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Remember the cookies I received from Lark Fine Foods?
They arrived on Ash Wednesday, and since I gave up sugar for Lent, I decided to freeze the cookies until after Easter. Sometimes CD gets a sweet tooth late at night…
At least he left me one of each. 
The salted rosemary shortbread was divine – imagine a sweet buttery cookie with just a hint of rosemary. I never would have thought to add rosemary to cookie batter (if you can believe that), but ’twas a match made in heaven. Loved the Cha-Cha as well, a chocolate cookie with a spicy kick. However, my favorite was definitely the Mighty Ginger as it tasted like a big chewy gingersnap, and I’ve had ginger on the brain ever since.
I had a bad experience with ginger once. It involved a bowl of Thai food that tasted like Lemon Pledge, and for years afterwards, I feared ginger. Fresh ginger is easy to overdo, but if you get it just right, it can take your baked goods to a whole new level.
I made a spice cake today using fresh ginger.
It did not taste like Lemon Pledge.
Many thanks to Melody for sharing her recipe with me, and now I’ll share my version with you.
Ginger Spice Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup brown rice flour
- 1 cup milk of choice (I used HEABified coconut milk)
- 2 TBSP coconut oil, melted
- zest & juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 heaping tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp fresh ginger
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp clove
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp maple extract
- 1 packet of stevia
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Directions
- Pre-heat oven to 350℉
- Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor.
- Pour into greased 8 x 8 baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.
- Dense, moist, and not too sweet. Enjoy frosted with coconut cream and more cinnamon.
{ 56 comments… read them below or add one }
Mmmmmm…looks delicious, Heather! I’ve never been much of a ginger fan though.
Have a great day!
What a cute cake! I agree, ginger is so easy to overuse and when it is empowering I find it inedible
Rosemary shortbread sounds super good!
I LOVE ginger in my desserts. Delicious!
Wow those rosemary shortbread cookies sound amazing! I’m not sure I would have been so lucky to have one of each left.
Also, chickpeas in a cake – something I haven’t tried yet! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I eat ginger in every form. Fresh, dried, candied, powdered, in baked goods, you name it. The header on my blog is a plate of ginger cookies!
Nice heart cake, by the way.
I LOVE ginger. I can easily overdo it (to others) and be fine. Those cookies sound divine!
Ginger is one of my favorite spices! I love it in marinades, stir fries, and even put it into my smoothies. I also love those ginger candies from the Asian supermarket … (I also have a sweet tooth.) The cake looks great, and I love the idea of using chick peas! This really gets me in the mood for baking!
Too bad it’s midnight approaching here already. And I don’t have any chickpeas.
Tomorrow …
I love ginger, but have totally overdone it at times in recipes so I can totally relate to being scarred (for me it is usually temporary). Great recipe.
This sounds and looks AMAZING — i like the idea of using chickpeas…I can never get enough of gingery things. yum…
This sounds amazing! I am such a spice cake fan, as are the boys! I can’t wait to make it!
Ooh! I absolutely adore ginger and am always looking for ways to not use too much sugar in my recipes… I’ll definitely be trying these =)
I love ginger! And I especially like spice cakes, spice cookies, spice anything and everything! This looks SO yummy, Heather. As I’ve mentioned to you, I’m getting into baking without sugar and using stevia instead, and this fits the bill perfectly! You’re quickly becoming my sugar-free guru! Thank you
Desi,
So glad you’re liking the recipes. Sugar is not always necessary.
I can’t wait to make this
Oh I feel you on the bad experiences ruining foods… Mine involves pepitas and being food poisoned on an 18 hour flight to China. Some of the worst 2 days of my life.
I am so down for this recipe! Chickpeas in scones – Keepin it fresh!!
Lauren,
Oh gosh, I had a similar experience. It involved sugar free gummi bears and an overnight train ride in Spain. Sorbitol is evil. Pure evil.
ohmygosh-YUM! I love ginger it is the best. And it is interesting made out of chickpeas-high protein! I gotta go get some maple extract to make this
I love maple extract! I put it in everything. Even with yogurt.
I assume the picture is just of one slice though and not of the whole recipe HEAB?
Chickpeas in baked goods…you’re on a beanie dessert kick and that’s so cool you’re experimenting with new foods/flavor combos!
The lemon pledge part…haha! And yes, fresh ginger can totally! overwhelm things if you’re not careful. The first time I ever juiced with fresh ginger in my juice I think I grew hair on my chest…it was soooo strong and overpowering! Since then, have figured out that a lil dab will do ya when it comes to fresh ginger!
I love the heart shape and coconut cream frosting
I had a bad experience with ginger in a green juice. I still can’t bring myself to put ginger in my juice, but I’m getting a taste for ginger tea back, and that spice cake looks delicious!
OMG — I used to say that pickled ginger tastes like cleaning products (like pledge), but no one ever agreed! Now I have you lol!!! For some reason, though, I acquired the taste for ginger (in all forms) and got over the “cleaning product” curse haha, and now I love it! Soooo…that ginger cake looks amazing! It helps that I just made brownies with black beans for the first time, and they were amazing, so I trust that beans/chickpeas work well in sweet baked goods
Tawnee,
Cleaning products – Yes!!! Glad we have both rediscovered the ginger love.
I used to make this really great, sweet cornbread with olive oil & rosemary (I think it’s a Martha Stewart recipe) that had a delightfully surprising sweet/savory/herby flavor combo going on. Bet the shortbread would be great
Sarah,
That sounds great – Melody, the blogger who inspired the spice cake, makes a cornbread with rosemary. Thanks for the reminder that I need to make it as you know I love my cornbread recipes!
