Gingerbread Stuffing – A Nigella Recipe De-Glutened
Don’t miss out on Nigella’s Gingerbread Stuffing just because you are gluten free… I’ve done the hard work and de-glutened this delicious seasonal recipe so we can all enjoy it!
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Nigella’s Gingerbread Stuffing de-glutened
Doesn’t Gingerbread Stuffing sound amazing? A little sweet and sticky… Warmingly spiced… And definitely decadent as an alternative to sage and onion on the Christmas table.
Actually… it’s not my recipe… It’s from Nigella Lawson. But a few years back, a colleague of mine told me her gluten free mother would feel so left out when everyone else got to eat it at Christmas, that I set about making a gluten free version for her.
It was more complicated than anticipated. The original Nigella recipe requires ‘2… good shop-bought gingerbread loaves (such as McVitie’s Jamaica)’. But anyone who is Coeliac knows that this, in gluten free form, is a very rare find… It is certainly not a packet cake available in the supermarket.
Which meant only one option… A recipe for gluten free Jamaican Ginger Cake was also required…
A gluten free recipe for Jamaican Ginger Cake
Actually… At Gluten Free Alchemist, we now have TWO recipes for ginger cake. The first and original Gluten Free Jamaica Ginger Cake that was developed at the same time as de-glutening the stuffing… And a subsequent second Jamaican Ginger Cake recipe, which was additionally free from nuts and rice (made with my gluten free rice-free flour blend B).
Both are fabulous cakes… perfectly ginger… sticky… dark… delicious. They are both optional dairy free… And either can be used for the Gingerbread Stuffing recipe shared here.
Making gluten free Gingerbread Stuffing
The ginger cake was the first stage of the process. But given that the cake was to be used for gingerbread stuffing, the stuffing also needed testing. I needed to know that both the gluten free cake worked for it. And… to know that the stuffing tasted good-enough to be worthy of putting on the blog.
The recipe shared here is actually for half of Nigella’s amount. It’s what I made and there still seemed to be masses of the stuff. If you have a huge family and loads of visitors for Christmas, then you may want to increase the quantity… But a little goes quite a long way.
Eating gluten free Gingerbread Stuffing
The gingerbread stuffing is surprisingly meaty with bacon, but it was also quite sweet. If you want to make it less sweet, simply add a little less cake. To be fair though, it was trialled at GFHQ without the Christmas turkey. So, there was little to ‘temper’ the sweetness. Alongside a succulently cooked bird and all the extra trimmings, it is surely divine…
This recipe has Nigella stamped all over it. I quote… “Sometimes, it makes sense to use one’s obsessions to advantage. I know that most people don’t have trivial light-bulb moments when the notion pops into an already food-filled head to make a stuffing in which crumbled gingerbread cake replaces breadcrumbs, but that’s, unfathomably, how my mind works.” (Nigella Lawson)
And if you are thinking about Boxing Day breakfast already? I can confirm that gluten free gingerbread stuffing makes a fantastic sandwich… Especially when made with earthy and delicious Gluten Free Alchemist Wholemeal Bread (whether hand-baked or from the breadmaker). I am already dreaming of how amazing it will be with a slice of turkey and a sausage wrapped in a hot, fresh, soft gluten free Roti Flatbread too…
Will you be making gluten free Gingerbread Stuffing?
So, here’s my de-glutened Nigella gingerbread stuffing recipe… Do let me know if you try it… Leave a comment below or tag me on social media (links at the top of the page). I always love seeing what you’ve been making
Gingerbread Stuffing – A Nigella Recipe De-Glutened
Key equipment
- 2 pound loaf tin or baking dish
- large skillet/saucepan
- sharp vegetable knife
- chopping board
- wooden spoon or cooking spatula
- Oven
- small bowl
- fork
- foil
Ingredients
- 20 g unsalted butter (or DF alternative)
- ½ tbsp sunflower or olive oil
- 2 medium onions white or red – finely chopped
- 1 medium eating apple eg Cox – finely chopped
- 375 g streaky bacon finely chopped
- 1 clementine zest finely grated
- 1 large egg beaten
- grind freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 400 g gluten free ginger cake loosely crumbled – See NOTES for recipe links and quantity info
Instructions
- Generously grease a small baking dish/2 pound loaf tin with butter, or completely line a 2 pound loaf tin with baking paper.
