Gingerbread Cake with a light cream cheese frosting (gluten-free, whole grain, low sugar, high altitude option)

Enjoy the warm, deep spices of gingerbread in a gluten-free, whole grain cake that’s low in sugar AND comes with high altitude adjustments! Complete with a light cream cheese frosting on top, that’s tangy and sweet, this cake will quickly become an easy holiday favorite among family members and guests alike.

It can be hard to find a moist, gluten-free cake recipe that isn’t insanely unhealthy.

This Gingerbread Cake changes all of that. Using oat flour creates an insanely moist cake, that’s also easy to whip up since it’s made with only ONE gluten-free flour! This Gingerbread Cake recipe will be the best Holiday dessert you’ll make this year, that is, without chocolate involved at least 😉

Usually I’m not the biggest fan of desserts without chocolate.

However, I’m always trying to make fun and new desserts with different flavors, in an effort to not just eat chocolate for dessert 24/7. (That wouldn’t be a bad thing necessarily though…)

Christmas and Thanksgiving scream to have some sort of spiced recipe involved.

I LOVE spices. So, why not a spiced cake? Not surprisingly, growing up my family didn’t really make cake for the Holidays. You see, my Mom has her own side hustle making cakes for birthdays, weddings, etc. so she makes cakes pretty often, which means when it comes to Holiday desserts she wants to make something different.

I’m not the worlds biggest cake fan either.. I’d rather have a cookie or brownie. If you throw the word “cream cheese frosting” around though, then you can count me in!

Enter in, this beautifully spiced Gingerbread Cake with a light cream cheese frosting.

Divine. Like taking the classic, old-fashioned flavors of gingerbread cookies and putting them into a moist, gluten-free cake, complete with a tangy, sweet cream cheese frosting on top. This reached “you’ve got to be kidding me” status.. it was so good.

The cake itself is made healthier with:

• Oat flour, certified gluten-free (whole grain, high fiber)
• Less sugar (only 1/4 cup) with the addition of applesauce
• Only 1/4 cup coconut oil

The light cream cheese frosting is simply made with less powdered sugar. Turns out, you don’t really need 4 cups of powdered sugar to make cream cheese frosting taste delicious. Sure, it’s good that way, I won’t argue with you there, but it’s good like this too and much better for you 🙂

This Gingerbread Cake is easy to make ahead as well.

Reaching the status of “you’ve got to be kidding me this is the perfect Thanksgiving or Christmas dessert!” It’s as simple as mixing together your dry ingredients, wet ingredients separately, then combining the two. After about 30 minutes in the oven you have a beautifully spiced, Gingerbread Cake.

The light cream cheese frosting is as simple as beating all your ingredients together too. Ta-da!

After your Gingerbread Cake has cooled, spread your cream cheese frosting on thick.

Cut into 16 pieces. Feeling a little.. hungry? You could cut these into 12 really big pieces instead. I won’t tell 😉

Sprinkle a few chopped pecans on top and your cake is done. Such a classic, simple, beautiful and healthier Holiday dessert. Don’t forget to say “with cream cheese frosting!” too when you tell your friends what type of cake it is, because if they are anything like me then you’ll be mopping drool off your floor after you tell them that 😉

Looking for more easy, healthier, gluten-free Holiday desserts? Check out my Skinny Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes or Apple Cider Cupcakes.

4.34 from 3 votes

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Gingerbread Cake with light cream cheese frosting (gluten-free, whole grain, low sugar)

Servings: 16 pieces

Calories: 191 kcal

Ingredients

Gingerbread Cake

• 1 1/2 cup oat flour (certified gluten-free)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted (or butter)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 2/3 cup molasses
• 2/3 cup warm water
• 1 egg

Light Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 oz reduced fat cream cheese
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

*High Altitude Adjustment (for 6,000-8,000 ft): Use only 1/2 tsp of baking soda.

Instructions

To make the Gingerbread Cake:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 and line a 9x9 pan with parchment paper. 

2. In a small mixing bowl, combine your dry ingredients (oat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, cloves and salt) and stir together.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine your coconut oil, brown sugar, and applesauce and blend together well. Add in your molasses and water, and whisk together. Lastly, whisk your egg in.

4. Pour your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients and stir together till all is well incorporated. Let your cake batter rest for a few minutes for the oat flour to soak up some of the wet ingredients, and your batter will thicken a bit.

5. Pour your batter into your lined 9x9 pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or till the top is set and springy, and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

To make the Light Cream Cheese Frosting:

1. In a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer, beat your cream cheese for a minute, or till it's creamy. Add in your vanilla and beat together again.

2. Add your powdered sugar and beat for a couple minutes, till the frosting is smooth and creamy. 

This recipe was inspired by this Gingerbread Cake and this Low Fat Cream Cheese Frosting.