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!
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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.
- 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
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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.
Richard
Outstanding! I cannot believe how this baked so picture perfect. I glazed with my marmalade jam mixed with powdered sugar/water…will try another loaf and add orange rind to the batter. I’m over the moon, it’s delicious!
Side note: I use disposable kraft paper loaf pans(sold by wishel on Amazon. **I do not get any commission…baker to baker these are fantastic. You will need to place them in a loaf pan to keep the sides from bowing out but the end result is a game changer.)
Kelley Simmons
Yah I a so happy to hear you enjoyed this Richard! Thanks for sharing your tips too!
Susan
Can you frost it with a cream cheese frosting, or would that make it too sweet?
Kelley Simmons
That would be delicious! No I don’t think it would be too sweet!
Trisha Chenatte
I absolutely love this recipe I will never buy another slice of gingerbread loaf from Starbucks!{
Kelley Simmons
Aww yah! That makes me so happy to hear!
William Fried
What can I substitute for the molasses?
Kelley Simmons
Hi!
You could try using maple syrup or honey in place of the molasses. Or additional light brown sugar.
Thanks!
Kelley
ML Murray
Does this freeze well?
Kelley Simmons
Yes this recipe freezes really well!
Cheri
Oh my its delicioussss! I added a 1/4 t of cardamom and 1/4 t of nutmeg too. I like it alittle spicy and it turned out perfect
Kelley Simmons
Yah so glad to hear you enjoyed this Cheri!!
Irma Gehrmann
It needs more sugar! Definitely I am not a sugar person and often use half as much sugar as called for in a recipe but this here is totally off ….needs more sugar!!I just checked the original recipe from Lizzy and it definitely says half a cup of brown sugar so I wasted all those ingredients!!!&
Sam
Made at 7,000’ so I cut the baking soda in half, used Cup4Cup brand gluten free flour. Result was so good, perfect spice mix in my mind and texture/moisture on point.
I managed to drop the jar of molasses AFTER adding it (lucky) so my prep time was more like 45 minutes haha! Thank you for this lovely recipe.
Kelley Simmons
Oh no!! So sorry to hear that! Glad the recipe was worth it though!
Bonnie
Thank you for this recipe. I liked the flavour very much. My husband is a ginger fan so he was delighted. I also had the problem others have mentioned, with it still being wet in the middle, even though it was testing 170 with my instant read thermometer at the end of the scheduled baking time. I probably added ten minutes, but it was still not quite right in the very centre. I am not exactly sure how to adjust it, to try to get a more even bake? I might try it in an 8 inch square instead of a loaf pan, although my husband prefers the finger friendly loaves.
Kelley Simmons
Hi Bonnie!
So glad you enjoyed this! Sorry to hear it was a little wet in the middle. I would try cooking a little bit longer even 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean (and not wet)
Hope this helps! Thanks!
Kelley
Teena
This gingerbread loaf really satisfied my craving for holiday flavors. It was especially flavorful the second day as the spices seemed strengthened. We enjoyed it spread with cream cheese, along with our morning coffee.
Kelley Simmons
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much for sharing!
DM
Wonder if I can use applesauce instead of the butter? Love this recipe!! very tasty
Kelley Simmons
Hi!
Yes you could definitely try substituting some or all of the butter for applesauce. Just keep in mind that applesauce is sweeter so you may have to adjust the sweetness. You can usually substitute butter for apple sauce at a 1:1 ratio.
You could also use coconut oil in place of the butter too!
Hope this helps. Thanks!
Kelley