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    Gingerbread Loaf

    December 5, 2024

    Our warmly spiced gingerbread loaf recipe is moist and tender! Topped with fluffy cream cheese frosting and studded with candied ginger and just a hint of orange, it’s the perfect holiday treat!

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    sliced gingerbread loaf topped with cream cheese frosting, candied ginger, orange zest and dried cranberries
    Photography by Gayle McLeod

    Holiday flavors are everywhere this time of year, but our generously spiced gingerbread loaf recipe is our very favorite way to enjoy them. With lots of ginger, cloves, and cinnamon, this easy to love loaf stays moist thanks to the inclusion of vegetable oil and (our secret weapon) applesauce. This gingerbread loaf is delicious as-is, and can be stored or even frozen for later. If you really want to get festive (tis’ the season, after all) top it with cream cheese frosting, just like the Starbucks’ Cranberry Bliss® Bar.

    flour, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, eggs, applesauce, vanilla, orange zest & juice, cream cheese, powdered sugar in prep bowls

    Classic Gingerbread Loaf Ingredients

    • All-purpose flour: Classic flour for a classic gingerbread!

    • Baking soda: For lift!

    • Gingerbread spices: Cinnamon, cloves, ginger

    • Eggs: Can’t bake without ‘em!

    • Sugar: A lot of gingerbread recipes call for molasses, but we wanted to keep our recipe lighter and a little more kid-friendly so we opted to use regular sugar.

    • Applesauce: Applesauce makes loaf cakes really, really moist, we just love it!

    • Vegetable oil: Cooking with oil is another trick to make your classic gingerbread moist and so soft.

    • Vanilla extract: Of course!

    • Orange: Orange adds sweetness and brightness!

    flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and ginger being combined in a bowl
    flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and ginger being whisked together in a bowl
    eggs, sugar, applesauce, vegetable oil, vanilla, orange zest, and orange juice being combined in a bowl
    dry ingredients being whisked together with the wet ingredients for gingerbread loaf

    How To Make Gingerbread

    1. Grease a metal 9 × 5-inch loaf pan with nonstick baking spray.

    2. First, mix the dry ingredients: Flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.

    3. Now the wet ingredients: Whisk the eggs, sugar, applesauce, vegetable oil, vanilla, orange zest, and orange juice.

    4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients!

    5. Pour the gingerbread batter into the loaf pan.

    6. Bake for about an hour, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

    7. If you want to frost the cake, let the cake cool before adding the frosting.

    gingerbread batter spiced with cinnamon, cloves and ginger being poured into a greased 9x5 metal baking pan
    gingerbread loaf spiced with ginger, cloves and cinnamon in a metal baking pan

    How To Store + Freeze Gingerbread

    • Leftover gingerbread loaf is a wonderful thing! Thanks to the oil, the gingerbread loaf will stay nice and moist for 5 days. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge.

    • Gingerbread freezes well! Bake it and let it cool, then wrap the loaf tightly in plastic wrap, and then a layer of foil. It’ll keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.

    powdered sugar, cream cheese, vanilla, salt, and heavy cream being mixed in a bowl to make cream cheese frosting
    gingerbread loaf spiced with cinnamon, cloves and ginger being frosted with cream cheese frosting

    The History Of Old Fashioned Gingerbread

    Gingerbread cake as we know it originated in German, and came to the Americas along with the first European settlers more than 200 years ago! So when we say “old-fashioned gingerbread” we really do mean OLD. Back then, molasses was less expensive than sugar, so it was a common ingredient in many sweet recipes, gingerbread included. While molasses is still the classic choice, gingerbread can also be sweetened with honey or sugar, like our recipe is. What has remained constant is the use of certain spices that create a moist gingerbread loaf cake that is full of holiday flavors!

    gingerbread loaf topped with cream cheese frosting, candied ginger, orange zest and dried cranberries

    How To Serve Gingerbread

    Gingerbread cake is absolutely lovely for all occasions, but especially around the holidays, when you want your house to smell like all the baking spices! We like to serve homemade gingerbread loaf with:

    • Without frosting for a breakfast treat.

    • Topped with a dollop of whipped cream to indulge an occasional sweet tooth.

    • Starbucks-Cranberry Bliss® Bar style; with cream cheese frosting (studded with candied ginger and dried cranberries) for the perfect Christmas dessert or celebrational breakfast.

    gingerbread loaf topped with cream cheese frosting, candied ginger, orange zest and dried cranberries

    More Holiday Baking Recipes To Try

    Happy holiday baking!

