description
A moist and aromatic vegan ginger loaf cake featuring a rich blend of dark muscovado sugar, treacle, and both ground and stem ginger. This loaf is topped with a zesty lemon-ginger icing and garnished with crystallised stem ginger slices, making it a perfect treat for ginger lovers and those seeking a dairy-free, egg-free dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake
- 100ml vegetable oil, plus extra for the tin
- 275g self-raising flour
- 150g dark muscovado sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 50g treacle
- 50g stem ginger from a jar, finely grated
- 170ml cold water
Icing and Garnish
- 150g icing sugar
- 1 tsp ginger syrup (from the stem ginger jar)
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 4 crystallised stem ginger pieces, sliced
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare: Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan)/gas mark 6. Lightly oil a 900g loaf tin approximately 19 x 9 x 6 cm and line it with a long strip of baking parchment to ensure easy removal of the cake.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the self-raising flour, dark muscovado sugar, baking powder, and ground ginger thoroughly to distribute all the spices and leavening agents evenly.
- Add wet ingredients and combine: Add the vegetable oil, treacle, finely grated stem ginger, and 170ml cold water to the dry mix. Beat everything together using a wooden spoon until the batter is smooth and consistent with no lumps.
- Bake the cake: Pour the smooth cake batter into the prepared loaf tin, smoothing the top if needed. Bake in the center of the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean, indicating the cake is fully cooked.
- Cool the cake: Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool in the tin for 5 minutes. Then, carefully transfer the cake onto a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
- Prepare the icing: Sieve the icing sugar into a bowl to avoid lumps. Add the ginger syrup and gradually mix in just enough lemon juice to create a thick, pourable icing that can coat the back of a spoon.
- Ice and garnish: Place the cooled cake on a serving plate or cake stand, remove the lining parchment, and drizzle the lemon-ginger icing generously over the cake’s surface. Immediately scatter the sliced crystallised stem ginger pieces over the icing as a decorative and flavorful finish.
- Serve: Cut the cake into thick slices and serve as a delicious vegan treat perfect for teatime or dessert.
Notes
- You can adjust the intensity of the ginger flavor by adding more or less ground ginger or stem ginger based on your preference.
- If you don’t have treacle, you can substitute it with molasses or dark golden syrup for a similar depth of flavor.
- Make sure the cake is completely cool before icing to prevent the glaze from melting and sliding off.
- Use fresh lemon juice for the icing to get the best bright flavor contrast with the sweetness.
- This cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days and is also freezer-friendly for up to 1 month.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45-50 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: British
Keywords: vegan ginger loaf cake, ginger cake, vegan dessert, dairy-free cake, egg-free cake, gingerbread, treacle cake, tea cake, easy vegan baking
