Julie Clark
Updated:
Gingerbread Loaf
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Enjoy the holiday season with our old-fashioned Gingerbread Loaf recipe. Rich in classic gingerbread flavors, this moist, easy-to-make molasses quick bread is perfect for Christmas gatherings or as a special homemade gift.
As the holiday season rolls around, the aroma of gingerbread starts to fill the air. Our Gingerbread Loaf recipe brings all the nostalgic flavors of traditional gingerbread cookies into a soft, moist loaf that’s just right for your holiday table.
With a perfect blend of ginger, nutmeg, and molasses, this holiday bread is a Christmas recipe that’s sure to outshine even the popular Starbucks gingerbread loaf. Ideal for breakfast, brunch, or as a thoughtful homemade gift, this gingerbread loaf will become a holiday favorite in your home.
What readers are saying:
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Jennifer says, “I made mini loaves with this recipe and they turned out fantastic. The only thing I have to say is that I made the recipe exactly the first time but the second time I creamed the butter and sugar before adding the molasses and the other liquid ingredients. It turned out much better the second time around. Thanks so much for this recipe!!!”
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Michelle says, “I made this loaf last night and it was just delicious! Very light and fluffy, and had just enough spice. Thank you for the great recipe – I will definitely be making this perfect loaf again! =)”
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Lainey says, “Really excellent recipe; thanks for sharing! I made as directed, except I was looking for a quick bread version reminiscent of my grandma’s molasses cookies, so I subbed the spices from her recipe: (heaping) 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ginger, and ½ tsp cloves. Otherwise made as directed, and it captured all the essence of her beloved molasses cookies but in a soft and tender quick bread. Amazing.”
About this moist Gingerbread Loaf Recipe:
- Flavor: I like the molasses and gingerbread flavor to shine through in this gingerbread recipe. Many readers like more flavor so double the spices, but I make our loaf as the recipe is written.
- Texture: This gingerbread cake is soft and tender. It is moist thanks to the buttermilk, butter and eggs.
- Method: Bake in an 8 1/2″x4 1/2″ loaf pan. You’ll need about an hour for the bread to bake.
Ingredients for Gingerbread Loaf
- The baking soda reacts with the buttermilk to give the bread a nice lift.
- The bread is sweetened with a combination of brown sugar and molasses.
- The bread will have the best flavor if you use a regular or light molasses. Blackstrap molasses has a bitter flavor and is very strong.
- Ginger and nutmeg add a holiday warmth.
- A sprinkle of powdered sugar on top gives a festive, snowy look.
✨ For full ingredients and amounts for this gingerbread loaf cake, see the recipe card below. ✨
How to Make Gingerbread Loaf
To prepare: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. For best results, use an electric mixer to mix the wet ingredients, then use a rubber spatula to fold together the gingerbread batter. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray, then line with parchment paper for easy removal.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until well combined. Add the molasses and vanilla. Mix well. Add the eggs, one at a time, until well mixed.
- Add the dry ingredients to the sugar mixture alternately with the buttermilk, stirring just until blended after each addition.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out mostly clean. If the bread is getting too brown on top, cover loosely with aluminum foil to finish baking.
- Allow the bread to cool completely, then dust the top with powdered sugar.
Recipe Variations
One of the joys of baking is making a recipe your own, and this Gingerbread Loaf is no exception.
- Mix in a handful of dried fruit, like cranberries or raisins, for a little extra sweetness and texture.
- Chopped nuts, such as walnuts or pecans, can also add a delightful crunch.
- If you’re a fan of chocolate, try folding in some chocolate chips for a decadent twist. I LOVE chocolate and gingerbread together!
- Orange and gingerbread go well together. Add 2 teaspoons of orange zest.
- For an extra festive touch, consider adding a simple powdered sugar glaze (orange glaze would go well) or cream cheese frosting on top.
Serving Ideas
This Gingerbread Loaf is perfect on its own, but you can also dress it up a bit.
- Try serving this quick bread recipe warm with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a comforting dessert on Christmas Eve.
- For a morning treat, a slice goes wonderfully with a hot cup of coffee or tea.
- If you’re looking to pair it with a drink for a cozy evening, try a glass of eggnog, spiced cider or a latte.
Storage Instructions
- Room temperature: Store in an airtight container (or wrapped in plastic wrap) on the counter for up to 48 hours.
- Refrigerator: Store this loaf cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Bring to room temperature before eating.
- Freezer: Freeze the bread whole or sliced in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before eating.
You may also love our chewy molasses cookies.
Other Gingerbread Recipes
Gingerbread Loaf
Soft, moist, molasses quick bread is perfectly seasoned with ginger and nutmeg. Gingerbread Loaf gives that classic holiday flavor that you love!