    For more recipe inspiration, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest or order our cookbook. We love when you share your meals. Tag us on Instagram using #themodernproper, and we’d love to hear what you think of this recipe in the comments below. Happy cooking!

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    Gingerbread loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting

    Updated on December 5, 2024

    • Serves:  12
    • Prep Time:  20 min
    • Cook Time:  1 hr
    • Calories:  407
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    Ingredients

    • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
    • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1 ½ cups white sugar
    • ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
    • ½ cup vegetable oil
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 teaspoon orange zest, plus more for serving orange zest, plus more for serving
    • ½ cup fresh orange juice, (from 1 large orange)

    Cream Cheese Frosting

    • 1 cup powdered sugar
    • 4 ounces cream cheese
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
    • 1 -2 tablespoons heavy cream

    For Serving (optional)

    • Candied ginger, roughly chopped
    • Orange zest, mixed with 1 teaspoon white sugar
    • Dried cranberries, roughly chopped

    Method

    1. Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the lower third position. Grease a metal 9 × 5-inch loaf pan with nonstick baking spray.

      flour, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, eggs, applesauce, vanilla, orange zest & juice, cream cheese, powdered sugar in prep bowls

    2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and ginger.

      flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and ginger being combined in a bowl

    3. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, sugar, applesauce, vegetable oil, vanilla, orange zest, and orange juice until well combined.

      eggs, sugar, applesauce, vegetable oil, vanilla, orange zest, and orange juice being combined in a bowl

    4. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture, mixing after each addition until incorporated.

      dry ingredients being whisked together with the wet ingredients for gingerbread loaf

    5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 60 minutes. Allow the gingerbread to cool in the pan before serving.

      gingerbread batter spiced with cinnamon, cloves and ginger being poured into a greased 9x5 metal baking pan

    6. Meanwhile, make the frosting. In a large bowl, cream together the powdered sugar, cream cheese, vanilla, salt, and 1 tablespoon of the heavy cream. Add remaining heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is achieved.

      gingerbread loaf spiced with cinnamon, cloves and ginger being frosted with cream cheese frosting

    7. Frost the gingerbread and sprinkle with the candied ginger, orange zest sugar, and dried cranberries, if using.

      gingerbread loaf topped with cream cheese frosting, candied ginger, orange zest and dried cranberries

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories 407
    • Protein 4 g
    • Carbohydrates 62 g
    • Total Fat 17 g
    • Dietary Fiber 1 g
    • Cholesterol 51 mg
    • sodium 388 mg
    • Total Sugars 624 g

    Gingerbread Loaf

    Questions & Reviews

    Join the discussion below.

    or
    • Ashley

      Do you think you could substitute for coconut oil?

      That should work fine!

    • Linda

      Can I add pecans?

      Sure!

    • Linda

      Can I use a standard mixer?

      Should work fine, hope you enjoy!

    • Braden

      Does the mixer have to be a Vitamix or can we handmix or put in a stand mixer?

      You could use any blender or a stand mixer should be able to do the trick.

    • Debbie

      Hi! Can I ask if this bread rises in the oven? Does it rise just a bit, quite high or nearly nothing at all? I have a batch of two small loaves in the oven now. I'm unsure if I want to wait an hour to see how they rise.

      YEs. this bread will rise in the oven. It won't quite double, but it does raise quite a bit.

    • Paula

      I’ve never baked with candied ginger. Should it be the hard crystallized kind or the soft and chewy kind?

      Soft and chewy, hope you enjoy!

    • Jorden

      I mixed the recipe with my old fashion hand-held mixer. It worked just fine. I used only 1 cup of sugar, which was more than sweet enough. First, in a saucepan I put in about 3/4 cups of dried cranberries and added some orange juice to rehydrate the cranberries. I left them sit while I mixed the rest of the recipe. I added the cranberries to the batter at the end. I baked my loaf in an expandable loaf pan, so it was about 12" long and smaller in the other dimensions. I turned it upside down and when cool frosted it on all sides with half the frosting recipe recommended for 2 loaves, adding some dried candied cranberries and zested orange peel on top. I didn't have candied ginger. Next time I would bump up the amount of ginger added to the batter maybe by 1/2 teaspoon. The cake was very moist with explosions of the juicy cranberries filled with orange juice inside. In short, this was the best gingerbread loaf/cake I have eaten. Lots of raves.

      Thank you so much Jorden! So happy it's the best you've ever had! We really appreciate you taking the time to leave a review, thanks for trying this out!

    • Brooke

      This is excellent! So easy and quick to whip up. I made just as directed (sans blender) and it was perfect! Another killer recipe from TMP 👏🏼

      Thank you Brooke! So glad you enjoyed it!