By Anna Markulis, VRG Intern

I tried Linda McCartney’s vegan gingerbread cake recipe from her cookbook, Linda McCartney’s Family Kitchen. Linda McCartney’s animal rights activism throughout the 1970s and 1990s inspired a generation, and her legacy continues today through her timeless vegan and vegetarian recipes. Linda McCartney’s Family Kitchen contains simple and delicious vegan breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert recipes that remind us of home.

Her gingerbread cake recipe drew my attention as my grandmother would make it for me every autumn, so I was excited to try it out myself. I don’t have much experience with baking vegan desserts, so I was nervous about how it would turn out and whether or not I had the ingredients I needed. To my surprise, I had everything the recipe called for right in my kitchen:

The first step was to oil an 8-inch cake pan and preheat the oven. I decided to use a heart shaped pan which worked perfectly fine too! As a vegan substitute for eggs, I mixed ground flaxseeds in warm water and set them aside while I prepared the rest of the dry ingredients and plant-based milk. Next, I creamed vegan butter and sugar (vegan) in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer. After the sugar and vegan butter was thick and fluffy, I incorporated the flaxseed and water mixture, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and almond milk until it was well combined. I then drizzled in the molasses and mixed until it was fully incorporated into the batter. The recipe says to warm the molasses, but room temperature worked for me!

At this point, the oven had finished preheating, and it was time to bake the cake! I poured the batter into the pan and put it in the oven for 35 minutes. The recipe suggested 35-45 minutes, but my cake was done after 35. I took it out, let it sit for about five minutes, and then I flipped the cake onto a cooling rack to cool for 10 minutes.

The gingerbread spices filled my kitchen, and my family was so eager to try it. After it had cooled, I cut a piece and drizzled maple syrup on top. The cake was so bouncy, moist, and the perfect amount of crispiness on the outside. My family members could not believe it was fully vegan, and they quickly came back for seconds. The flaxseeds helped bind the batter so well, and I was so happy with how it turned out. Overall, this recipe took only about an hour, and it was so easy to make. I am looking forward to trying more vegan recipes from Linda McCartney’s Family Kitchen! To purchase the book and try over 90 plant-based recipes, go to: https://www.littlebrown.com/titles/linda-mccartney/linda-mccartneys-family-kitchen/9780316497985/