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This Gingerbread Loaf is packed with my favorite Christmas flavor and then topped with a simple homemade vanilla frosting. The perfect pair and a must bake for this Christmas season.
Gingerbread is a Christmas staple!
Does anything say Christmas to you more than warm gingerbread? Cookies, loaf, or a candle, it’s one of my favorite Christmas flavors.
This Gingerbread Loaf has the full bold flavor and then topped with a simple vanilla frosting that really makes’ the whole thing perfect.
Slice it up and serve it with breakfast on Christmas morning… and every morning leading up to Christmas 😉
How to make a Gingerbread Loaf:
Gingerbread is a classic recipe and one of my favorite breads to make. Mix your wet and dry ingredients and then mix them together.
Bake and then once cooled top with your icing. If you don’t want to use icing, you could dust the top with powdered sugar.
Ingredient Notes:
- Butter: That has been softened at room temperature.
- Sugar: granulated white sugar
- Applesauce: No sugar added
- All-Purpose Flour
- Spices: Ground Cinnamon, Ground Cloves, and Ground Ginger
- Baking Soda
- Salt
Directions:
Step One: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a bread pan with non stick spray and set aside.
Step Two: Use an electric mixer to cream together butter and sugar.
Add apple sauce and continue to mix.
Step Three: In a separate bowl whisk together flour, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, baking soda, and salt.
Step Four: Mix these dry ingredients into your wet until combined.
Step Five: Pour this into your prepared bread pan and bake for 45-55 minutes or until you can poke it with a toothpick and it comes out clean.
Allow to cool on a cooling rack before frosting.
How to make the Buttercream Icing:
Buttercream icing is very easy to make. Just mix up all you ingredients with a hand mixer or a stand mixer until fluffy.
Ingredient Notes:
- Cream Cheese
- Butter: Unsalted
- Powdered Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Milk: I use 2%
Directions:
Step One: Cream together cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. Add more milk as needed until you get the consistency you desire. Frost bread and enjoy.
Tips for a good gingerbread loaf:
- Do not over mix your batter: Mixing the batter too much will add air to the batter and you do not want that when baking.
- Do not over bake: as this will result in a crumbly loaf.
- Icing is optional: If you do not want to top with icing you don’t have to. You can slice it up warm with some butter, or just as is!
Wanna make this bread ahead of time??
Once cooled store in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the fridge. I actually love it even more when it’s served chilled!
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Gingerbread Loaf
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Butter, (softened to room temperature)
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 cup Applesauce
- 1 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
- 2 teaspoons Ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons Ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Frosting:
- 2 oz Cream cheese
- 3 tablespoons Butter
- 3 cups Powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons Milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a bread pan with non stick spray and set aside.
- Use an electric mixer to cream together butter and sugar. Add apple sauce and continue to mix.
- In a separate bowl whisk together flour, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, baking soda, and salt.
- Mix these dry ingredients into your wet until combined.
- Pour this into your prepared bread pan and bake for 45-55 minutes or until you can poke it with a toothpick and it comes out clean. Allow to cool on a cooling rack before frosting.
- Meanwhile prepare frosting. Cream together cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. Add more milk as needed until you get the consistency you desire. Frost bread and enjoy.
Notes
- Do not over mix your batter: Mixing the batter too much will add air to the batter and you do not want that when baking.
- Do not over bake: as this will result in a crumbly loaf.
- Icing is optional: If you do not want to top with icing you don’t have to. You can slice it up warm with some butter, or just as is!
