Gingerbread Loaf With Cream Cheese Icing
User Reviews
4.7
Gingerbread Loaf With Cream Cheese Icing
Description
This gingerbread loaf uses all-purpose flour combined with classic holiday spices—ginger, cinnamon, allspice—and a touch of salt to create a warmly spiced base. The batter includes butter and packed brown sugar beaten together for creaminess, then mixed with an egg and vanilla. Dark molasses mixed with hot water is gradually incorporated with the dry ingredients, resulting in a relatively thin batter that bakes into a tender crumb.
The loaf is baked at 325°F in a 9x5-inch pan until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, typically around 50 minutes. Avoid opening the oven door during baking to prevent the loaf from sinking. This produces a rich, warmly spiced bread with a moist texture and deep molasses flavor.
The cream cheese icing combines powdered sugar, softened cream cheese, vanilla extract, and fresh lemon juice, offering a tangy counterpoint to the sweetness of the loaf. Red and green candy melts are melted separately and used for decorative icing details. This loaf can be served as a festive treat or for dessert, and is best stored in the refrigerator wrapped tightly to maintain freshness.
Cooling the loaf completely before icing is important to prevent melting. Variations may omit the candy decoration or substitute similar embellishments as desired.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter at room temperature, unsalted
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar packed
- 1 egg at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup dark molasses
- ¾ cup water from tap, hot
For Cream Cheese Icing
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 4 ounce cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 2 ounce Candy Melts red
- 2 ounce green candy melts
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325℉. Coat a 9x5-inch loaf pan with cooking or baking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your mixer, add the butter and brown sugar, and beat on high speed using your paddle attachment, for about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat together for another 30 seconds or until well blended, scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Meanwhile in another smaller bowl whisk together the molasses with the hot water.
- Add a third of the flour mixture and beat on low until well incorporated, then ⅓ of the molasses/water and continue beating. Repeat this a couple more times, alternating between flour and molasses mixture. Please note that the batter will be quite thin.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for about 50 minutes or until baked through. To test if the loaf is baked through, insert a toothpick in the center of the loaf, and if it comes out clean, it is done.
- Allow the bread to cool until it comes to room temperature in the pan, before removing it from the pan.
- To make the icing, add the powdered sugar, cream cheese, vanilla extract and lemon juice to the bowl of your mixer and beat on high using the whisk attachment until smooth. Spread the icing over the loaf, the icing should be quite thick, so it should be easy to spread.
- Melt the the red and green candy melts, if using, in the microwave. I usually microwave them for 1 min, stir then microwave for another 30 seconds and they should be melted. Drizzle the chocolate using a teaspoon over the gingerbread loaf.
- Cut into slices and serve.
Notes
- Baking time may vary by oven; check doneness with a toothpick inserted in the center.
- Avoid opening the oven door while baking to prevent the loaf from sinking in the middle.
- Store the gingerbread loaf wrapped airtight in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days to maintain freshness.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 10Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 400 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1serving | |
| Calories | 400kcal | 20% |
| Carbohydrates | 70g | 23% |
| Protein | 4g | 8% |
| Fat | 11g | 17% |
| Saturated Fat | 7g | 35% |
| Cholesterol | 46mg | 15% |
| Sodium | 258mg | 11% |
| Potassium | 445mg | 9% |
| Sugar | 50g | 100% |
| Vitamin A | 370IU | 7% |
| Vitamin C | 0.6mg | 1% |
| Calcium | 86mg | 9% |
| Iron | 2.6mg | 14% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.7
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