Gingerbread Loaf
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Gingerbread Loaf is a frosted gingerbread bread that is frosted with cinnamon icing. This copycat Starbucks gingerbread loaf recipe screams the holiday season. Pair with a cup of eggnog, milk, or even a cup of coffee.
If you love Starbucks bread you will enjoy this homemade version. This moist and delicious bread is great for dessert or gifting to loved ones.
Now, if you want, you can leave off the icing, and have a bare gingerbread bread. That is fine as well.
Gingerbread loaf ingredients and notes:
- All Purpose Flour – scoop into the measuring cup and level off, so you don’t over fill the measuring cups.
- Baking Soda – make sure your baking soda is still active.
- Ginger -Ground ginger
- Cinnamon – any brand works, feel free to buy what you prefer.
- Nutmeg – nutmeg will be another source of warm spice to the bread.
- Salt– the salt will bring out tons of flavors in the bread.
- Butter – you will use unsalted butter. If you have salted butter just omit the salt in the recipe.
- Brown Sugar – light brown sugar works great for this recipe, if you don’t have light you can use dark.
- Vanilla – extract or real vanilla works great.
- Eggs – I used large eggs that were at room temperature for this bread recipe.
- Molasses – the molasses really enhances the flavor of the bread and gives it that tried and true gingerbread flavor.
- Icing – Powdered sugar, heavy cream, and cinnamon are what you will use if you choose to make the icing for the topping.
Step-by-step instructions
For the full ingredient amount and full instructions on how to make this gingerbread loaf see the recipe card below.
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
- In a bowl add your dry ingredients in bowl and mix and set aside.
- Add butter and brown sugar and in bowl mix until creamy. Then add in the eggs and vanilla.
- Mix up the molasses and hot water and pour into the butter mixture, and mix well.
- Add in the dry ingredients, and then pour into the baking dish.
- Bake as directed and allow the gingerbread loaf to cool.
- Mix up the icing, and frost then slice and serve.
Recipe Tips:
- I used the Old Fashioned molasses, feel free to use what you have.
- Loaf pans are great for this recipe as they are going to give you that perfect slice-able loaf pan.
- Make sure to allow the ginger loaf to fully cool before you go and put icing on it or it will melt into the bread.
- Make sure the water is hot when mixing with the molasses, this will help to thin it up before mixing in with the other ingredients.
Storage and reheating tips:
- Refrigerate: You can store your bread at room temperature if not iced or in the refrigerator if you have the icing on. The gingerbread will store for 4-5 days.
- Freeze: Allow your bread to fully cool and then double wrap in foil and then place in an airtight container and then freeze for 3-4 months. Thaw on the counter or in the fridge overnight.
- Reheat: To reheat you can warm the bread up in the microwave for a 15-20 seconds. It will melt down the icing as it reheats.
How to serve
This gingerbread loaf recipe can be served plain or served next to a cup of hot chocolate, warm tea, etc. Feel free to serve up your bread as you would like.
FAQs
This is a bread-like cake. You will find you can make gingerbread cake that is moist and lighter than your average cake. This bread is a quick bread style that is made without yeast.
Yes, there is ground ginger in gingerbread. You will find the ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon add a nice warm spice flavor to your gingerbread. The molasses also offers that bold flavor you know and love.
Molasses is made from sugar beets or sugar cane that are then refined and processed. You will find both are used in making molasses. Sugar cane molasses is preferred for humans.
more holiday recipes
Gingerbread Loaf
Ingredients
Gingerbread Loaf
- 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour 320g
- 1 teaspoon baking soda 5g
- 3 teaspoons ground ginger 6g
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 8g
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 2g
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter softened, 170g
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed, 200g
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup molasses 225g
- 1 cup hot water 240g
Cinnamon Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar 120g
- 4-5 tablespoons heavy whipping cream 60-75g
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare an 8×4 loaf pan with non stick spray.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 3 teaspoons ground ginger, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon salt
- In another bowl, add the butter and brown sugar; mixing until well combined. Mix in the eggs and vanilla. Stir together the molasses and hot water, then pour it into the butter mixture and beat until combined. Slowly pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture and mix continuously until dough is formed, don’t over mix.12 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 cup light brown sugar, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2/3 cup molasses, 1 cup hot water
- Pour the dough into the prepared baking pan and bake for 60-70 minutes; until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool for 10 minutes and then turn onto a cooling rack; allow for the loaf to completely cool before frosting.
- When the bread is completely cooled, mix together the icing ingredients until well combined. If the icing is too thick, add a little bit more cream until the desired consistency has been reached.1 cup powdered sugar, 4-5 tablespoons heavy whipping cream, 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Ice the bread, slice and enjoy!
Notes
- Substitutions: Dark brown sugar may be used for a richer flavor.
- Storage: Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Reheat: Warm slices briefly in the microwave if desired.
Nutrition
Did you try this recipe? Be sure to leave a recipe rating! Also, tag us @courtneyssweets on Instagram so we can share it!
by “hot water”, do you mean boiled water?
The water needs to be warm enough to thin the molasses. 🙂 Not boiling.
I’m not trying to be negative but just honest. Starbucks is super moist and this recipe was almost dry. 😌
The loaf pan is too small. Needs to be a 9 x5 loaf pan.
Wrong size pan listed. Batter was very thin and gingerbread stuck to loaf pans. I am an avid baker and this is one recipe I will not make again.
Sorry to hear you had trouble with the recipe! We haven’t had this issue, and the pan size is intentional to create a tall loaf, similar to the Starbucks version. A larger pan would result in a shorter loaf. The Pancake Princess tested our recipe alongside others, and it turned out as expected. If the batter seemed too thin or stuck to the pan, did you make any substitutions or skip greasing/flouring the pan?
I made your recipe and it came out great. I loved it. Will be making it again. Thanks for sharing.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you for trying!!