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Gingerbread slices on wooden board with gingerbread loaf. There is a Christmas mug beside the board.
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4.54 from 13 votes

Gingerbread loaf recipe

Old fashioned gingerbread loaf recipe perfect for the holiday season!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Cooling Time1 hour
Total Time2 hours
Course: Cake recipes
Cuisine: American
Servings: 10
Calories: 364kcal
Author: Cheryl Bennett

Ingredients

For the gingerbread loaf

  • 2 cups all purpose flour 240g
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda 9g
  • 1 teaspoon cloves
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon cardamom optional, but lovely
  • ½ teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt 6g
  • ½ cup butter softened / 57g
  • ½ cup brown sugar light or dark, packed / 107g
  • 2 eggs room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons neutral oil - avocado, vegetable or canola
  • ⅔ cup molasses *I used Grandma's brand / 150g
  • ½ cup milk room temperature / 113g

For the maple bourbon glaze

  • 2 cups powdered/confectioners sugar 227g / UK: icing sugar
  • 2 - 3 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 - 2 tablespoons bourbon sub cream for non-alcoholic glaze
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
  • 1 pinch sea salt

Instructions

Make gingerbread loaf

  • Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C)
  • Butter and flour an 8.5 x 4.5 loaf pan, or line with overlapping pieces of parchment paper to make a sling. *See notes
  • In a medium bowl - whisk together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, allspice and salt. Set aside.
  • Using a hand mixer, cream butter and brown sugar in a separate medium bowl until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Add eggs and beat until incorporated. 
  • Pour in vanilla, oil, molasses and milk. Mix to combine, then scrape down bowl.
  • Add flour mixture and beat until just combined - do not overmix.
  • Pour into prepared pan and bake for 45 - 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
  • Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Carefully remove gingerbread loaf from pan. Place on cooling rack to cool completely before glazing.

Make maple bourbon glaze

  • In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, maple syrup, bourbon, vanilla, melted butter, and salt.
    Adjust to desired consistency, if needed, by adding more powdered sugar, cream/bourbon, or maple syrup. *See notes
  • Glaze completely cooled gingerbread loaf. Let icing set for at least an hour to harden before slicing.

Notes

  • To glaze the loaf of gingerbread: set the cooling rack inside of a baking sheet to catch the excess glaze.
  • To make a thicker icing, use 1 tablespoon of bourbon or cream, and 2 tablespoons of maple syrup.
  • To make a parchment paper "sling" to easily lift the gingerbread out of the pan: Cut 1 longer piece of parchment paper that fits neatly inside the pan, and has an inch or two of overhang on the shorter ends of the pan. Cut another piece that will fit inside the longer (wider) sides of the pan, overlapping the first piece, and has an inch or two of overhang. These pieces of overhang will be the "handles" that you'll use to left the bread out.
  • In a pinch, you can use 2 1/2 tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice instead of the individual spices. It will not be the same, but it will work if you don't have all of the spices.
  • You can swap the 1/2 cup of milk for 1/2 cup of hot water.
  • The oil can be swapped with applesauce for a healthier option.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 364kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 504mg | Potassium: 426mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 424IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 97mg | Iron: 3mg