I like ginger cookies. And I actually like the real ginger that you eat at Chinese restaurants.
The cake looks lovely
http://faithfulsolutions.blogspot.com/
Yum! that spice cake sounds delicious. I’ve never baked with ginger except for in gingerbread but those taste mainly like molasses anyway.
Rosemary? Thats would be lovely in a biscotti. I love it in GF bread loaf. I bet tahini or cashew would go great with it too.
Lindsay,
I have no doubt that tahini smeared all over rosemary gluten free bread would be amazing. I’ll come over this weekend, and we can try it. I’ll bring the tahini.
YUMMMMMMMMMMMY
Your recipes make me smile
hmm…i would have never though of rosemary either!!I love that he demolished your cookie stash and i alos love the looks of that ginger cake!!!
Yayyyy! this sounds delicious! so glad it turned out well. I agree, fresh ginger is quite potent but oh-so-good! It’s practically in every dish within my home–at least the ones that my momma makes
i agree on the ginger overdue. i was plagued with too much when i was younger in some meal or another and but when i started getting tummy problems and everyone said ginger would work, i gave it a shot. no harm no foul now!
Woot woot! I’ve just spent the past ten minutes googling dessert hummus recipes (including yours), but I think I just found my alternate chickpea recipe for tonight!
Hannah – you’ll love it with the coconut cream. Just finished off what was left of the cake for breakfast. Even better today served warm. Enjoy!
HAHA! I can’t believe he ate all the cookies. Yes, at least he left you one of each. Husbands, aren’t they just the greatest?
I love the sound of that ginger cookie. I’m a huge fan of gingerbread, ginger desserts in general. Looks tasty!
Tasha,
I know, right? And CD wonders why I hide the good stuff from him.
love ginger!!! this cake sounds wonderful
we have to thank you sooooo much for stopping by our sisters booth, it means a lot. you are the best!!
love ya
Yes, I loved meeting Jennifer. Just wished you guys could have been there. Would you mind emailing the pic? I’d love to put it on the blog if she wouldn’t mind. Oh, and you all look so much alike – I recognized her right away. Beautiful glowing family.
The rosemary cookies sound interesting. I had lavendar in sugar cookies once – not a fan, they tasted like perfume!
Claire,
I love the smell of lavender, and I know a lot of people love baking with it, but honestly, I have no desire to eat it. I think I would feel the same way, but rosemary on the other hand? Now, that was meant for eating!
Ooo ooo! Any baked good that involves chickpeas is a friend of mine – this looks divine!
Have you tried the Almondie Almond Butter yet?
Jennie,
No, not yet. Need to get on that. Several samples to get to that had to wait until after Lent. Definitely looking forward to the Almondie. I can’t wait to use it to make almond milk. Have you had it?
Rosemary is one of my favorite flavors. Can you think of anything that a hint of rosemary wouldn’t improve?
I love ginger cake! Thanks so much for the recipe.
I like the little heart (maybe for the whole royal wedding theme?)! I’m sorry to hear about your bad ginger/Thai experience! Those scars can last for a long time, trust me, I know.
Glad you remedied that
I love that so many of your recipes are NO SUGAR ADDED now!
YAY! This looks delicious!
OK- so I’m reading this as I’m eating the carrot oats from your blog the other day as I was excited about the idea of carrot cake oats. I topped it with walnuts, coconut, raisins, and some pineapple (mmmmmmmmyum). I’d like to imagine what it will be like with a bit of ginger cake crumbled atop. OHHH ginger goodness!!! Ginger cake/coconut kefir parfait? Okay how soon is tomorrow coming? LOL!
Oooooh I LOVE ginger in any form! And Heather you made this cake especially for me, it’s veganized! Whoohoo! I’m off to the kitchen to make it, though I’m going to try a can of organic soy beans, as I’m out of chickpeas and who can wait to go the grocery store! And coconut cream, coming right up! I even have a little heart-shaped 8″ cake pan I’ll use!
I buy candied Ginger, rubbing as much sugar off as I can, and take it on the road for snack food (ESP when I’m traveling). Nothing like hot fresh Ginger tea with honey or stevia when you’ve got a cold or feeling cold, so soothing!
Rosemary cookies?!! Yummy!! I don’t have much of a sweet tooth but add a salty twist and I’m in!
Mmmmm. Nothing beats ginger! That spice cake looks delicious, especially with your coconut cream on top!
Rosemary in cookie dough sounds great too!
There is nothing worse ( my wee opinion) than crystallised ginger! EWWWW YUCK. But I do love love love all other forms of ginger. I love ginger loaf and ginger beer especially.
Chickpeas in baking – I love it!
Lorne,
Ugh, agreed. I bought a bag to help with first trimester nausea, and I still can’t even think about it…that and ginger ale. BLECH!
I used to hate ginger (of course my only experience with it at the time was the pickled ginger at sushi restaurants and I still think that stuff is totally disgusting), but I’ve definitely come around. I love snacking on candied ginger after meals even though I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea!
I’ve never used fresh ginger in baked goods. Definitely curious about your cake! Sounds/looks delicious…and coconut cream is an absolute MUST! I swear I’ll never get tired of that stuff!
I just can not use enough ginger. I LOVE the bitter/spicy that makes everyone cringes. My taste buds are freaks.