Good afternoon!
I’ve been a busy girl… ;)
Finally a moment to blog! You will see why tomorrow, I promise. :)
First up, I wanted to say a huge thank you to those of you who voted for me in the Project Food Blog Challenge #2!!!
I am absolutely shocked to say this, but I was chosen as ‘Reader’s Choice’ for Challenge #2. Thank you times a million. You don’t know how much this means to me! You consistently prove to me what amazingly supportive and caring readers you are and I love ya.
I advanced to Challenge #3 which is to throw a lavish dinner party. It is due tomorrow.
Yes, tomorrow!!!!
They don’t mess around with the turnaround.
Luckily, I have been planning and plotting and scheming all week. Muhauhaha. And of course, inserting evil witch cackles when necessary.
When you see my post tomorrow, it will all become clear. Either that, or I am going to burn down the house in the process. It could go either way.
Back to the gingerbread for now though…
Mmmmm. Yummy.
Vegan never looked this sexy!
Pumpkin Gingerbread Loaf with Spiced "Buttercream"
Yield
8 to 9 slices
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
When I bite into a slice of this loaf, I’m flooded with fond memories of the holidays, cozied up by the fire, kids running around shrieking and causing havoc (it can't just be our house!). This loaf is the perfect “bake it all fall and winter long” vegan treat and it’s been a holiday tradition in my house for the past decade. You can serve it for dessert or simply enjoy a gingery, cozy slice alongside a cup of coffee or tea with friends. I also love it served for breakfast, swapping the frosting for vegan butter. The blackstrap molasses makes it iron, calcium, and magnesium rich, too! The second best part about this recipe, aside from the delicious flavour, is that it fills the house with the most wonderful pumpkin pie aroma. This recipe was originally published on ohsheglows.com in 2010. The recipe has now been revised and rewritten complete with fresh photos and new tips. I recommend weighing the flour for best results and to read through the Tips section before you begin.
Ingredients
For the walnuts (optional):
- 1/2 cup (50 g) chopped walnut halves
For the wet ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon (10 g) chia seeds
- 3 tablespoons (45 mL) water
- 1 cup (250 mL) unsweetened canned pumpkin purée
- 3 tablespoons (45 mL) pure maple syrup
- 3/4 cup (120 g) natural cane sugar
- 1/3 cup (80 mL) grapeseed oil or melted coconut oil*
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) blackstrap molasses
- 1 teaspoon (5 mL) pure vanilla extract
For the dry ingredients:
- 1 2/3 cups (263 g) unbleached all-purpose flour**
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice***
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt (or scant 1/2 tsp fine sea salt)
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 batch Spiced Vegan "Buttercream" Frosting
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper cut to fit the length of the pan cavity. Allow the ends to overhang the pan as this will help you lift out the loaf later.
- If using the walnuts, spread the chopped walnuts onto a baking sheet and toast at 350°F (180°C) for 5 to 8 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- For the wet ingredients: To a medium mixing bowl, add the chia seeds and water. Stir to combine and let sit for a couple minutes. Meanwhile, gather the rest of the wet ingredients. Now, add the pumpkin purée, maple syrup, sugar, oil, blackstrap molasses, and vanilla. Stir well until smooth.
- For the dry ingredients: To a large mixing bowl, add the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ground cloves. Whisk to combine.
- Using a spatula, spoon the wet ingredients on top of the dry ingredients, making sure to scrape all of the wet ingredients out of the bowl. Stir well to combine just until there are no dry patches of flour left. Be sure not to overmix the batter. If using, add the walnuts and stir until just incorporated.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth it out as evenly as possible. Bake in the preheated oven for for 45 to 55 minutes, until the loaf slowly springs back when pressed in a few spots and when a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- While the loaf bakes, prepare the Spiced Vegan "Buttercream" Frosting.
- Allow the loaf to cool for at least 30 minutes in the pan. After 30 minutes, carefully lift out the loaf using the parchment paper overhang as handles, and transfer it to a cooling rack to fully cool.
- Once fully cooled, frost the top of the loaf with the buttercream. Slice and serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 1 month. If freezing a frosted loaf, chill the loaf in the freezer (uncovered) just until the frosting is firm to the touch, then remove it from the freezer. Next, wrap the loaf in plastic wrap before placing it into a large freezer-safe zip bag or airtight container.
Tip:
* If using the melted coconut oil option, keep in mind that the loaf will firm up if chilled in the fridge (due to the coconut oil solidifying when chilled). I recommend letting the loaf sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before serving so it can soften up a bit.
** I recommend weighing the flour for best results. If you don’t own a kitchen scale, I use the “scoop-and-shake-until-level” method of scooping my flour out of the bag. This simply means that I briefly stir the flour in the bag, insert a measuring cup into the bag, scoop a heaping amount of flour using the measuring cup, and then shake the cup side-to-side until the flour is level. You can substitute 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (284 grams) white/light spelt flour in place of the all-purpose flour, if desired. I highly recommend Hockley Valley Premium Light Spelt Flour for my Canadian friends if you can find it as it is very smooth and similar to all-purpose flour in terms of its refined texture. Our family also prefers the flavour of this loaf made with white/light spelt flour compared to all-purpose flour, but they are both great. I don't recommend using whole spelt flour as it creates a dense loaf.
