Vegan Spice Cake (Pain d’Épices)
Pain d’épices is a fragrant French cake that is very popular during the fall, winter, and festive seasons.
This loaf-style cake is wonderfully seasoned with an array of spices including ginger, clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
This is a vegan version of this classic, without eggs or honey, but just as wonderful and comforting.
📝 The Ingredients You’ll Need
Making this cake isn’t too difficult, as the traditional version is also quite simple.
Here’s what you’ll need:
Dry Ingredients:
- All-Purpose Flour: the base of the cake.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: these leavening agents will help the cake rise and become fluffy.
- Spices: a warm and inviting mix of ground ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. Each spice contributes to the characteristic flavor of pain d’épices.
- Sugar: although the cake is sweetened with agave syrup, a little sugar improves its consistency.
Wet Ingredients:
- Milk Alternative: I used soy milk.
- Agave Syrup: a plant-based sweetener that replaces the honey used in the traditional pain d’épices.
- Vegetable Oil: I used sunflower oil.
- Orange Juice & Zest: for a citrusy undertone that complements the spices beautifully.
🍂 Simple Step by Step Process
I began by preheating the oven to 180 °C (356 °F).
Before preparing the ingredients, I greased a loaf pan with a little oil and coated it with flour.
Then I zested an orange and squeezed out some of its juice.
In a small bowl, I combined 250 ml (1 cup) of soy milk, 100 g (½ cup) of sunflower oil, 100 g (⅓ cup) of agave syrup, 2 tablespoons of orange juice, and its zest.
Into a larger bowl, I sifted 250 grams (2 cups) of flour and mixed it with 30 g (2 + ½ tablespoons) of sugar, 1 tablespoon of baking powder, ½ teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate, and the powdered spices (½ teaspoon of ginger, ½ teaspoon of nutmeg, ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon of cloves).
Next, I gently folded the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients, stirring just until combined.
I poured the batter into the loaf pan and baked it in a preheated oven at 180 °C (356 °F) for about 35 minutes.
After cooling and unmolding, I brushed it with a little agave syrup – just to give it that nice, shiny touch.
And that’s pretty much it. Simple, right? Hope you enjoy it!
In case you are a fan of comforting bakes, you’ll probably love our pear cake too — made with pear purée, warm spices, and a caramelized topping. True, it’s a little more work, but it’s worth every minute. Just like this pain d’épices, it’s the kind of cake that warms our souls. 🧡
Vegan Spice Cake (Pain d’Épices)
Equipment
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 250 ml (1 cup) soy milk
- 100 g (⅓ cup) agave syrup
- 100 g (½ cup) sunflower oil
- 2 tbsp orange juice
- 1 orange's zest
Dry Ingredients
- 250 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp ginger powder
- ½ tsp nutmeg powder
- ½ tsp cinnamon powder
- ¼ tsp cloves powder
- 30 g (2 ½ tbsp) sugar white
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 °C (356 ºF).
- Grease a loaf pan of about 26 cm (10 inches) and coat with flour, or line with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, mix the liquid ingredients.
- Into a larger bowl, sift the flour and mix with the rest of the dry ingredients.
- Fold the liquid ingredients into the dry. Stir until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake at 180 °C (356 ºF) for about 35 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Unmold after cooling and brush with a little agave syrup (optional). Enjoy!
Video
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