This amazingly moist and delicious Old Fashioned Gingerbread loaf, topped with Buttermilk Glaze, is a festive bread perfect for the Christmas season. Make the holidays special with this tasty copycat Starbucks Gingerbread. A perfectly spiced cake!
Why This Recipe is the Best
This recipe was adapted from the Nordic Gingerbread house cake recipe found here. We wanted to replicate this fun tradition, but in a more practical loaf form. It's one of our family's favorite Christmas traditions.
This recipe is perfect for the holiday season. Be sure to check out our other fun holiday recipes like our eggnog french toast, Christmas Bark recipe, or peppermint brownies.
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Key Ingredients
Just like our Ginger Molasses cookies, this molasses recipe is tasty. Made with spices to fill your home with a great smell.
- Softened butter- Leave butter, covered or in the wrapper, on the counter to soften before working with it. If you don't soften it beforehand, it will clump in the batter.
- Molasses- You can use either light molasses or blackstrap molasses for this recipe. Light molasses has a sweeter flavor, while blackstrap molasses has a more intense flavor and a darker color.
- Spices- Ground Cinnamon, Ground Ginger, Ground Clove, and Ground Nutmeg.
- Egg- For best results, use room-temperature eggs to help the bread rise properly.
- Evaporated milk- Use canned evaporated milk. Don't confuse sweetened condensed milk.
How to Make Gingerbread Loaf
Follow these step-by-step instructions for the best cooking experience. You'll want to refer to the process photos for extra help.
- Add the wet ingredients and sugar to a mixing bowl. Mix. Add the molasses and whisk together with an electric hand mixer. Add the flour, baking soda, and spices. Mix again with an electric hand mixer until a batter forms.
- Pour the batter into two greased and floured loaf pans. If you don't want to flour the pan, you can line it with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Bake in the oven at 325°F for 45-50 minutes. Be sure to test with a toothpick before removing from the oven.
- While the bread is baking, make the buttermilk glaze. Add all the ingredients to a medium-sized pot. Bring to a boil on medium heat and then remove from the heat. Stir constantly while warming up.
- Once the bread is baked and cool, slice and serve with the glaze on top. Glaze each individual slice or the entire loaf.
Remember, like with many sweet breads, this gingerbread loaf recipe often collapses while cooling. Don't worry, it will still have the same great taste and look!
Ovens can vary, so make sure to keep an eye on the bread to make sure you don't overcook it the first time.
Top Tip
This bread collapses very easily, but still tastes great! To help avoid collapsing, make sure you bake the bread for the full time. Check with a toothpick for doneness!
Recipe
Gingerbread Loaf
Equipment
- 2 Loaf Pans
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- ½ cup butter softened
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 cup molasses light unsulfured, or blackstrap
- ¾ cup hot water
- 2 ⅓ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground clove
Buttermilk Glaze
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degree
- Grease and flour two 9x5 loaf pans and set aside. Or cover with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, molasses, water, and egg with an electric hand mixer.
- Add the dry ingredients and spices and mix until a dark batter is created. Mix for 3 minutes, scrape the bowl occasionally to ensure everything is well mixed. Pour batter into prepared pans.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Buttermilk Glaze
- In a medium saucepan, heat sugar, butter, evaporated milk and vanilla over medium heat. Stir constantly so the ingredients don't scorch. Bring the mixture to a boil and remove from heat.
- Serve over individual slices of gingerbread loaf.
Notes
- This is an extra sticky batter so I like to line the pan with parchment paper. You can grease and flour the pan as well.
- This is a delicious butter-tasting syrup. We often have used leftovers over pancakes or Eggnog French Toast.
- Don't pull the bread out too early or it's more likely to collapse.
- Make sure to make two loaves.
- Add the buttermilk glaze as you serve. If you put it on too early it will ruin the bread.
Nutrition
Variations
- Mini- Use mini loaf pans or a cupcake tin in order to make mini cakes. Be sure to adjust the cook time because the batter will cook faster when in a small pan.
- Chocolate chips- To make a chocolate chip gingerbread loaf, add in ½ cup to 1 cup of milk chocolate chips to the batter before pouring it into the pan.
- Nuts- Add ½ cup of pecans or walnuts to the batter before pouring it into the loaf pans.
- Gluten Free- make this a gluten-free dessert by using gluten-free flour instead of all-purpose flour. The texture may vary from the original recipe.
Storing the Gingerbread Loaf
Store baked recipe in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. If glazed, then be sure to store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
The buttermilk glaze needs to be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat the glaze, place it in the microwave in a microwave-safe container and warm for 30 seconds.
This recipe will freeze and thaw well. Once frozen, it will take some time to thaw before enjoyable to eat, so make sure to plan.
Andrea says
I was looking for an easy copycat starbucks nostalgic gingerbread recipe and this one was just right! The buttermilk glaze was AMAZING, I even used it as syrup for pancakes the next day!