It’s hard to believe that we are almost two weeks into 2023 already! Every year, I find myself reflecting around this time on all the hustle and bustle of the holidays. How quickly it begins and how quickly it comes to an end. The time period for creating dishes “holiday” flavors is so short and chaotic, that I barely had a chance to make anything last month.

I love baking and using the holiday flavors: peppermint, pumpkin spice, gingerbread, apple, cranberry, and walnut, just to name a few. So, I decided to make this delicious looking gingerbread cake in January. Don’t tell the food police!

I found this recipe on Rainbow Plant Life, a blog that’s dedicated to vegan recipes. Her colorful website and stunning food photography always draw me in. I’ve made a few of Nisha’s recipes in the past, but this was the first time I decided to try one that required aquafaba.

If you haven’t heard of it, aquafaba its the liquid that canned chickpeas are packed in. So I decided to save the liquid from my most recent can of chickpeas in case I needed it for a recipe. I stored the liquid in an airtight container in the fridge until I was ready to use it.

I usually tend to start my search for vegan recipes on Nisha’s website because the recipes are flavorful, well-written, and easy. So, when I stumbled upon her Gingerbread Cake recipe, I knew this one had to be the recipe I would make. It also helped that I had nearly all of the ingredients. I just needed to buy molasses.

Making It

I’ll be honest. I was desperately trying to find an excuse for using the new stand mixer I received for Christmas. However, I regret that decision. This recipe didn’t really require the huge stand mixer. A hand-held mixer would have worked better. And I ended up bring it out, anyway. I had so many dishes to do.

The cake came together easily and as soon as the spice mixture hit the liquid and everything was combined, the kitchen became fragrant. Now, remember, this is a vegan recipe. So there are no eggs, butter, or cow’s milk. The eggs are replaced with the aquafaba that is whipped slightly. Oil is used in place of butter. And the recipe called for almond milk, or another plant-based milk option. Due to a mix up in the pantry, I ended up having to use cow’s milk. The oat milk I was planning to use had gone bad and I couldn’t bring myself to run out and get more.

So, for me, this recipe was mostly vegan.

Baking It

Once the batter came together, I decided to bake it in my stoneware loaf pan that I got from Pampered Chef a few years ago. The pan is still available and I can’t wait to keep using it, so it develops a natural season. It only required a few extra minutes in the oven than what the recipe said it would. Probably due to the fact that stoneware takes a bit longer to heat up than metal.

This cake took about 56 minutes to bake! I figured that the long bake time would make the cake dense, despite the batter being very thin and light. So, I was surprised to see that it wasn’t dense at all. In fact, the cake was quite light and fluffy, just like the recipe said it would be.

Tasting It

After the cake was cooled, I removed it from the pan and cut into it. I could tell right away how moist it was. It was completely baked, but just really moist. I also really liked the gingerbread flavor in this cake. However, there was something missing. At first, I couldn’t put my finger on it. All I could taste and smell was the spices and the molasses.

When the bf tried it, he realized that it needed either more sugar or more fat. Even though there is molasses in the recipe, and molasses is a byproduct of sugar production, it doesn’t behave the same as regular sugar. Brown sugar, which is in the recipe also creates a different flavor than using regular cane sugar.

Eventually, we realized that the bread could be improved with a smear of butter. We aren’t vegans, so we didn’t mind the addition of some canola oil butter on the top. We also opted to make the glaze that is mentioned in the recipe. We are both trying to cut calories where we can. Plus, this cake is so moist that it doesn’t need a frosting.

I decided to store the leftovers in the fridge, because it’s so moist. I want to have it last for as long as possible.

I wasn’t too good about taking pictures during the whole process. I’ll still finding my way around the kitchen in the condo. So, here’s a few pictures of the end product.

A Quick Personal/Blogging Note

Guess what!!! I finally ordered some lovely photography backgrounds! One of my goals this year is to improve the food photography on the blog and buying some backdrops was the first step. I can’t wait to start using them. Next is some better lighting….hopefully.

Until next time, readers. Thanks for being here!