Healthy Vegan Gingerbread Loaf

Healthy Vegan Gingerbread Loaf- made with whole grain flour and iron rich molasses, this gingerbread is nourishing and packed full of flavor!

Healthy Vegan Gingerbread Loaf- made with whole grain flour and iron rich molasses, this gingerbread is nourishing and packed full of flavor!

Now that I’ve served you chewy ginger molasses cookies and flourless gingerbread muffins, it’s time for a gingerbread loaf! Because there is always room for more gingerbread.

In all honesty, I wasn’t sure if this loaf was going to make it to the blog. I had to test it 4 times to get it just right. I almost gave up when trial number 3 exploded inside of my oven. True story. 

Thankfully persistence paid off on the 4th round with the most perfect gingerbread loaf a girl could ask for. I discovered the trick was using applesauce instead of a flax egg to keep it from sinking in the middle and juuuussstt the right amount of leavening agent to keep it from exploding. It’s a delicate balance.

Healthy Vegan Gingerbread Loaf- made with whole grain flour and iron rich molasses, this gingerbread is nourishing and packed full of flavor!

Healthy Vegan Gingerbread Loaf- made with whole grain flour and iron rich molasses, this gingerbread is nourishing and packed full of flavor!

I tested the recipe using one bowl (as seen in the process shots above) but I found that using two worked best to assure proper blending of the wet and dry ingredients. I know it’s more dishes and believe me, I probably hate doing dishes more than anyone. But for a perfect gingerbread loaf even I think it’s worth it.

I deemed the recipe healthy because it’s made with fiber-packed whole grain flour and blackstrap molasses which gives it a hefty boost of iron. I also used pure maple syrup to keep it refined sugar-free. I haven’t tested the recipe with gluten-free flours but my suspicion is that an all-purpose gluten-free blend would work in equal amounts in place of the spelt flour. If you decide to give it a try, please let us know how it turned out!

Healthy Vegan Gingerbread Loaf- made with whole grain flour and iron rich molasses, this gingerbread is nourishing and packed full of flavor!

Healthy Vegan Gingerbread Loaf

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

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Ingredients:

  • 2 cups spelt flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup unsulphured molasses
  • 1/3 cup melted virgin coconut oil
  • 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1/3 cup applesauce
  • 3/4 cup hot water
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F then lightly grease a 9×5” loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Whisk together then set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine the molasses, maple syrup, applesauce, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk together.

To the bowl with the wet ingredients, add the dry then fold together with a spatula a few times. Pour in the hot water then stir until everything is well combined. Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Bake in the oven for 60 minutes, until set. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes.

The icing on top is made from 1 cup powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons lemon juice whisked together. The gingerbread is perfectly sweet on it’s own but the icing is a nice way to dress it up.

 

Did you try this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out by leaving a comment below or sharing a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #makingthymeforhealth. I love hearing your feedback! heart