The best homemade Gingerbread Loaf. There is nothing like coffee and cake, and for Christmas, we can keep it seasonal with gingerbread! This old-fashioned gingerbread recipe is perfectly spiced and moist. Perfect for breakfast, a snack, or dessert for the holidays. It tastes just like Starbucks!

I love simple sweet treats and baked goods over the holidays! Try my Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread for Thanksgiving, or my Cranberry Orange Bread for Christmas this year!

gingerbread loaf sliced on a white plate with serrated knife

There is nothing better than baking over the Christmas Holidays. From cookies and quick breads to dinner rolls, Christmas is the season for all things baked! This simple Gingerbread Loaf Recipe is one of my absolute favorites. It’s ready in just an hour, and it tastes like Christmas! It’s perfect to make for your family at home or to give away to neighbors and friends over the season.

This Copycat Starbucks Gingerbread Loaf recipe is the perfect easy breakfast, snack, or dessert recipe for the holidays! It is perfectly spiced with cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and allspice. It is everything you love about the holidays, and this Gingerbread Loaf cake will make your house smell amazing!

The homemade gingerbread loaf is not too sweet, soft on the inside, and crisp and crunchy on the corners. It also comes together in less than 15 minutes of prep time. This molasses gingerbread bread is perfect with a cup of coffee after Christmas dinner! I like to heat up slices in the toaster oven!

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    Ingredients for Gingerbread Loaf Recipe

    • Flour, baking soda, and eggs: The foundation of all great bread and cake recipes starts with these ingredients right here!
    • Buttermilk: This helps to bind everything together, add moisture, and a little bit of tartness to complement the sweetness.
    • Butter: Butter gives this gingerbread loaf recipe extra richness and moisture.
    • Spices: Gingerbread needs to be full of warm spicy flavor! I added ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. It really tastes just like Christmas!
    • Molasses: Molasses is a sweet, sticky, dark syrup that gives this gingerbread loaf an amazing depth. There is nothing quite like molasses!
    • Brown sugar: Brown sugar is used instead of white to give sweetness and an extra caramel flavor.

    How do you make gingerbread from scratch?

    • Mix the dry ingredients. Firstly, start by combining flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, and salt, set aside.

    dry ingredients in large clear bowl

    • Cream butter & sugar. Secondly, in a stand with the paddle attachment cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add in molasses and vanilla.

    butter and brown sugar in stand mixer

    • Add the eggs. Next, one at a time add the eggs and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
    • Mix it together carefully. Add in the dry ingredients to the stand mixer alternately with the buttermilk, stirring just until blended after each addition, however, it’s very important not to over mix this bread. The more it’s mixed the tougher it gets.

    adding dry ingredients to wet ingredients in stand mixer

    • Transfer and bake. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes.

    pouring gingerbread batter into greased loaf pan

    • Cool. Finally, cool the gingerbread loaf cake in the pan for 15 minutes before removing from the loaf pan to a cooling rack to cool completely.

    slicing gingerbread loaf on white cutting board

    Can you freeze this gingerbread loaf recipe?

    Yes! You can freeze gingerbread loaf in an airtight container for up to 3 months in the freezer. I like to wrap the bread in aluminum foil then store it in a large freezer bag!

    Is Gingerbread a bread?

    Gingerbread can refer to a number of sweet baked goods: from a soft Gingerbread loaf cake (like this recipe) to something close to a ginger snap cookie for making gingerbread houses. They do share common ingredients: molasses, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves, however, the other ingredients plus the way they’re baked make the difference between a Gingerbread Loaf and a gingerbread house cookie.

    Starbucks Copycat Gingerbread Loaf on white tray

    How do you store this Homemade Gingerbread Loaf?

    Store this sticky gingerbread loaf in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can also wrap it in plastic wrap if that’s easier!

    What is the difference between gingerbread and ginger cake?

    Gingerbread can refer to both the gingersnap cookie and a gingerbread loaf cake, but ginger cake specifically refers to just the soft, moist loaf version, like this one.

    I can’t find molasses. What can I use instead?

    Many countries don’t sell molasses in supermarkets, however they may have a similar dark, sweet, sticky syrup called treacle. Treacle is a great substitute for molasses in this Gingerbread loaf recipe.

    Easy Gingerbread Loaf on white cutting board

    Love this bread recipe? Here are more recipes to try!

    Gingerbread Loaf

    4.67 from 9 votes
    Rate Print
    The best homemade gingerbread recipe. Perfectly spiced and moist this bread is the perfect breakfast or dessert for the holidays. It tastes just like Starbucks!
    Servings: 8
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 50 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

    Ingredients 

    Instructions 

    • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan with non stick cooking spray.
      In a large bowl combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves and salt, set aside.
    • In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
    • Add in the molasses and vanilla. One at a time add the eggs and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
      Add the dry ingredients to the stand mixer alternately with the buttermilk, stirring just until blended after each addition.
    • Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes.
    • Cool in the pan for 15 minutes then remove from the loaf pan to a cooling rack to cool completely.

    Notes

    Adapted from Taste of Lizzy

    Nutrition Information

    Calories: 341kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 6gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 341mgPotassium: 407mgFiber: 1gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 465IUCalcium: 100mgIron: 2.7mg

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