The effect of flour extraction rate and baking on thiamine (vitamin B1) and riboflavin (vitamin B2) content and antioxidant capacity of traditional ginger cake was studied and then compared to white wheat bread. Ginger cake was formulated either with whole-grain (100% extraction rate) or with brown (92% extraction rate) rye flour and baked at 180 °C for 18 min. The antioxidant capacity was evaluated in terms of radical scavenging activity against peroxyl (ROO·) and superoxide anion radicals (O2·-). Thiamine content in rye doughs (F-100% and F-92%) was found to be 38% lower when compared to wheat dough. In contrast, whole-grain and brown rye doughs exhibited an almost fourfold higher riboflavin content than wheat dough. Rye dough baking led to reductions in thiamine (from 53 to 65%) and riboflavin (from 69 to 71%) contents. Likewise, thiamine and riboflavin contents in wheat dough were also reduced (56 and 10%, respectively) after baking; however, ginger cake with whole-grain rye flour exhibited significantly higher thiamine and riboflavin contents. Rye doughs and ginger cakes showed higher scavenging activities against ROO· radicals when compared to that of wheat dough and bread. Thus, baking significantly enhanced ROO· scavenging properties of ginger cakes while only a slight increase was observed in wheat bread. In contrary, baking gave rise to a decrease in SOD-like activity both in ginger cake or wheat bread. Our findings suggest that formulation with whole-grain rye flour can potentially increase B1 and B2 vitamin contents as well as the ROO· scavenging capacity of traditional ginger cake. © Springer-Verlag 2009.