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 much—only 1/8 teaspoon—but 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 confectioners’ 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 (about 100°F (38°C))
- 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 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Orange Icing
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 2–3 Tablespoons (30–45g/ml) orange juice
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease an 8×4-inch or 9×5-inch loaf pan. (I use and recommend 8×4-inch or 8.5×4.5-inch.) 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. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on 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 50–60 minutes (or 55–65 minutes for a smaller 8×4-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, it’s 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 the 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): 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.
- Muffins or Cupcakes: Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Pour the batter into the liners. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 20–22 minutes. Makes about 10–12. 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
I checked my bread at 47 minutes and it was 2 minutes over done. Wish I had checked at 45 minutes. Next time I would have added slightly less flour, an extra egg. Disappointed. Even with spoon measuring, wish I had used 1 and 3/4 cups flour. Not a good recipe.
Hi there !
I was wondering if the fancy molasses from Grandma’s brand would work here.
Thank you 🙂
Hi Patricia, check to be sure it’s an unsulphured or dark molasses (do not use blackstrap; we prefer Grandma’s brand “original”). It looks like it would be an okay substitution, but we haven’t tested it. Let us know if you give it a try!
Completely agree! I’m a huge fan of her recipes but I felt that the molasses (grandma brand) was too strong and almost gave a bitterness to it. The crumb/texture was great, and I liked the spice flavor but all I could taste was the molasses and that was with the icing I put on top as well.
Yep made two leaves as I have always loved Sally’s recipe, but this was a complete fail. It had a weird bitter taste to it. Hubby and my dad agreed so can’t serve it to others, have made many different gingerbread and wondered what I possibly did wrong as I followed the recipe, then wondered even more as other comments are saying how good this bread is.
Then I came across yours snd others comments saying exactly what we thought. I never thought to read the comments ahead of baking the bread since as I said always enjoyed her recipes. I also made her pumpkin bread recipe and it is very underwhelming, no taste barely can taste pumpkin, so now I stick to her cakes sjd cookies not her quick breads
Followed to the letter and it burnt the top while being raw inside. Super disappointed.
Terrific gingerbread. Everything about it was great and just what you want gingerbread to be. Texture and flavors were perfect for the holiday season. I preferred mine plain to really get the flavors of the bread but of course the kids loved it with icing. It didn’t last long! I thought this was much better than the gingerbread cake recipe from Sally that I made last year in case anyone is comparing.
I have been making this for a couple of years and it is a consistent hit – wonderful soft cake with big flavour. My one big change is that I add semi-sweet chocolate pieces into the batter, which gives the cake a fudgy quality that is amazing (but doesn’t interfere with the great gingerbread flavour). Sometimes I will switch the glaze for a light cream cheese one and throw on some finely grated orange peel – it is sooo good.
Recently, I was asked to make a dairy free version and substituted coconut oil for the butter… overall, it was pretty good (I felt like it baked slightly more quickly, if that makes sense?). Overall, this one is a big winner!
As always you are such an amazing baker, Sally! Thank you for your recipes. Can this recipe be doubled?
Hi Karen, thank you! Yes, you can easily double this recipe.
Hello, love your recipes! Has anyone tried to make this GF, DF? If I do I will write a review.
Hey Sally,
I haven’t made the loaf yet but was wondering whether I could swap out the molasses for treacle? It’s what I usually do for your gingerbread biscuits and they turn out fine.
Thanks you so much your recipes are always incredible!
Hi Liadan, we haven’t tested it, but a few readers have reported success using it in this recipe. Please do let us know if you try it!
Hi Catherine, I’m sorry you had trouble with this loaf. There’s quite a bit of spice in the loaf already, even a bit of black pepper, so I’m surprised even after doubling that you found it bland! I wonder if you accidentally skipped an ingredient or if your spices were getting old? Thank you for the feedback.
I seem to keep coming back to SBA! I explored some other gingerbread options, and after reading the comments, I concluded this seemed to have the best outcome (I believe the secret ingredient is pepper, which isn’t in many of the other recipes I looked at). Made on Christmas morning and delighted everyone!
A good recipe for muffins. I added a dollop of a cream cheese mixture (cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, corn starch) on the top of each muffin before baking. Very delicious.
What do you think about substituting in coconut oil for the butter? Would love to make this dairy free!
Hi Sarah, we haven’t tested coconut oil here. It may yield a greasy loaf, but let us know if you give it a try!
Didn’t have orange juice so I skipped the glaze. The loaf was so luscious and moist! I love gingerbread and this was perfect.
Can you use real ginger grated?
Hi Anne, You can definitely use fresh ginger here. Feel free to skip the ground ginger and replace with 1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger.
I am making this as a Christmas gift. Can I freeze it ahead of time with the glaze on it? Or should I glaze it after it defrosts?
Hi Jillian, the glaze may get a bit messy during the thawing process, but if you don’t mind the looks, then you can certainly freeze with the glaze. Hope you enjoy it!
This is a yummy gingerbread recipe perfect for the holidays. We added grated orange peel to the icing and you see the specks and know it is an orange glaze.
This is so delicious. The whole family enjoyed it. Perfect for transitioning out of pumpkin spice season! I will use a hand mixer next time as it was not quite enough butter to get a good cream in my standing mixer.
If I were to use mini loaf pans, should I lower the baking time by half? Or what would you suggest. I’m looking forward to making these!
Hi Sadie! The mini loaf baking time varies between pans (they are all different sizes these days!) but generally 22-25 minutes. Use a toothpick to test for doneness.
I made this recipe last year and am getting ready to make it again..it’s the best ..
Ok I’m not one for substituting-that’s why I have a recipe. I wanted something molasses at for myself this time But I had a cup of quartered pecans left over from coffee cakes I made at Christmas. So tossed them in and because this batter was so thin they floated and made a nutty crust with the orange glaze double win for me. Thanks for the gorgeous bread recipe.
Awesome! I only half of the icing and it was sufficient.
Hi Tracy, we haven’t tried it, but sounds delicious! Let us know what you try.
For the icing, do you use fresh orange juice or packaged orange juice?
Hi John, Either one will work here. Enjoy!
Absolutely delicious! I can only get blackstrap molasses where I am so I ised treacle instead and it came out amazing. I made mini muffins and baked for 12 mins because it’s for my toddler’s daycare’s Christmas party. I saw some comments about the spice levels but my rule is to make the recipe exactly before making tweaks and I was really happy with the spices in this one. I enjoy spices and think this is perfect. A super light, fluffy muffin and the sweet zing from the orange glaze really tops it off. I was tempted to garnish with orange zest but I’m too tired for that. I am so so pleased with this recipe, exactly what you would imagine gingerbread in a loaf to taste like
Hi Laurel! It should work to make cake pops with this loaf cake.
I made this into mini-loaves and it was outstanding! It only took about 23-25 minutes to cook
How many mini loaves did it make? I came looking in the comments to see!
I made this yesterday and tried it today. It is a perfect texture but a little too molasses-y for my taste. Do you think I could sub 1/3 cup molasses for Applesauce or brown sugar, or something else? Very open.
Hi Haley, you could certainly try either substitution. I would use more brown sugar as the first test, over the applesauce substitution. There is plenty of moisture in the batter, that losing 1/3 cup (half) of the molasses won’t really matter. So, try adding another 1/3 cup (67g) brown sugar.
I made this for the first time last Christmas, and it was such a hit! I add good quality chocolate chips or broken chunks to the mix to give it a fudgy quality – very delicious! I also made it in a gingerbread house mould, and it looked gorgeous. My first attempt to recreate it this year did turn out slightly dry, but I will adjust the cooking time for the next round.