This soft simple Glazed Gingerbread Loaf with a drizzly sweet glaze is the perfect healthier holiday recipe for festive parties or just a cozy sweet snack!
I almost wanted to make gingerbread two words because that title felt much too short. Over and on to the eating in 0.3 seconds. But that’s what this recipe is all about – simple, basic, the OG spiced stuff just quietly being Christmas perfect. Because there’s no need to be flashy about it when the flavor and texture are this flawless. Soft and fluffy and flawless.
The Glazed Gingerbread Loaf. (Glaze optional if you take simplicity very seriously.)
I considered cake. I considered cupcakes. But no. A ginger-spiced molasses-spiked batter like this belongs in a loaf pan. Loaf pans were made for this. Born ready for gingerbread-ing. All those batches of banana bread have just been practice runs.
And that loaf pan belongs in your oven. And the JOY of removing a golden, taller than the pan, glorious loaf of gingerbread belongs in your heart.
I love a cute cutout muggle-shaped gingerbread cookie as much as the next person, but sometimes you just need a quick trusty blend > dump > bake recipe with zero rolling or cutting or frosting faces.
Because last minute holiday potluck-type parties happen. And Instagram-induced gingerbread hangry-ness happens. And sometimes it’s just cold and I want to stand by the oven and snag some of the toasty-ness and sweet scents for longer than the 12 minutes it takes to make cookies. This recipe is the answer.
There are sososo many reasons to love this gingerbread loaf, but it would be neglectful of me to not talk about the texture a little more in-depth. Because (pardon the strong language) it might just be my FAVORITE gingerbread non-cookie thing I’ve ever made. And that is all because of the soft and super moist texture. Moist but with a still defined crumb, aka the goal of baking always. And this loaf is killing it.
What makes the texture so right?
- Medjool dates. Hello moisture, sweetness, binding, caramel flavor no one even knew gingerbread was missing until now.
- Almond butter. Could you use applesauce instead? Maybe. Would you be missing some of the lusciousness this loaf has to offer? Yup.
- Molasses. Just doing it’s deep rich thang.
- Tapioca starch. I know I know…I tried to leave it out, I truly did. But it turns a little too crumbly into juuuuuuuust right.
- Oat flour. Hate it in pie crusts, love it in this bread.
Grain-free option. Almond flour alone is too moist to work with all those dates (read: pan of mush). The best option I found was using the Bob’s Red Mill Paleo Baking Flour. It will make for a denser, less fluffy loaf but still amazingly delicious. In order for it to not be mushy in the middle, I recommend decreasing the amount of milk and increasing the bake time by 5-10 minutes. Or making muffins instead of one large loaf would be a great idea too, maybe better.
The glaze. I simply warmed up coconut butter and drizzled it over top, which hardens beautifully and adds that little extra subtly-sweet something. But if you are trying to make friends or family believe there’s powdered sugar at play here, I recommend this frosting minus the matcha. Warmed up just a little it will be thin enough to drizzle and still set beautifully.
Twinkly pomegranate seeds jewels optional. But I mean come on…
Happy gingerbread not-a-cookie making to you!
Glazed Gingerbread Loaf
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 slices 1x
Description
This soft simple Glazed Gingerbread Loaf with a drizzly sweet glaze is the perfect healthier holiday recipe for festive parties or just a cozy sweet snack!
Ingredients
- 1 cup packed (200g) pitted medjool dates
- 3/4 cup (190g) non-dairy milk
- 1/2 cup (130g) almond butter ((or any nut/seed butter))
- 1/4 cup (80g) molasses
- 1 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 cup (165g) oat flour ((*see notes for grain-free option))
- 1/2 cup (70g) tapioca starch ((can sub arrowroot or cornstarch))
Glaze**
- 1/4 cup coconut butter
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2–3 tbsp non-dairy milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Combine the medjool dates, almond milk, almond butter, and molasses in a high speed blender. Blend on high until there are no date chunks left.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and blend on low speed until combined. Do not over-blend.
- Transfer the batter to a baking pan lined with parchment paper or lightly oiled.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350F, or until golden brown on top and firm when you lightly press the center. Or you can insert a toothpick into the center and make sure it comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and cool completely before glazing.
- For the glaze, melt the coconut butter. Add the maple syrup and vanilla. Stir slowly adding the milk until smooth and drizzle-able.
- Drizzle onto the cooled loaf and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds. Enjoy!
Notes
*For a grain-free option, you can replace the oat and tapioca flour with 2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Paleo Baking Flour, decrease the milk to 1/2 cup, and bake for an extra 5 minutes or so. It will be more dense though, so for best texture I recommend sticking with oat flour. **Or you can just use straight coconut butter.
