Gingerbread Recipe (Ready in 65 Min)

This vegetarian builds golden syrup and mixed spice into a crowd-pleasing meal you can have ready in about 65 minutes. Below: the ingredients split into pantry staples and a quick shopping list, a built-in serving scaler, and the method in 7 steps.

You'll mainly reach for oven and saucepan. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, it's meat-free.

How to make it

Heat the oven to 170 C (340 F) and line a 20 cm square baking tin with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides for easy lifting.
Place the butter, brown sugar, and golden syrup in a saucepan over low heat and warm gently, stirring, just until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth, then remove from the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, mixed spice, ground ginger, and salt until evenly combined.
Beat the eggs into the slightly cooled syrup mixture along with the milk until smooth, making sure the liquid is not hot enough to cook the eggs.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until you have a smooth, pourable batter with no lumps, then transfer it to the prepared tin.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the cake is risen, springs back when lightly pressed in the centre, and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Let the gingerbread cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then lift it out using the parchment and cool fully on a wire rack before cutting into squares; the flavour deepens if wrapped and kept for a day.

You'll use: Oven · Saucepan · Pan · Whisk

Ingredient substitutions

Butter: olive oil (¾ the amount) · coconut oil · margarine
Brown Sugar: white sugar + 1 tbsp molasses per cup
Eggs: ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce (baking) · 1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water per egg
Milk: any unsweetened plant milk · ½ cup evaporated milk + ½ cup water

Tips & common questions

How long does Gingerbread take to make?

About 65 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 7 steps and 10 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.

What can I use instead of butter?

Try olive oil (¾ the amount). See the substitutions section above for more swaps.

Can I scale this recipe up or down?

Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.

Is Gingerbread vegetarian?

Its ingredients contain no meat or fish, so it's suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheeses for animal rennet if that matters to you.