This soft gingerbread loaf cake is packed with the perfect amount of ginger flavor and topped with a sweet orange icing.

This soft gingerbread loaf cake is packed with the perfect amount of ginger flavor and topped with a sweet orange glaze.

‘Tis the season for all things gingerbread and I’m here to tell you that your holiday table is incomplete without a classic gingerbread loaf cake!

With no shortage of creamy, citrusy orange icing, of course because we do the holidays right around here.

We call this gingerbread a cake, but honestly it’s like a cross between a quick bread and a cake which means it’s absolutely acceptable as both a breakfast or dessert!

Gingerbread and orange has got to be one of the most amazing combos ever and you’ll see that in this loaf cake! You won’t believe how beautifully the warm spices from the gingerbread blend with the creamy orange icing.

This Gingerbread Loaf Cake features…

Rich ginger and molasses flavors in the cake
A soft and moist texture
Creamy orange icing on top

Making the Gingerbread Cake

(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)

Ingredients You Will Need

Unsalted butter
Brown sugar
Molasses
Eggs
Greek yogurt
Fresh ginger
Vanilla extract
All-purpose flour
Baking soda
Baking powder
Kosher salt
Ground ginger
Cinnamon
Cloves
2% or skim milk
Powdered sugar
Orange zest

Choosing Your Pan

We recommend using a 9×5 loaf pan for this gingerbread because we find that this makes for tall, thick slices. Prepare your pan by lining it with parchment paper for easy removal after baking.

Tips for Perfect Gingerbread

Cream butter and sugar together – make sure your butter is softened to room-temperature and cream well with the sugar several minutes until completely smooth.
Use stand mixer or mix dough by hand – this recipe is both mixer-friendly and old-fashioned-bowl-and-spoon friendly.
Bring eggs and yogurt to room temperature – this will help these ingredients mix more cohesively into the butter.
Spoon and level flour – we use the spoon-and-level technique for measuring flour as this will prevent over-measuring your flour. Use a spoon to scoop flour into the measuring cup, then level with the back of a knife.
Use fresh ginger and ground – this double dose of ginger adds the perfect level of ginger flavor that doesn’t get lost among the other flavors.
Test cake with toothpick – insert a toothpick in the center of cake to determine doneness.
Cool cake before glazing – if you try to glaze the cake while it’s still warm, the glaze will melt off.

Recipe Variations

Try these ideas for a different twist on this gingerbread.

Use a different glaze – try a cream cheese glaze, vanilla, or maple.
Add chocolate – fold 1/2 cup semisweet, milk, or white chocolate chips into batter.
Add nuts – toast 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts and fold into batter.

Storing and Freezing Gingerbread

Allow loaf cake to cool completely, then store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days. For best results, we recommend glazing loaf cake shortly before serving.

To freeze cake, allow to cool completely, then wrap well and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw cake at room temperature and store up to 3 days. We recommend freezing cake un-glazed and then glazing once thawed.

This is just one of those cakes you’ll find is an instant hit that definitely belongs in your Christmas baking repertoire! The thick slices are so moist and full of rich gingerbread flavors and punchy orange flavor.

Whether you have it for breakfast, dessert, or a snack with your afternoon coffee, this cake really fits just about anywhere!

Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.

Watch this loaf cake made step-by-step on Google web stories.

More Christmas baking to add to your list!

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