Soft, moist, and intensely flavored, this gingerbread loaf is packed with molasses, ginger, and cozy winter spices, then finished with a sweet orange icing.
I originally published this recipe in 2016 and have since added new photos and helpful success tips.
Today’s richly spiced gingerbread loaf is breakfast, bread, snack, and dessert all rolled into one. It’s wonderfully versatile: You can make the loaf as muffins (see recipe Notes) to enjoy in the morning with a cup of coffee, or serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a simple homestyle dessert. Savor a slice with tea in the afternoon, or top with homemade whipped cream and sugared cranberries for a beautiful finale to your holiday meal.
The possibilities are endless!
Here’s Why You’ll Love This Gingerbread Loaf
One of the many things I love about this recipe is the smell as it bakes: between the busy days of the season, this recipe fills your kitchen with something invitingly warm, cozy, and unmistakably gingerbread. We love it.
If you need even more convincing, it’s:
- Deeply spiced and moist with rich molasses flavor
- Not overly sweet
- Easy to make
- Perfect any time of day
- Adaptable into muffins or cupcakes (see Notes)
- Delicious with or without the icing!
Ingredients You Need & Why
These are all pantry basics that you may already have on hand:
- Flour: This is a dense, moist cake/quick bread, so we need sturdy all-purpose flour as the base.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda helps it rise.
- Salt & Spices: This is deeply spiced gingerbread. There’s plenty of ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. I also add a pinch of black pepper. I love it so much in my pumpkin pie, I figured why not in gingerbread too? There’s not muchโonly 1/8 teaspoonโbut just enough to make this a super spiced gingerbread, unlike any others I’ve ever tried.
- Unsulphured Molasses: Molasses comes in varying intensities, ranging from light to dark to blackstrap. Just like for these gingerbread oatmeal cookies, for today’s loaf we’re using dark molasses, also sold as “robust” or “full flavor” molasses. A couple brands I like: Grandma’s Robust Molasses and Brer Rabbit Full Flavor Molasses. I do not recommend using blackstrap molasses, which can be too strong and bitter. If you want a slightly sweeter, milder flavor, use a molasses that’s labeled “light” or “mild,” such as Grandma’s Original.
- Water: We use hot water to thin out the molasses and provide some liquid for the gingerbread batter.
- Butter: Adds flavor and moisture. Make sure it’s properly softened to room temperature before beginning.
- Brown Sugar: I recommend using dark brown sugar for extra molasses flavor and moisture. If all you have is light brown, that’s completely fine!
- Egg: One egg binds everything together.
- Vanilla Extract: A must! Vanilla pairs wonderfully with all of the spices.
Expect a Semi-Thin Batter
The batter comes together with a mixer. Be sure to mix the molasses with hot water to break it down and thin it out, then incorporate it into the wet ingredients alternating with the dry ingredients. The batter is slightly thin.
Use an 8×4-inch or 9×5-inch loaf pan. The loaf pan in these photos is 8.5×4.5 inches and that size works as well! The bake time will vary by a few minutes depending which size you choose.
Optional Icing
This is a very simple, quick orange icing for drizzling on top. The gingerbread itself is moist, deeply spiced, and not overly sweet, so the loaf is just as delicious plain. That said, I highly suggest the citrus icing because it adds a light, fragrant contrast to the molasses and warm spices. The icing is made with just 2 ingredients: orange juice and confectionersโ sugar. If you prefer, you can top with vanilla icing instead.
And if you’d like to dress it up with a little holiday sparkle, top the gingerbread loaf with sugared cranberries. It’s also delicious with a spiced cream cheese frosting, like we use on this (very similar!) gingerbread cake.
Success Tips for the Best Gingerbread Loaf
Use dark (robust) molasses, not blackstrap; this is key for flavor without bitterness.
- Make sure the butter is properly softened so it creams smoothly with the brown sugar. See room temperature butter for more information if you’re interested.
- Use dark brown sugar for even deeper flavor. It’s what I use and recommend.
- Avoid overbaking. Start checking at the low end; a toothpick should come out with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter.
