spelt flour gingerbread sheet cake with a maple chai cream cheese frosting

This fluffy gingerbread sheet cake is festive and fun; topped with a maple chai cream cheese frosting, it’s an easy, perfect Christmas dessert!

Spelt Flour Gingerbread Sheet Cake with a Maple Chai Cream Cheese Frosting is a mouthfulllll to say – but also, whatever. It’s delicious, and it’s fun and it’s cleaned up, and no one has to know.

So here’s the thing, guys: you know baking isn’t my favorite. Or rather, it didn’t used to be. I’ve actually gotten a lot better over the years. But after my last Whole 30 in July, I dived into baking with less processed flours.

True, I’ve always been a fan of almond, and coconut flours but I never went too deep into baking with them [unless it was to bread a chicken cutlet or pork chop], and so I’m still learning so much. But spelt flour is an easy swap; for the most part it’s a 1:1 ratio so if a recipe calls for whole wheat flour, you can swap for spelt flour. Why spelt flour over commercial whole wheat flour?

Because spelt is actually a little nuttier in taste, and won’t dry out as quickly as whole wheat; so you can make this gingerbread sheet cake a day or so ahead of time and still have a moist cake [I hate this word, but it describes this cake perfectly, so I’m just going to cringe + move on]. Spelt flour still contains gluten [which is why you can swap one for one] but it’s an ancient grain, which means it isn’t as stripped down #themoreyouknow

…and also, how many sweets have you already had this season that made you feel gunky? I’m raising my hand too, and I’m not judging one bit. But I am feeling it, and if I can make a clean dessert that doesn’t compromise flavah, why would I not?

Gingerbread cookies are one of my favorites, but I am not a patient baker, and my mom makes t r a y s of cookies for Christmas, so we don’t need more cookies. But we can always use a festive cake to round out the treat table 😉

And wine! We can always use wine with cake. Like actually, let’s make that a December motto, “On Fridays, we eat cake [+ drink wine]!” or, “cookies and wine!” – that works too. And since it’s Friday, we’re having cake and wine, gurl. Or guy. Whomever you are, let’s do this!

I love CK Mondavi and Family Chardonnay for this cake; with aromas of lemon and citrus combined with flavors of apple and pear lead to a delightfully crisp finish, Chardonnay is a crisp white to pair with a slice of gingerbread sheet cake. But you know how I feel about pairings – if you’d prefer a red blend instead, you do YOU. Either are great sips. The red blend would also be perfect for a pitcher of red wine san-greeeee-ah.

So, let’s chat frosting! I love a whipped cream cheese frosting, I just love the warm, comforting flavors in chai spice (also pairs well with CK Mondavi’s Chardonnay) so at the last minute, I folded in a tablespoon or so. If you’d rather not, you can use cinnamon, or omit altogether. Cheers, friends!

items used to make this recipe:

• 9×13 baking pan
• hand mixer
• spatula
• mixing bowl

spelt flour gingerbread sheet cake with a maple chai cream cheese frosting

This fluffy gingerbread sheet cake is festive and fun; topped with a maple chai cream cheese frosting, it’s an easy, perfect Christmas dessert!

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 12

Author: Nichole Crews

Ingredients

spelt flour gingerbread cake

• 2½ cups spelt flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon cloves
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter - softened
• 1½ cups coconut sugar - can also use cane sugar
• 1¼ cup almond milk - any milk will do
• ½ cup applesauce - unsweetened
• 3 tablespoons molasses
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Maple Chai Frosting

• ¼ cup unsalted butter - softened
• 8 oz. cream cheese - full fat or ⅓ fat is fine
• 2 tablespoons almond milk - plus more to thin
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon chai spice

Instructions

spelt flour gingerbread cake

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• To a mixing bowl, whisk to combine dry ingredients: flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder and salt, in a bowl and set aside.
• In a separate bowl, using a hand mixer, cream butter and sugar together, stir in the almond milk, applesauce, molasses, vinegar, and vanilla extract.
• Combine wet and dry ingredients together and stir until fully incorporated.
• Spray a 9x13 baking pan with nonstick spray OR parchment paper. Pour cake batter into pan and spread even.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Once cooled slightly, run a knife along the edges and carefully invert them onto a cooling rack. Allow cake to fully cool before icing. May made 1-2 days in advance.

maple chai frosting

• To a bowl, using hand mixer, cream together softened butter and cream cheese. Mix in milk, vanilla and maple syrup. Stir in chai spice if using. If frosting is too thick, add 1 splash or so of additional milk to thin.
• Using a spatula, spread a generous amount of frosting to cake. Frost until covered. Top with gingerbread cookies, if desired for presentation.

Did you make this recipe?We want to see! Tag @casadecrews on instagram or use the hashtag #casadecrewseats so we can find you!

Thanks to CK Mondavi and Family for sponsoring today’s post. All opinions are my own! See full disclosure here.