Holiday Gingerbread… and it’s Vegan

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A delicious riff on traditional British sticky toffee pudding with prunes in place of dates.

Although vegan, the results are far from a compromise. This recipe is plain old good. Lots of freshly grated ginger and generous winter spices make a perfect pairing with a dollop of whipped cream or dairy-free topping.

A great holiday recipe that’s easily made, and improves when made a day or two in advance.

Notes

Muscavado sugar is a dark, rich tasting, unrefined sugar.  You can also use jaggery powder, which I picked up at Raj’s Cash and Carry in Groton.

Ingredients

  • ⅔ cup vegetable oil
  • ⅔ cup Lyle’s Golden Syrup or light corn syrup
  • ⅔ cup Lyle’s Black Treacle or black molasses
  • ⅔ cup Muscavado sugar, jaggery powder or dark brown sugar
  • heaping ⅓ cup pitted soft pitted prunes, finely chopped (about 8)
  • a 3 inch piece of fresh gingerroot
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 cup oat milk
  • 2¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 tablespoons warm water
  • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Method

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Line a 9-in square tin with baking parchment to cover the bottom and sides of a tin.

Measure the oil and pour into a fairly wide and heavy saucepan. Measure the syrup and molasses in the same cup you used to measure the oil to keep them from sticking.

Add the sugar into the pan, and chop the pitted prunes finely before adding them. Peel the ginger and grate it finely into the pan. Sprinkle in the spices and salt and warm over gentle heat, whisking to combine. But don’t whisk too much: you do not want to get a lot of air in the mixture.

When melted and mixed, take the pan off the heat; the mixture should be warm at this stage, rather than boiling hot. Add the oat milk, whisking gently to make sure it’s incorporated.

Whisk in the flour in 3 or 4 batches, getting rid of any lumps as you go.

Dissolve soda in warm water in a larger cup than you think it will need, then add the vinegar and quickly whisk the bubbling mixture into the pan.

Pour the gingerbread batter into the lined tin carefully and bake for 50–55 minutes. When cooked, the gingerbread should bounce back a bit under your fingers.

Leave to cool in its tin on a rack. For the best results, wrap the tin first in baking parchment and then in foil, and leave for a day or two before cutting into it.

Adapted from Nigella Lawson