Frosted Gingerbread Loaf
Luscious, flavorful pumpkin bread with a perfectly fluffy and moist texture and vibrant spices, swirled with a rich cinnamon sugar layer and topped with crunchy cinnamon streusel. Take your pumpkin bread to the next level with this simple yet always delicious recipe!
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Why this recipe works
There are a few reasons I love this bread. I’ve played around quite a bit with different bread flavors, and the key is the right ratios of dry to wet ingredients. Molasses can be notoriously tricky to balance, as it’s a very thick liquid. Additionally, it’s a bit bitter and a bit sweet, so you want to ensure it’s balanced by the amount of sugar and spices. Luckily, I’ve played around with molasses quite a bit to perfect these chewy molasses cookies. So it wasn’t too hard to find a balance of both texture and flavor.
This loaf ended up being soft and tender yet still sturdy. And the flavors were popping! Plenty of molasses but not too bitter. And lots of spices. If you’re like me, you may tend to take the spice amounts as a suggested starting point, but you really don’t want to go over what I’ve listed, as this bread is brightly spiced already. Anything more and it could be too much.
Finally, the frosting. It’s not necessary, but is definitely a good idea. It adds a bit of sweetness and creaminess to the already amazing loaf. Of course, you are welcome to have this bread on its own, and it’s definitely still good. But the frosting really rounds it out and makes it perfection.
Key ingredients
Flour. Always spoon then level the flour so you don’t pack it in.
Brown sugar. For this particular bread,
Ground cinnamon. Use a high quality cinnamon, so the flavor is bright.
Nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. There are so many combinations for gingerbread, but I like this one to give some flavor and spice.
Applesauce. This helps keep this light and moist.
Molasses. Avoid blackstrap, as it is much more bitter and also thicker, making it bake up densely. Light, regular, or unsulphured are best.
Butter. Unsalted is preferable, but if you only have salted, omit the salt from the recipe.
Baking powder. This helps create a lovely rise that’s not too airy but also not dense.
Salt. I prefer sea salt in my baking, but table salt works, too.
Eggs. Use fresh, room temperature eggs.
Vanilla. Use pure vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste).
Cinnamon spice buttercream. Simple and full of flavor. You could also sub vanilla bean or plain vanilla buttercream, brown sugar spice buttercream, or my favorite fall frosting: browned butter buttercream!
How to make cinnamon swirl pumpkin bread
1. Sift and whisk dry ingredients. Sifting helps create that super tender texture.
2. Whisk applesauce, molasses, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk until well combined, about a minute.
3. Whisk in melted butter. This is helpful to prevent scrambling the eggs.
4. Fold in dry ingredients. It doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth, just no visible streaks of try flour.
5. Bake. Check carefully, as it will be dark and you want to use a toothpick or knife to ensure it’s baked through but not overbaked.
6. Make frosting. You can also make this ahead of time, as it will keep in the fridge 1-2 weeks or freezer 1-2 months.
7. Frost completely cooled bread. If you frost it warm, the frosting will melt into the loaf, which is still yummy but not quite what we’re going for.
Enjoy!
Tips and FAQ’s for this recipe
Can I use a different frosting?
Yes! I personally think this is the best pairing for any spice cake, but sometimes you just want to change it up, or maybe you don’t like browned butter or need want to avoid the golden specks. In that event, you can use just about any frosting. Some good options are:
Brown Sugar Spice Buttercream, another fall-ish frosting with a great flavor and texture
Vanilla Bean Buttercream, for a nice earthy flavor without the nuttiness of browned butter
Whipped Sea Salt Vanilla Bean Buttercream, for that earthy flavor but with a pop of sea salt and a super fluffy texture
Coffee Buttercream, for a more intense coffee flavor
Salted Caramel Buttercream, for a sweet contrast
Chocolate Buttercream, because chocolate and pumpkin are always a good idea
How do I know it’s baked through?