*** Instead of using a store-bought pumpkin pie spice, you can make it at home using my Pumpkin Pie Spice recipe.
Nut-free tip: This recipe is naturally nut-free as long as you don't include the optional walnuts.
High altitude baking tips: If baking at a high altitude, bake the loaf at 375°F (190°C) instead of 350°F (180°C). Loaves baked at a high altitude will probably have some sinking in the middle of the loaf, but this is normal. Be sure to test for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the middle of the loaf and also making sure the loaf slowly springs back when touched in a few areas.
This frosting is killer.
I have been dying to inhale this Gingerbread!!!! But alas, it is for the dinner party.
I did manage to sneak one heel of the bread (with leftover buttercream) and it was outrageously good.
The spiced buttercream makes this bread.
Major Yikes:
I’ve got 45 minutes until my guests arrive and lots left to prepare! I better get a move on. ;)
Here goes nothing…
Confession my husband and I love this!!! When I made it the first time he was asking me to make it again and we hadn’t yet finished it! Wonderful love it!
I am in love with these pictures, these cupcakes are seriously gorgeous. Thanks for sharing!
Hi! this loaf is amazing! i would like to make it gluten free, any suggestions on flours…oat..spelt…
Thank you!
I love your pumpkin muffin and loaf recipes but wonder how to make them gluten/ wheat free. Spelt flour is controversial because it is derived from wheat and I cannot use it. Are there other flour combinations that wont alter the deliciousness of your recipes?
Hi Diane, I have yet to try a GF version but if I do I will definitely share it :)
Hi Angela,
I am relatively new to your blog and am loving it! I made this pumpkin gingerbread for family dinner tonight and everyone raved about it! Fantastic recipe! I used a 9 inch round pan instead of the loaf pan – bake time was 35 minutes and it came out perfect!
PS LOVE the cookbook!
This is the BEST!!!! Oh my word – I am already thinking about who I can give some of this to so I don’t eat the whole thing today and so others can know the deliciousness of this bread!!
Can I use whole wheat pastry flour instead?
I use half w.w. pastry flour when I make it and it’s delicious!! the texture is perfect.
Hello Angela!
Your Pumpkin Gingerbread recipe looks so delicious! I’m interested in sharing your recipe on our blog and want to see if that’s OK with you. Here’s a link to our blog so you can see what we’re about: http://healthygoods.com/natural-health-blog/
If you are ok with me using your recipe, would you prefer I use your actual image or find something off thinkstock, like I normally do? I would certainly give you credit for the recipe and the photo, and link to the recipe on your page. When the blog goes live I could let you know so you know I didn’t change it or misrepresent you.
Please let me know what you think.
Thank you!
Kelly ([email protected])
This loaf is amazing! My husband and I and everyone we’ve served it to LOVES it… so moist and flavorful and the icing really takes it over the edge.
This is what the holiday’s all about. This is my families FAV recipe… I seriously can’t keep up with their demand for it.
Thanks for keeping this post up! <3 & Happy Christmas :)
Tamara
This recipe was amazing and very easy. The only thing I noticed that when I put the buttercream frosting, it very loose and oozed over…. any way to firm it up?
Hey, I have a suggestion for your website. I made this and used a “regular sized” loaf pan (9×5) and baked the loaf for 1 hr and 15 min and it’s still kinda gummy in the middle. Like not the texture of a loaf. This is highly rated, but I imagine there was some feedback from your recipe testers, but I don’t see any in the comments. I think guidance or insight from folks who tried the recipes would have been helpful in this instance. The frosting is really good, though.
Wow, what a great recipe! I slightly adapted it to what I had on hand, using 2/3 cup of olive oil, and a mix of oat (1 1/3 cup) and buckwheat (1/3) flour. Agave syrup instead of maple, and some nutmeg (instead of cloves). It was a big hit at the dinner party, and no-one suspected all the healthy ingredients. Thank you so much for the great recipe!!
Made the gingerbread cake! It was AMAZING! everyone wanted the recipe! I have never been disappointed with any of your recipes. You are my go-to website! :-)
for the buttercream, would 1 tbsp of pumpkin pie spice be 1 tbsp cinnamon, 1/2 tbsp nutmeg and 1/2 tbsp ginger? i dont have pumpkin pie spice but have the others ;)
Can I use flax eggs instead of chia?
I’ve been searching for a gingerbread recipe. I think I have all of the ingredients on hand for the bread. Do you think it’s sweet and moist enough without the frosting? Or would you suggest upping the amount of maple syrup so it still tastes sweet?
Congratulations on the newest addition to your beautiful clan! :)
This was amazing! I used a flax egg in place of the chia and omitted the nuts & frosting. It’s lovely on its own. I also baked it in mini loaf pans. Thank you for such a great recipe!
Can I make it a week before thanksgiving then freeze it? Then add the icing the day of? Will it still be good? Thanks! Love your recipes!
Hey Holly, I can’t see why not! I would be sure to double wrap it (I like to wrap the cooled loaf very tightly with saran, and then place it in a large zip bag with the air sucked out or wrap it in a couple layers of tin foil. I hope this helps! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
I was wondering if the gingerbread could be made a day or two ahead of time. How well does it keep? If you can make ahead, would you wrap it and leave at room temperature or refrigerate? Also, I’m replacing the chia egg with VeganEgg from Follow Your Heart. Has anyone ever used them before in baking?
Hey Christine, You can probably get away with making it the day before. After cooling wrap it up well and store in fridge or room temperature.