More Gingerbread Recipes
- Gingerbread Muffins or Gingerbread Cupcakes
- Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls
- Upside-Down Pear Gingerbread Cake
- Gingerbread Cookies
- Gingerbread Blossoms
- Homemade Gingerbread House
- Gingerbread Waffles
- Gingerbread Cookie Bars
Spiced Gingerbread Loaf
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Soft, moist, and deeply spiced gingerbread loaf made with rich molasses and warm winter spices, then finished with a simple orange icing drizzle. Perfect for breakfast, snack, or dessert; and easily adaptable into muffins.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2/3 cup (226g) unsulphured or dark molasses (do not use blackstrap; I prefer Grandma’s brand)
- 3/4 cup (180g/ml) hot water (aboutย 100ยฐF (38ยฐC))
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/3 cup (67g) packed light or dark brown sugar (I prefer dark in this recipe)
- 1 largeย egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Orange Icing
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 2โ3 Tablespoons (30โ45g/ml) orange juice
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC). Grease an 8×4-inch or 9×5-inch loaf pan. (I use and recommend 8×4-inch or 8.5×4.5-inch.)ย Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and pepper together until combined. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk the molasses and hot water together.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until creamed together, about 3 minutes. (Hereโs a helpful tutorial if you need guidance onย how to cream butter and sugar.) Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat on medium-high speed until combined. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the hot water/molasses, and mixing each addition just until incorporated. Avoid over-mixing; a few small lumps are OK. Batter will be slightly thin. Pour and spread the batter into prepared pan.
- Bake for 50โ60 minutes (or 55โ65 minutes for a smaller 8ร4-inch pan), or until the gingerbread loaf is baked through. All ovens are different, and your loaf may take a little more or less time. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf. If it comes out clean with just a few moist (not wet) crumbs, itโs done.
- Place the baking pan on a cooling rack. Cool the loaf in the pan for 1 hour before removing from the pan. Place the loaf directly on the cooling rack to cool completely.
- Make theย icing: Whisk the confectioners’ sugar and orange juice together until smooth. Drizzle over cooled loaf.
- Tightly cover or wrap leftover gingerbread loaf and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The flavor gets even better after a day or two!
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The loaf can be baked, cooled, and covered tightly at room temperature overnight. The loaf can be frozen (without icing) for up to 2 months. Wrap the cooled loaf in a layer of plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Thaw overnight (still wrapped) in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before icing and serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links):ย 9×5-inch Loaf Pan or 8×4-inch Loaf Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack
- Can I Leave Out the Black Pepper? Yes, you can skip it. I like it in this loaf because it deepens the spice flavor, similar to how it accentuates the spices in pumpkin pie.
- Molasses: Molasses comes in varying intensities, ranging from light to dark to blackstrap. For today’s loaf we’re using dark molasses, also sold as “robust” or “full flavor” molasses. A few brands I like: Grandma’s Robust Molasses, Brer Rabbit Full Flavor Molasses, or Wholesome!’s Organic Molasses. I do not recommend using blackstrap molasses, which can be too strong and bitter. If you want a slightly sweeter, milder flavor, use a molasses that’s labeled “light” or “mild,” such as Grandma’s Original.ย
- Muffins or Cupcakes: Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Pour the batter into the liners. Bake at 350ยฐF (177ยฐC) for 20โ22 minutes. Makes about 10โ12. I also have separate recipes for gingerbread cupcakes and gingerbread muffins.
- Optional Icing: The gingerbread itself is moist, deeply spiced, and not overly sweet, so the loaf is just as delicious plain. That said, I highly suggest the citrus icing because it adds a light, fragrant contrast to the molasses and warm spices. If you prefer, you can top with vanilla icing instead.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Excellent gingerbread! Baked up beautifully. Used half the amount of glaze and it was perfect. Warmed with a dab of vanilla ice cream on top is amazing!
I made this and it was great ; however,
I added twice the spice ,cayenne, and some fresh ginger. The best moist recipe for gingerbread Iโve ever had.
I wish the recipe had instructions for how long to wait before trying to remove loaf from pan. Maybe I missed it? I tried to flip out after 5 min of cooking and I think it was too soon, the loaf fell apart with half stuck to bottom of pan
Hi Leah, I’m really sorry about that. I’m unsure how we missed that direction. We have added it now. Did you enjoy how the loaf tasted, besides how it fell apart when it was warm?
