Gingerbread Recipe (The Soft Cake Loaf, Not Cookies)

Have you had Gingerbread from a real gingerbread recipe? Not a cookie, biscotti, house, or latte but real honest Gingerbread Cake Loaf? This is James Beard’s spicy gingery molasses loaf that makes a sensational seasonal cake that’s perfect for giving to friends or enjoying on a cold holiday morning.

Is This Gingerbread Cookies, A Cake, Or A House?

What are we doing here anyway? Well, we’re baking a loaf or actual gingerbread. It’s a moist loaf a lot like a quick bread actually. It’s the flavor of a gingerbread cookie in a soft sliceable loaf cake.

Try this gingerbread cake recipe once and you’ll be converted

It’s the smell of this loaf baking that will get you every single time. It’s something worth baking up just for the scent of it baking. Your house will be fragrant with the wafting scent of ginger and molasses even after it’s done baking.

James Beard’s Gingerbread Cake Recipe

I found this recipe in the James Beard on Bread cookbook, if you haven’t read the book check it out. It’s very informative and as always you’ll understand that James Beard was also a master storyteller too.

About this Real Gingerbread Recipe

• makes One 9×5 loaf, you can double it but it’s tricky mixing it like that
• yes the ingredients and the recipe are correct, there is no added granulated sugar (trust the process!)
• and you read that right there are NO EGGS in the recipe either
• this gingerbread recipe uses dried ginger powder that you find in the spice aisle
• cut the softened butter in chunks small enough to melt quickly with the boiling water
• best eaten sliced with butter like banana bread but also good cold

Ingredients for Gingerbread

If your pantry is well stocked then making this loaf is going to be a breeze. With just 7 ingredients and nothing special you’re making this bread before you even worry about the ingredients.

• molasses-either light or dark, NOT blackstrap
• softened butter
• baking soda
• salt
• boiling water
• ground ginger
• all-purpose flour

Light or Dark Molasses for Gingerbread?

For this recipe you want UNSULPHURED molasses, either light or dark will work. Light molasses is less flavorful and some people prefer that, Grandma’s is a light molasses. Dark has a deeper flavor so if you like that use it, Brer Rabbit is a dark molasses.

What Can Go Wrong With The Gingerbread Recipe

This recipe is fairly sturdy and, in my opinion, hard to mess up. BUT there are few things that can go wrong, let’s look at them.

Sunken Middle On Gingerbread Loaf

1. Any quick bread using baking soda as a rising agent is going to fall if you open the door and let the heat out. So keep the door shut and you’re more than likely not going to suffer this malady. If it’s already happened, there isn’t a lot of rescuing a loaf or any baked good for that matter after it sinks. It will still taste good so slather on some butter and eat a slice. And remember that less for next time.
2. How’s that baking soda? If you’re using old baking soda on a loaf that ONLY uses baking soda and molasses as raising agents you’re on thin ice. A new box is your best bet here!
3. Not enough of the molasses went IN the bowl. Spray your measuring cup with baking spray or wipe it with a little oil to make sure you get ALL the molasses into the bowl. Having it stuck to the measuring cup is a great way to lose up to 1-2 TBSP of molasses, the flavor AND one of the raising agents for this recipe.

Your Loaf Tastes Weird

In this recipe you want to use something like Grandma’s Molasses or Brer Rabbit, those are respectively, a light and a dark molasses. Blackstrap is NOT the flavor you want in this bread.

Buyer beware, check that the label says mild, original, or full flavor, and NOT blackstrap!

The Butter Didn’t Melt!

The trick is to use TRULY boiling water and room temperature butter. I have outlined both of those IN the ingredients list and the recipe card. They’re listed like that for a reason. If you need to you can briefly pop this in the microwave for 5-10 seconds to get it melted. It’s best if you just start with softened butter and boiling water.

My Gingerbread is Dry

In this recipe where there are no eggs or milk it could be easy to assume you’d get a dry loaf. To make sure this doesn’t happen to you stir the flour into the batter JUST until its mixed in, do not over mix it or beat it. You could develop the gluten or cause the loaf to be tough from over mixing.

And bake it JUST until it’s done, use a toothpick to check for doneness, a few crumbs on the toothpick are great that means the loaf is just done and not over baked. You can also use a digital thermometer to check for doneness, you’re looking for a temperature of 200°-205°.

other Recipes You’ll Love!

Try this recipe for Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls! Perfect for Christmas morning or any other time you want a fun and festive breakfast!

I’ve ALSO got this gorgeous Frosted Gingerbread Cake if that’s more your style!

This is a great gift to make and give to friends. I included it in my Big List of Handmade Homemade Edible Food Gifts. Check it out if you like to make and give non-cluttering gifts.

Or if you love traditions and saints make these Santa Lucia Buns.

How to store gingerbread

This one’s easy and I love it for that. No eggs. No milk. No frosting. Just molasses and butter doing their job. Cool the loaf, wrap it up well, leave it on the counter. Three or four days, no problem. And it gets BETTER overnight. The molasses settles, the ginger comes forward, and day two gingerbread beats day one gingerbread every time. Wrap it tight though. A loaf like this dries out from the cut end first and it happens faster than you’d expect.

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