Vegan Gingerbread Cake Bars with Cashew Cream Cheese Frosting that’s a delicious holiday dessert. It’s super moist, fluffy, and perfectly sweet. Flavored with warming spices like ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. These bars are gluten-free, grain-free, and vegan.
If I had to pick my favorite holiday flavor, it would be gingerbread. I love molasses and traditional warming spices like ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. There’s something so cozy about gingerbread! It reminds me of being a child baking gingerbread cookies and enjoying them curled up by the fireplace with a mug of steamy hot chocolate as the snow is falling outside. Now I want to be transported back to that exact memory. Enough about me reminiscing…let’s get into these delicious Gingerbread Cake Bars!
I had the idea for these Gingerbread Cake Bars when I was daydreaming about my love for gingerbread and cake. I love a good cake. I’m that person who actually enjoys baking my own birthday cake because I just love everything about cake that much. When you think of holiday desserts, there’s not really a traditional cake that comes to mind besides pumpkin cake in the fall. I started thinking about my favorite holiday flavors and favorite desserts in general. What if I put them together? And that my friends is how these Gingerbread Cake Bars were born.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR VEGAN GINGERBREAD CAKE BARS
I wanted to keep this recipe as healthy and simple as possible, without sacrificing flavor.
GINGERBREAD CAKE:
- Flax “egg” – 2 tbsp ground flax seeds and 4 tbsp filtered water
- Blackstrap molasses
- Apple cider vinegar
- Creamy almond butter
- Plant-based milk – I used almond milk
- Almond flour, finely ground
- Tapioca flour
- Coconut sugar
- Baking soda
- Ground ginger
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Salt
CASHEW CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
This dairy-free frosting has a rich taste, and amazing creaminess, without the added sugar and butter like traditional frosting. Cashews are a great cream cheese alternative and this frosting is so simple to make since you just toss all the ingredients in a high-speed blender. I used Navitas Organics Cashews. I love that they are organic and super high quality. Navitas Organics is extremely particular when it comes to quality, so they run the gauntlet of rigorous third-party certifications and testing processes.
- Raw cashews – soaked in warm water for 1 hour
- Maple syrup
- Apple cider vinegar
- Coconut Cream – you can sub coconut milk (just make sure to only use the top solid part)
- Vanilla extract
I recommend letting the cake cool for two hours before frosting it, so the frosting does not melt. Trust me, it is worth the wait!
These cake bars make for the perfect holiday dessert or to enjoy alongside your morning coffee on Christmas morning. How cozy does that sound?
However you choose to devour these Gingerbread Bars, you are going to love them this holiday season. Not only are they absolutely delicious, but they’re made with healthier ingredients, making them vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, and low sugar.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!
If you try this recipe, leave a rating and comment below! Ready for more? Follow along on Instagram!
Gingerbread Cake Bars
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cake Bars
- 2 flax eggs 2 tbsp ground flax seeds, 4 tbsp filtered water
- ¼ cup blackstrap molasses
- 1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup plant-based milk I used almond milk
- ¼ cup smooth almond butter or tahini
- 1 cup almond flour packed
- ½ cup arrowroot starch
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
Cashew Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 ¼ cup Navitas Organics Cashews soaked
- 3-4 Tbs maple syrup
- ½ Tbs apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup canned coconut milk just the thick top part
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Gingerbread Cake Bars
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Mix the ground flax seeds with water to make the flax eggs. Let it sit for at least 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: almond butter, blackstrap molasses, plant-based milk, apple cider vinegar, and flax "eggs".
- In a separate bowl, whisk together almond flour, arrowroot starch, coconut sugar, spices, baking soda, and a pinch of sea salt. Gently stir the dry mixture into the wet ingredients.
- Pour the mixture into an 8×8 cake pan lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 27 – 30 minutes.
Cashew Cream Cheese Frosting
- Add soaked and drained cashews, maple syrup, vanilla extract, apple cider vinegar, and coconut milk to a high-speed blender. The texture should be thick and creamy.
- Let it firm up a bit in the fridge for an hour.
- Spread frosting generously on top of the cake bars, once they have cooled for at least 2 hours.
