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!
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.
- 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.
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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.
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.
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.
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?
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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
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!
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
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!
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!!
ML Murray
Does this freeze well?
Kelley Simmons
Yes this recipe freezes really well!
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
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!