Old Fashioned Spiced Gingerbread Loaf Cake with Lemon Ginger Icing

angled close up of gingerbread loaf cake on wire tray with two gingerbread cookies beside.

Old Fashioned Spiced Gingerbread Loaf Cake with Lemon Ginger Icing

This Old Fashioned Spiced Gingerbread Loaf Cake with Lemon Ginger Icing is everything you could wish for this Christmas! The perfect balance of warm spices inside the most tender and moist cake, generously iced with a tangy lemon ginger icing. It's the dessert to bake this holiday season!!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 40

Total Time: 1

Servings:

Calories: 245kcal

Ingredients

Cake

1½ cups all purpose flour*
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons ground ginger
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs room temperature
½ cup molasses
¾ cup buttermilk room temperature

Icing

1 cup confectioners sugar
½ teaspoon ground ginger
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions

Cake

Heat oven to 375℉.
Spray a 6 cup loaf pan with baking spray. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes, stopping to scrape bottom and sides of bowl as needed.
Add eggs, beating well after each addition.
Scrape bottom and sides of bowl.
Beat to make sure everything is incorporated, about 1 minute.
Mix in molasses.
Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Pour into prepared pan.
Bake for 40 minutes, or until cake tests done.

Icing

Combine sugar, ginger, lemon juice, vanilla, and cream in a medium bowl.
Whisk until smooth.
Pour over cooled cake.

Notes

*This recipe was written using an average of the dip and sweep method for measuring flour and the spoon and level method. If you are using a scale, you will need to add 3/4 oz or 22 g to the measurement for each cup of flour.

How To Store:

There are a few ways you can do this! If you don’t need to cake right away, you can wait to ice the cake. You can store the un-frosted cake in the fridge for 3-5 days. You could even freeze the unfrosted cake up to 2-3 months! The icing can also be placed in an airtight container in the fridge and it will keep for about 3 days. Remember to get both out of the fridge or freezer and let come to room temperature before serving. The icing may need to be whisked again before pouring onto the cake.

If the cake is already iced, you can also refrigerate or freeze! If you choose to refrigerate this cake, it will keep for about 2-3 days. You could also freeze this cake for about 1 month.

Our Best Tips To Make This Cake:

Don’t forget to pre-heat the oven!
Check the expiration dates on all your ingredients.
Make sure the butter, eggs, and buttermilk are room temperature before mixing the cake.
Add the dry ingredients and buttermilk alternately. This yields in a much better cake.
Don’t over-mix the cake batter. If it’s over-mixed, the cake will sink in the middle!
Do not open the oven to check the cake until at LEAST45-50 minutes have passed. If the oven door is open before the cake is set, it will sink in the middle.

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