Nothing says “festive” like a loaf of holiday gingerbread!
This holiday gingerbread loaf with maple cream cheese frosting is the quintessential holiday dessert! It is warmly spiced and perfectly sweet!
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Today I’m sharing a quintessential holiday dessert– gingerbread!
It is loaded with warm spices and is delightfully sweet on its own thanks to the depth provided by brown sugar and molasses, but it is completely taken to the next level with the addition of maple cream cheese frosting.
I’ve decided the frosting is definitely not optional…it’s just that good!
This gingerbread is baked in a loaf pan but is moist and cake-like in texture.
It can serve as a dessert for a holiday dinner, a snack when you need a break from wrapping presents or even an easy breakfast for Christmas morning.
I’m a big fan of easy holiday treats, and this gingerbread with maple cream cheese frosting definitely fits the bill.
It’s a breeze to prepare and is the perfect tasty addition to your holiday menu or to bring along to a holiday get-together. You’ll love it!
More Delicious Christmas Recipes:
- Easy Eggnog Bundt Cake
- Gingerbread Pumpkin Muffins
- Eggnog Pound Cake Loaf
- Eggnog French Toast Casserole
- Festive Cranberry Pie
- Eggnog Custard Pie
- Walker’s Scottish Shortbread Cookies
Why You’ll Love this Easy Gingerbread Loaf Recipe
If you love grabbing a slice of gingerbread loaf at Starbucks, you’re going to love this simple recipe!
It has all of the sweetness of a frosted cake, but with the warm spices that make gingerbread unique.
It’s a multi-purpose treat that doesn’t take a ton of effort to make!
How to Make holiday gingerbread loaf
This holiday gingerbread loaf is the perfect treat, and it’s actually simpler to make than you think!
Ingredients You’ll Need:
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- ginger
- cinnamon
- cloves
- salt
- unsulphured molasses
- hot water
- butter
- brown sugar
- egg
- vanilla
- cream cheese
- confectioners’ sugar
- milk
- maple extract
How to Make It:
(Full printable recipe is available below)
Prepare pan and preheat oven. Grease a loaf pan and preheat oven to 350F.
Whisk dry ingredients. Blend together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.
Loosen molasses. Combine molasses and hot water in a small bowl.
Cream butter and brown sugar. Using a stand mixer cream butter and brown sugar. Add egg and vanilla.
Add other mixed ingredients. Alternate pouring dry mixture and molasses mixture into stand mixing bowl.
Bake. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake. Cool completely.
Make frosting. Combine cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar. Add maple extract and milk.
Frost. Once bread is completely cool, pour frosting over it.
Recommended Equipment:
Holiday Gingerbread Loaf
This delicious gingerbread loaf cake with maple cream cheese frosting is a festive and decadent dessert!
Ingredients
- For the Gingerbread:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup unsulphured molasses
- 3/4 cup hot water
- 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- For the Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
- 3 Tbs milk, plus more if needed
- 1/2 tsp maple extract
Instructions
- Grease a loaf pan and preheat oven to 350.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.
- In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, combine molasses and hot water, whisking to combine.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and brown sugar, beating with paddle attachment until creamed together well, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add in egg and vanilla, beating until well combined.
- With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the dry ingredients and the molasses mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few crumbs. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
- To make the frosting, use an electric mixer to beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar together.
Drizzle in maple extract and milk while mixing, adding more milk as needed to thin frosting to desired consistency. - Remove cooled gingerbread to serving platter and spread frosting on top.
Notes
Gingerbread adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction and frosting adapted from Martha Stewart
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 441
