Gingerbread Loaf

Two slices of frosted gingerbread loaf on a brown plate, with one slice leaning against the other, and red berries blurred in the background.

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5 from 3 votes

Treat yourself to this gingerbread loaf with cream cheese icing and fall in love with the deeply spiced flavors.

Prep Time25

Cook Time1

Total Time1 25

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Christmas, Gingerbread, loaf

Servings:

Author: Bella Bucchiotti

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Loaf:

2 Cups all purpose flour
2 Teaspoons ground cinnamon
1½ Teaspoons ground ginger
1 Teaspoon baking powder
¾ Teaspoon salt
½ Teaspoon baking soda
½ Teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ Teaspoon ground cloves
1 Cup salted butter at room temperature
⅔ Cup white sugar
¼ Cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
2 Tablespoons sour cream
⅓ Cup molasses

For the Frosting:

4 Ounces cream cheese
½ Cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons salted butter at room temperature
1 Teaspoon whole milk
½ Teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Pinch salt

Instructions

Make the Loaf:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a loaf pan with baking spray, then set aside.
In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, and cloves, and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugar and brown sugar. Beat on a medium-high speed until smooth. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Add the eggs and sour cream to the stand mixer bowl and mix to combine. Add in the molasses and mix to incorporate. Add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Transfer the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and place into the preheated oven on the center rack. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs.
Once baked, remove the gingerbread loaf from the oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack.

Make the Frosting:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, milk, vanilla and salt on a medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.

Frost the Gingerbread Loaf:

Once the loaf has cooled completely, remove it from the tin and place it onto a platter or cake stand. Spoon the frosting onto the loaf and spread evenly.

Notes

Don't overmix: Once you add the dry ingredients, mix just until combined. Overmixing can make the loaf dense and tough.
Use fresh spices: For the best flavor, use fresh spices. Ground spices lose their potency over time, so if yours are older, consider replacing them.
Check for doneness: Insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf to test doneness. It should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs, but not wet batter.
Cool completely before frosting: Make sure the loaf is completely cool before adding the frosting, or it will melt and become runny.
Add a foil tent: If the top of the loaf is browning too quickly during baking, loosely cover it with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning while the center finishes baking.
Use parchment paper: For easy removal, line the loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving a bit of overhang on the sides. This makes lifting the loaf out of the pan a breeze.

Nutrition

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