Servings 10 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 240 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking soda 5 grams
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger 4 grams
- 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 2 grams
- 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 grams
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed, 105 grams
- 1/2 cup salted butter softened, 4 ounces
- 1/2 cup unsulphured molasses 170 grams
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 5 grams
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk 8 ounces
- powdered sugar for dusting the top if desired
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease an 8 1/2"x 4 1/2" or 9×5" inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Then line with parchment paper for easy removal.
- In a mixing bowl, thoroughly stir together the flour, baking soda, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Set aside. 2 cups all-purpose flour , 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until well combined. Add the molasses and vanilla. Mix well. Add the eggs, one at a time, until well mixed. ½ cup light brown sugar, ½ cup salted butter, ½ cup unsulphured molasses, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 large eggs
- Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture alternately with the buttermilk, stirring just until blended after each addition. 1 cup buttermilk
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes. If the bread is getting too brown on top, cover loosely with aluminum foil to finish baking.
- Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then remove from the pan and cool completely.
- Dust the top with powdered sugar after the bread has completely cooled. powdered sugar
Video
Notes
- For best results, use a kitchen scale to measure the flour so that you don’t end up with too much flour (which will make the bread dry).
- Fresh nutmeg really elevates the flavor in this bread. Ground cinnamon adds flavor, too!
- Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
- The calories shown are based on the bread being cut into 10 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of bread. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**
Nutrition
Calories: 294kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 348mg | Potassium: 339mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 377IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 2mg
I just made this tonight. I followed the recipe exactly and it came out perfect. (It didn’t want to leave the pan though. My fault, I’m pretty sure.)
I used to make the gingerbread where you add the hot water. It’s been so long ago that don’t remember the difference. The difference between regular gingerbread and this quick bread? I have no idea, but I like this one and will make it again and again. Thank you for this recipe.
This was wonderful, even though I did not add any brown sugar, and used freshly ground spelt flour (added an additional cup of spelt flour). Love all the spices.
So this recipe batter tasted delicious. I subbed a little fresh ginger into it as well, which is a nice touch. The two problems I had were 1) the prep time is longer than written, but that’s not really any big deal. The second issue is I used the pan size called for and about 25 mins into baking, I started smelling burn. When I opened to inspect, there was a huge mound of batter on the floor of my oven and dripping down the loaf pan. This recipe is waaaaaay to big for the pan size it instructs you… Read more »
Love this recipe! Made them as mini loaves for gifts for friends. They raved on how the flavor and texture was on point. This recipe is a keeper!
Made this tonight- excellent. It did take a full sixteen minutes longer , partially because I only had a longer and shorter pan so used the shorter one.
Very moist and very molasses- forward. Which I love, but if you don’t like soft molasses cookies, you will not like this. Look for a recipe without molasses and just heavy on spice for a lighter cake. I love the moist crumb! But can’t decide whether to ice the top, or not. I don’t want it to compete with the flavour.
Looks like I missed where it says to add the butter milk, I added it in after the eggs…? Hope it turns out!
Hmmmkay, so I followed this to the letter and, it is still in the oven 40 mins and is LIQUID still, and has overflowed like crazy!
Is that light or dark brown sugar???!
Made this and it was really moist! It was a hit! I used fancy molasses and you really taste it so next time I might use a better quality one or try blackstrap.
After reading through the comments it looks like the posted recipe has been tweaked a little. The version I’m seeing now has 1/2 cup brown sugar. If I want my bread to be in sweeter side should I add more sugar? And did you use light brien sugar or dark brown?
I made two doubled batches in tiny loaf pans. The first batch seemed bland, so thought I possibly forgot to double the ginger when putting it together. Made a second batch, doubling the recipe, and it was also somewhat bland. Not a strong gingerbread taste. Very mild. I would also add cloves a cinnamon if I were to make it again. Easy recipe though. Wonderful texture, too.
Taste was great but mine was doughy throughout the middle. Could be my oven wasn’t hot enough somehow. I double checked the recipe thinking maybe I had added an extra egg or something. I only baked for 45 minutes but am trying again baking for 55 and adding a little extra flour. The dough seemed a little more liquid than I expected. I’m out of nutmeg so I used a teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/2 tsp. ground cloves instead and I thought it was the right amount of spice and sweet.
Seriously delicious flavor. Very moist and not very sweet which is to our liking. Only problem was that I made two smaller loaves and they both sunk a lot in the middle even though the texture of the crumb was uniform throughout. It tasted so good I tried it again and had the same result.
I wrapped the loaf tightly and waited patiently for 3 days before tasting. How delicious! I did make a few additions: ground pepper and cardamom. Do you have a “shelf life”/time limit for keeping, as I’m thinking they will make great Christmas gifts .
Absolutely delicious recipe! I up the spices a bit and add some cinnamon, clove and allspice as well! Was thinking of using this as a base for like a fruit cake, do you think it can handle the addition of a lot of dried fruits?