This old-fashioned Copycat Gingerbread Loaf is perfectly spiced and moist. Perfect for breakfast, a snack, or dessert for the holidays. It tastes just like Starbucks Gingerbread Loaf!
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!
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox! You will also receive other new recipes in your inbox weekly!
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Transfer and bake. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes.
- 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.
frequently asked questions
How do you store this 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.
Love this bread recipe? Here are more recipes to try!
- Cranberry Orange Bread
- Easy Lemon Blueberry Bread
- Cinnamon Swirl Quick Bread
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread
- Double Chocolate Banana Bread
Gingerbread Loaf
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
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
Nutrition Information
Did you make this?
I’d love to hear your feedback! Leave a review and make sure to share your pictures on social media! Don’t forget to follow @thechefsavvy.
Kuhlaya
I thought you first said “NO STAND MIXER”.
Kelley
So sorry you are right! That was a typo! I corrected it. Thank you so much for pointing that out to me!
Paris Chanel
Can this recipe be made with a nut milk? I have a sensitivity to dairy.
Kelley
Yes it can!
Joanne
Can you add nuts and golden raisins?
Kelley Simmons
Yes absolutely Joanne! Hope you enjoy!
Leah
Can you substitute gluten free flour for regular flour? Does it still come out ok?
Kelley Simmons
Hi Leah,
I have personally not tried making this with gluten free flour however I have had a lot of success in the past using 1:1 ratio of gluten free flour in baked goods.
Let me know how you make out!
Kelley
CJ
It is a very moist loaf, but I substituted 1tbsp fresh grated ginger plus 1/8 tsp ground ginger and it still was not gingery enough. I will make it again but will add 2 tbsp fresh grated ginger or mix of grated with some chopped crystallized ginger instead for the ginger lovers in my house!
Donna
I only have salted butter. Should I just make the recipe as is or should I cut back on the salt? If I cut back on salt, how much??
Kelley Simmons
Hi Donna,
I would just omit the salt entirely from the recipe.
Thanks and enjoy!
Kelley
Colleen
Delicious!
I like a lot of ginger flavor, so I bumped the amount of ground ginger to 1 tablespoon and also added 1/4 cup of chopped crystallized ginger. I kept everything else the same. It turned out perfect – slightly spicy, gingery, warm, and the perfect texture. An excellent way to use up the buttermilk that always seems to get shoved to the back of the fridge and forgotten!
Ronnelle
After 50 minutes in the oven I had a loaf of raw dough with the top baked to perfection.
Kelley Simmons
Hi Ronnelle,
I am so sorry to hear this! Every oven is different and can cause bake times to be longer. I would put it in for another 10-15 minutes.
Thanks!
Kelley
Sarah Sizemore
I want to thank you for sharing your recipe, this is the best gingerbread recipe I’ve ever made. I didn’t have ginger though so I substituted nutmeg but it turned out delicious. It rarely lasts till morning in my house.
Kelley Simmons
So glad you enjoyed this gingerbread loaf Sarah! Thanks so much for sharing!
Rebecca
Am I using fresh ginger or ground ginger?
Kelley Simmons
Hi Rebecca,
Sorry for the confusion. It is ground ginger not fresh.
Thanks!
Kelley