- Put the oil and butter in a large skillet/saucepan and fry the chopped onions and apples until soft (10 to 15 minutes).
- Add the chopped bacon and cook for at least a further 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the clementine zest and stir through.
- Remove the pan from the heat and cool a little (stirring occasionally to help cool more quickly).
- Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 200 C/400 F/Gas 6.
- When cool enough, add the beaten egg and pepper and stir through.
- Lastly, add the crumbled ginger cake and fold in gently.
- Tip the mixture into the prepared baking dish and push into the corners. Bake for about 50 minutes (covering with foil for the first 30 minutes to prevent the top from burning), until golden brown and crisp on top.
- Leave to cool in the dish/tin for 10 to 15 minutes before tipping out (or serve straight from the dish)
Notes
Nutrition
© 2019-2026 Kate Dowse All Rights Reserved – Do not copy or re-publish this recipe or any part of this recipe on any other blog, on social media or in a publication without the express permission of Gluten Free Alchemist
Congratulations, your awesome post is featured on Full Plate Thursday,512. Thanks so much for sharing your talent with us and hope you will come back to see us again soon!
Miz Helen
Thank you so much Helen xx
This is intriguing. Salty sweet. Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner party. Wishing you a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving.
You’re welcome Helen. It’s an unusual stuffing for sure x
I'd never have thought of adding cake to stuffing. I love the idea of this though, it sounds delicious.
Thanks Charlotte. Neither would I! Good old Nigella….. xx
This sounds absolutely amazing! I love all things gingerbread, so will be trying this one for sure 🙂
Thanks Angela. Enjoy x
I love the fact you adapted the recipe to help a friend. It look great to me, you're too critical of your own cooking, me-thinks 🙂 Thanks for joining in with #FreeFromFridays.
Thanks Mel. I can be a bit of a perfectionist! But I always like the challenge of finding a way to make dishes that people miss. x
Oooh I love the sound of this! I am going to have to have a go at this! x
Ha ha! Thanks Midgie. Hope you enjoy! x
What an unusual recipe but it sounds absolutely delicious! I really had never thought to put cake in a stuffing but it sounds like this is exactly what your colleague and her mum are looking for. Thanks for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice!
Thanks Corina. Me neither before this, but it worked really well x
Ooh, this is definitely a bit different – but I like it! And such gorgeous photos. I especially like how you carefully checked that this works in a sandwich. Food blogging's a tough job sometimes 😉 Thanks for linking up to #CookBlogShare 🙂 Eb x
Thank you Eb. It is quite unusual, but in a nice way….. Tasting is an essential blogging task for sure….. and I would hate to reach Boxing Day morning without knowing that breakfast is going to be good! x
Love your photos and this sounds very interesting – I would love to be able to make it vegetarian as I am intrigued but am a bit unsure how it would go – perhaps as a stuffing in a nut roast? (Wonder how it would go in your stuffed nut roast?) I wonder if it is sweet as it is meant to go with quite savoury gravy and vegies? I notice the recipe does not suggest to add much in the way of seasoning – would this help or just make the cake taste odd? I really want to give it a go but not sure I have time this december!
Thank you Johanna. I think it would be really interesting with a nut base, but there is something about the savoury-saltiness of the bacon which offsets the sweetness of the cake slightly, so I guess it would be worth thinking about how to replicate the sweet-savoury combo. I think it would be really good with roasted potatoes and veggies….. I will be testing out to check over Christmas!
I wouldn't add herbs, but salt and pepper are fine. Herbs would be a bit weird I think! x
Wow! That looks fabulous. Not sure I could cope with cake in my stuffing but I'll take your word for the fact that it is good ;)!
Thanks Vicki. I would not have thought of putting cake in stuffing, before trying this one, but it works! x
What an INTERESTING and HOLIDAY PACKED recipe!!!
Thank you. It is certainly full of festive flavours x