Vegan Jamaican Ginger Cake

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Are you ready for another delicious dessert here on Veganiac? Today we are making Vegan Jamaican Ginger Cake. The Jamaican Ginger Cake is one of the unique tasting cakes in the confectionary sphere.

Made popular in the UK by the McVities Jamaica Ginger Cake, this cake is characteristically sweet and sticky, straight out of the packet.

However, the traditional Jamaican Ginger Cake is a fine balance of dense and fluffy textures with a distinct flavor of nutmeg and ginger. The treacle glaze trickling down from the top to the sides of the cake significantly enhances its taste and aesthetics.

The Jamaican Ginger Cake stands out because of its sticky and dense texture. But this cake also packs a punch with its spicy flavor, which is loved by many.

If you love the Jamaican Ginger Cake as much as we do and are looking for a vegan version, we’ve got you covered with Dairy-free and Egg-free Jamaican Ginger Cake recipe.

Fun Fact – The Jamaican Ginger cake is a British cake and does not come from Jamaica. This popular cake got its name from the fact that the ginger used in it is from Jamaica.

As one of the first British Caribbean colonies, ginger from Jamaica was among the first to be exported to the islands of Great Britain and Europe. Among the many benefits of Jamaican ginger is its effectiveness in treating gastrointestinal ailments.

Ingredients

• 7 Oz plain flour
• 3.3 Oz plant-based milk
• 3.5 Oz stem ginger
• 3 Oz golden syrup
• 3 Oz molasses or black treacle
• 3.5 Oz brown sugar
• 3 Oz stork block
• 4 tsp ground ginger
• 3 tbsp filtered water
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp bicarbonate soda
• 1 tbsp flax seed
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg

Ingredients for the treacle glaze

• 1,5 Oz brown sugar
• 3 tbsp golden syrup

Alternatively, you can also use 3 Oz stem ginger syrup

Vegan Jamaican Ginger Cake Recipe:

Baking instructions

• Preheat the oven to 360F If it’s a fan oven, 320F is ideal.
• Grease a baking loaf pan and line it with parchment paper. The batter from the above ingredients batch is ideal for a 8-9 inch baking pan.
• In a separate bowl, mix the plant-based milk with bicarbonate of soda and set it aside.
• Next, sift the flour, ground ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon into a mixing bowl.
• Finely dice the stem ginger and mix it with the above ingredients in the mixing bowl and set aside.
• Use another bowl to mix the filtered water with the flaxseeds.
• Next, use a small saucepan and mix the black treacle, brown sugar, golden syrup, and stork block. Melt the mixture over low flame until thoroughly mixed but don’t bring it to a boil.
• Add the melted syrup mixture to the dry ingredients and beat until very smooth.
• Proceed to add the flaxseed mixture and the bicarbonate solution to the mixing bowl and whisk. Don’t worry if the batter has a runny texture, as it is pretty normal for a Jamaican Ginger Cake.
• Pour this vegan Jamaican cake batter gently into the greased and lined pan and set the timer for 60 minutes. However, you need to cover the top of the cake with tin foil at the 30-minute mark to prevent it from burning.
• After you are sure that your cake is baked and ready, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool.

Glazing instructions

• Mix the syrup and brown sugar in a saucepan and melt it over low flame while the cake is cooling.
• Use a skewer or toothpick to prick the top of the cake and pour the glaze generously over it. You can use a small brush to smooth the glaze evenly over the cake and allow it to soak for about an hour.
• If you are using the stem ginger syrup, you can brush it all over the cake and allow it to soak for about an hour till you are ready to serve it.

Pro tip – Allow the cake to soak in the glaze for at least 30 minutes before you transfer it to the wire rack.

For an authentic vegan Jamaican ginger cake presentation, cut thin slices of stem ginger and top them with the cake while serving.

Pin the image below if you like this Jamaican ginger cake recipe!

Ingredient substitute for vegan Jamaican ginger cake

This popular British cake uses several authentic ingredients that produce the best flavor. However, some ingredients may be hard to get your hands on – either because it is not available at your local store or you don’t want to order them online. So here are some of the best substitutes for the most authentic vegan Jamaican ginger cake taste.

Golden syrup

Using the golden syrup in the vegan Jamaican ginger cake enhances the caramel flavor and the buttery scent. However, if golden syrup is not available, corn syrup is a good substitute.

Just keep in mind that corn syrup is several times sweeter than golden syrup and other types of syrups.

Stem ginger

Young ginger that is peeled, cooked and soaked in syrup is stem ginger, and stem ginger is much stronger in flavor than a regular one.

If stem ginger is not available, ginger marmalade is a good substitute. If ginger marmalade is not an option, use regular ginger, dice it, add sugar and water to cook it, and allow it to soak for several hours before using it.

Brown sugar

Brown sugar or muscovado sugar is naturally brown and unrefined, which adds sweetness and flavor as well. If muscovado sugar is not available, light brown sugar or refined dark sugar with molasses in it is a good substitute.

Wrapping up

The vegan Jamaican ginger cake is very easy to bake and packs a fantastic flavor with spices and ginger. You don’t require a food processor, blender or mixer, so you can bake it even as an amateur.

This vegan cake is a bit dense, so cooling it before serving it is a great idea. If you plan to freeze the vegan Jamaican ginger cake, you can do so too. Just cut the cakes into individual pieces and wrap them in clingfilm before freezing them.

Defrost the cake slices and keep them at room temperature for at least one hour before serving.