I had high expectations for this recipe, and it was good, very spicy. But it lacked something, and I think it is sweetness. If I make this again, which I will, I will add a little honey or sugar or maybe just add the orange icing, which I omitted b/c of time constraints. Also, NO WAY did my 8 X 4 pan need anywhere near 60 mins. to fully cook. I took it out of the over at about 38 mins., and I think the bread was a tiny bit overdone and thus, a little dry.
I made the gingerbread loaf, which was superb, BUT 5 minutes before it was to come out of the oven, the top fell in. Why?
Hi Sue, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. Did the top stay sunken in? Was your baking soda fresh? We find baking soda starts to lose its effectiveness after about 3 months of opening, even if it’s not expired yet. Was the batter overmixed by chance? Overmixing can result in squat, sunken cakes. We hope this helps for next time!
I’ve made this recipe many times over the years and this year ended up making one too many loaves. I decided to crumble up the extra loaf, water down (with OJ) some of the glaze that’s supposed to go on top and immersed the crumbled pieces into the bowl of orange flavored goodness. This created a very dangerous combination that sits in the frig for good nibbling.
do you think it would be possible to reduce some of the molasses in the recipe and maybe increase the use of something else? just because I’ve been reading some comments and lots are saying that its too molassesy.
Hi Julia, you can certainly try it, and perhaps replace some of the molasses with honey for a lighter flavor. Let me know how it turns out!
Hi Sally and team! Molasses is difficult to find in some countries, and sometimes all you get is a sort of “generic” kind, with nowhere to check if itยดs unsulphured or not. Is there a good molasses substitute? If not, what should we look for in the label to make sure itยดs the correct kind? Thanks!
Hi Sandra! For baking, you want unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap). If the label doesnโt say, look for โlight,โ โmild,โ or โoriginal,โ and avoid anything labeled blackstrap, which is very bitter (check the ingredients list!). If molasses isnโt available where you live, treacle works very well, or an equal parts mix of golden syrup or honey and treacle.
I’m in Canada, and the type of molasses called for in this recipe would be referred to as “Fancy Molasses” here. If you have a type of molasses by that name available where you live, that’s what I would use.
Absolutely delicious! A perfect Christmas gingerbread! I wanted to eat the batter but forced myself to pour it into the loaf pan! ๐ The only glitch I had is that my oven is too hot and I didn’t know it. I left the loaf in as described in the recipe, and it didn’t want to come out of the pan and was very dry. I have one in right now that is baking at a slightly lower temperature and that I will check at 40-45 minutes.
The recipe doesnโt specify, is there a particular type or brand of orange juice needed for the glaze?
Hi Gregory, any orange juice you have on hand should be fine!
This was really good! Quick to make. I went with vanilla glaze bc I didn’t have orange juice on hand.
Absolutely delicious! Made it last night as part of my Christmas baking and it was so good! It will be my go to gingerbread recipe. Have tried others but they just don’t compare. Thank you Sally!
This gingerbread is definitely a gingerbread bread!! I like it a lot. One question I have is if I add more sugar do I need to adjust the butter amount or would it not make a difference? Thank you!
Hi Katherine, we’re unsure how adding more sugar will change the batter. Increasing it by a small amount shouldn’t be a problem. Let us know what you try.
Love Sally’s recipes, I ended making mini loaves, but used 3/4 of molasses (& unsulphured like instructed). Omitted the hot water and increased the ginger to one tablespoon & brown sugar to 2/3cup. Added a cup of sour cream and another egg to make 2.
Love the black pepper! But after reading comments about lack of moisture and adjusted, so delectable!! TBH, I learned to add the sour cream from Sally’s other recipes.
Recipe was super easy to follow and the loaf came out perfectly moist with the perfect amount of crumbliness. I made an icing with water and a splash of vanilla instead of orange juice and the icing really elevates this loaf. The one drawback is that I wish the ginger flavor was more prominent; this really tasted more like a spiced molases load rather than a ginger loaf. But still delicious and very appropriate for the winter holidays!