I always use a toothpick, but a small knife or kebab skewer will work, too. You want to catch the bread when it’s just barely stopped being raw, as it will cook a little more in the pan while it cools. The top will not change color as much as other breads, due to the streusel layer. So try to use a toothpick to check for moist crumbs but no raw batter.
Do I have to sift the flour?
Yes! Sifting is key in baking, particularly in anything cake-y. It helps it mix into the wet ingredients more easily, preventing clumps as well as circumventing the urge to over-stir and create a tough, rubbery texture.
Spoon then level your flour
Don’t scoop your flour! I never knew this until I started blogging, but it seriously makes a big difference. You will end up with roughly 25% more flour than the recipe called for if you just doonk (official baking term right there) your measuring spoon into the flour container and scoop. Gently spoon your flour into your measuring cup then level it off with the back of a knife. Trust me! It makes a difference.
My molasses loaf tools
Here are my must-have tools I use for making this loaf. Affiliate links provided.
Whisk (or stand mixer or handheld mixer)
Mesh sieve (because sifting is KEY )
1M piping tips (for piping like I did)
Offset spatula (makes it easier to do traditional frosting)
Can I make this in a 9x5 pan?
This also works in a 9x5 pan, but may be a little shorter. You can increase the batter by 50% (or multiply each ingredient by 1.5) to get a full-to-the-top 9x5 loaf, indicated below. The frosting can remain the same.
2 ½ cups plus 2 tablespoons (357g) all-purpose flour, spooned then leveled
3 teaspoons (15g) baking powder
¾ teaspoon (4g) salt
1 ½ tablespoons (12g) ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon (1.5g) ground cloves
2 slightly rounded teaspoons (5g) ground ginger
¼ slightly rounded teaspoon (1g) ground nutmeg
¾ cup (187g) unsweetened applesauce
½ cup (140g) molasses
1 ½ tablespoons (19g) pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs, room temperature
12 tablespoons (170g) melted butter
1 ½ cups (300g) brown sugar
Frosted Gingerbread Loaf
- prep time: 15-20 minutes (includes making frosting)
- bake time: 40-45 minutes
- total time: 1 hour, 5 minutes (plus cooling time)
servings: 12-16
Ingredients:
- 1 ¾ cups (238g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 2 teaspoons (10g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (3g) salt
- 1 tablespoon (8g) ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon (1g) ground cloves
- 1 ½ teaspoons (3g) ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon (1g) ground nutmeg
- ½ cup (125g) unsweetened applesauce
- ⅓ cup (93g) molasses (preferably not blackstrap)
- 1 tablespoon (13g) pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 8 tablespoons (113g) melted butter
- 1 cup (200g) packed brown sugar (light or dark will work)
- half a batch cinnamon spice buttercream (see above for substitution ideas)
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 350F/175C (375F/190C if at high altitude, but bake for less time). Grease and flour an 8x4 loaf pan (see note above* for making in a 9x5 pan). If it’s prone to sticking, you can line it with parchment as well.
- Melt the butter and set aside. Don’t let it cool enough to solidify, but do let it cool somewhat before using.
- Using a large fine mesh sieve, sift then whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and all the spices. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the applesauce, molasses, vanilla, and eggs until well combined. Slowly stream in the melted butter while whisking quickly (this prevents scrambling the eggs).
- Add the brown sugar to the wet ingredients and whisk for about 1 minute. You can whisk it by hand or, if using a stand or hand mixer, mix on medium.
- Add the flour mixture and gently fold in by hand until fully combined. It will be somewhat lumpy, but that’s okay.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the streusel mixture evenly on top and gently press it in slightly. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until golden on top and a toothpick inserted in a middle muffin comes out with some moist crumbs. Check early so it doesn’t over bake. Let cool in pan completely before frosting.
- While the loaf bakes (or while it cools), make the frosting. I used a star tip to pipe frosting on mine, but you can spread it however you’d like.
Enjoy with your morning coffee!
Store leftovers in an airtight container. It should last 3-5 days, if well-sealed.
