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Cranberry Gingerbread Cake

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Well…not quite, but almost and truth be told, I am here for it. Halloween decorations are down and I’m itching to get my Christmas stuff up. While I count down the days until December and I can officially “deck the halls” you can find me eating all the yummy Christmas treats. Case and point: this banging Cranberry Gingerbread cake.

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A light pink cranberry gingerbread cake covered in a white chocolate ganache drip and topped with soft pink rbuttercream swirls and a golden brown gingersnap cookie between each swirl.

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cake Recipe

Fun fact about this cake: it’s not just dairy-free but it’s also gluten-free too! I saw a box of Kinnikinnick gluten-free gingersnap cookies the other day when inspiration hit. Snagged that box of cookies and their gluten-free flour blend and practically ran home to get baking. Now, I’m certainly no gluten-free baking expert, but with the experience I do have, I knew that I had to make a few simple changes to my basic go-to cake recipe.

A closer up picture of the top corner of a cake. It is covered in a shiny white chocolate ganache drip and topped with soft pink buttercream swirls and a gingersnap cookie between each swirl.

 

How To Make A Gluten-Free Cake Moist

An extra egg and some added liquid help keep this gluten-free cake moist and oh so totally delicious. I made this cake for Sunday Family Cake and didn’t tell a soul that it was gluten-free. Sliced, served, and devoured. Not a single person knew that it was gluten-free. Not even my husband who is notorious for wrinkling his nose at anything labeled “gluten-free.”

A close up picture of the inside of a gingerbread cake. You can see four golden brown cake layers with soft pink frosting between each layer.

The Best Cranberry Gingerbread Cake Recipe

So I’m calling this a double win: 1. for all that Christmassy flavor feel and 2. gluten-free cake that is just as yummy as “regular” cake. Bake this up and see if you too can trick your friends and family.

A slice of gingerbread cranberry cake sitting on a plate with a fork stuck perpendicular in it. There are four golden brown cake layers with soft pink frosting between each layer.

Gluten-Free Baking

Looking for some other gluten-free treats? Here are a few:

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A light pink cranberry gingerbread cake covered in a white chocolate ganache drip and topped with soft pink rbuttercream swirls and a golden brown gingersnap cookie between each swirl.

Cranberry Gingerbread Cake

★★★★★

5 from 1 review
  • Author: Katie
  • Total Time: 2 Hours 30 Minutes
  • Yield: 10 Slices 1x
  • Diet: Gluten Free
Print Recipe

Description

This gluten-free cranberry gingerbread cake is perfect for the holidays. Four fluffy layers of warm gluten-free gingerbread cake covered in a sweet whipped cranberry buttercream frosting.

Ingredients

Scale

Gingerbread Cake


  • ½ cup dairy-free salted butter, room temperature


  • ⅓ cup all-vegetable oil


  • ¾ cup brown sugar


  • ¾ cup white sugar


  • ⅓ cup dairy-free yogurt, room temperature


  • 4  egg whites, room temperature


  • 1 egg, large


  • ½ cup fancy molasses


  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract


  • 2 ½ cups Kinnikinnick gluten-free flour, sifted


  • 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder


  • ½ teaspoon baking soda


  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt


  • 1 ½ teaspoon ground ginger


  • 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon


  • 1 teaspoon ground clove


  • ½ cup dairy-free milk, room temperature


Cranberry Buttercream


  • 2 cups dairy-free salted butter, room temperature


  • 6 ¼ cups icing sugar


  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt


  • 1 cup canned cranberry sauce


  • optional: Kinnikinnick Gingersnaps for decor


White Chocolate Ganache Drip


  • ½ cup dairy-free white chocolate


  • 1 ½ tablespoon dairy-free milk


Instructions

Gingerbread Cake

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare four 6-inch round cake pans with non-stick baking spray and parchment paper.

  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer cream butter, oil, and both sugars on high for 2 minutes with the whisk attachment.

  3. Add in the whole egg and egg whites and mix on high for 2 minutes.

  4. Add the molasses, yogurt, and vanilla extract and mix on high for 2 minutes.

  5. Combine all the dry ingredients into the mixer and mix on low.

  6. While the mixer is on low slowly pour in the milk and mix until combined. Be careful to not overmix the batter.

  7. Divide batter between pans and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.

  8. Cool in pans for 10 minutes and then invert on a cooling rack to fully cool.

Cranberry Buttercream

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter on high speed with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. This should take approximately 5-10 minutes.

  2. Add the icing sugar, cranberry sauce, and salt and mix on low until combined.

  3. Turn the mixer up to high and let mix for 5 minutes until smooth and creamy. Scrape the sides of the bowl when necessary.

White Chocolate Ganache Drip

  1. In a microwave-safe bowl heat the white chocolate and milk in 30-second intervals until fully melted and smooth stirring between each interval.

  2. Depending on the kind of milk, the drip may require a touch more milk to thin or a bit more white chocolate to thicken. *I always test my ganache drips over the edge of the kitchen sink before applying to a cake to check the consistency.

Cake Assembly

  1. Place one leveled layer of gluten-free gingerbread cake on a cake board or plate. Top with approximately 1 cup of cranberry buttercream.

  2. Repeat with the remaining layers and apply a thin coat of buttercream all over the cake. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

  3. Cover the cake with another layer of buttercream and smooth sides using the Wilton Cake Comb. Make sure to clean the comb after each pass.

  4. On a well-chilled cake, with a spoon or a piping bag, drip the warm white chocolate ganache over the edges of the cake and put it back in the refrigerator to chill.

  5. Decorate as you please. I used a Wilton 1M tip and piped buttercream ruffles with a Kinnikinnick gingersnap in between each ruffle. Enjoy!

Equipment

  • Prep Time: 2 Hours
  • Cook Time: 30 Minutes
  • Category: Cakes
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 Slice
  • Calories: 1279
  • Sugar: 151 Grams
  • Sodium: 1265 Miligrams
  • Fat: 59 Grams
  • Saturated Fat: 30 Grams
  • Unsaturated Fat: 24 Grams
  • Trans Fat: 4 Grams
  • Carbohydrates: 187 Grams
  • Fiber: 2 Grams
  • Protein: 4 Grams
  • Cholesterol: 93 Miligrams

Keywords: cranberry gingerbread cake, cranberry gingerbread cake recipe, gluten-free cranberry gingerbread cake, gluten-free cranberry gingerbread cake recipe

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4 Comments

  1. This ginger cake recipe is so delicious! I used the ginger cake layers and covered it semi naked in a dairy free cream cheese frosting for a baby shower last month for a lactose intolerant mom-to-be and gluten free guests. The cake layers were so flavorful and MOIST! No one could even tell it was gluten free!! I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flour and it was perfect (we didn’t have the other brand in our grocery store). The recipe was easy to follow and Katie’s flavors are always SO GOOD! Thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  2. Looks amazing! We are egg intolerant. Do the egg whites make it fluffy like a meringue? Wondered if I could use aquafaba to replace the egg whites? Anyone tried?

    Reply

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