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Can cornstarch replace the tapioca starch?
Yep! I should’ve mentioned that, thanks for the reminder 🙂 Enjoy!
It’s a little scary how on the same page we are lately – just this past weekend I baked a gingerbread loaf, too! They’re so underrated!! Yours is gorgeous, per usual! I’m thinking this may give the traditional, beloved cookies a run for their money. Or, we can just indulge in both, right?! 🙂
Haha lately and always 😀 Right? I feel like cookies steal all the thunder, but I love a good loaf of the spicy stuff too! But yes, I love both too much to pick. Can’t wait to see how you made yours, probably super simple and fruity as per usual 🙂
Can I skip the molasses? Maybe add a few more dates?
Yep! Just add extra milk to make up for the less liquid, so 1 cup non-dairy milk and a few extra dates will be perfect 🙂
Ginger and Molasses…mmmm. Best holiday combination ever!!
Just wondering – what size loaf pan do you use?
Agreed! So the pan I used is actually a glass storage container because I love the slightly smaller size, it’s 8×5.5 inches: http://amzn.to/2yXzhNr A standard loaf pan will work too though, the loaf will just be a little less tall 🙂
Gingerbread + Coconut Butter + Pom Seeds = Dreamiest combo! I get the BEST feedback when I make all your date-sweetened cakes and other goodies, so I can’t wait to give this version a go!
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So dreamy right? Like winter wonderland in loaf form 🙂 Aww that makes me so happy to hear! I think this may be my favorite one yet actually, the texture came out soooo well, so I can’t wait to hear your thoughts (as always!)
Ahhh, we are gingerbread twinning today, haha! Although, my actual cake is coming this week, lol! This looks so dense and hearty and chewy, gimme that loaf! I love the extra bite that molasses gives gingerbread. Gingerbread is my favorite holiday flavor…the smells, the flavor, the aroma that fills the room. I love it so much that it doesn’t even need frosting. But, I love of course coconut butter frosting too. I love how pretty and festive it looks with all of those pomegranate seeds. Those things are truly like jewels. I’m always amazed by them everytime I see them because they don’t look like food, just jewelry, haha. I think I could be happy with gingerbread year round and never get sick of it. I just love spiced baked goods so much! Looks great Natalie! These plus your gingerbread cookies, I bet your place has been smelling amazing lately!
When I saw your gingerbread spice email come through i was like YESSSS!! Because whenever you posts a DIY ingredient that means there is a ingredient-in-action recipe not too far behind🤗 And it wouldn’t be gingerbread without molasses in my opinion, I don’t even want to admit how much molasses I’ve been through already this month lol. Aren’t they the prettiest topping ever? I want them to come in every color…wait no, GMO people don’t actually go there😬 I can’t wait for your cake, both for you and selfishly I am so happy you finished the book recipes in time to still post some holiday goodness!
It looks so yummy!
Can I use wholewheat or spelt flour instead of oats? (Sorry for always asking for replacements! )
Either of those should be fine, spelt is probably more similar to oat flour so would be my choice between the two. And you won’t need the tapioca, so it will be 2 cups total of flour. Hope it turns out perfect 🙂
Love the recipe!! Could I possibly use arrowroot starch instead of tapioca?
Keep up the amazing content!❤️
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Yep arrowroot will be fine! Hope you enjoy and thanks for the support 🙂
This is really good and chewy as the vegan 8 said! I love anything “ oaty”! Even more spices would be ok too. I had some very dark and strong/almost molasses maple syrup to use up and I didn’t get around to a glaze this time – any suggestion to avoid the coconut butter? Maybe just a little applesauce or peanut butter to get a runny glaze? Thanks for your site!
Oooh deep dark maple syrup sounds amazing in here! Yes you could totally up the spice factor, although i must say in my last test batch i didn’t measure the ginger at all and just dumped and it’s quite SPICY haha. Any sort of nut butter + a bit of maple syrup will make a delicious glaze/sauce although more caramel like than glaze like. Applesauce probably won’t be smooth enough to drizzle nicely and it won’t harden the same way. Hope that helps and thanks for the feedback 🙂
if i were to sub the almond butter for applesauce and also use paleo flour, how should i change the rest of the recipe/directions?
Hmm I really do not think that combo will work out well unfortunately. You need the almond butter for texture, especially with the paleo flour, it will be too moist/mushy with applesauce. You are welcome to try it but I don’t recommend it. Sorry!
I thought you went Paleo ..was I wrong? BTW would love to see a current what I eat on YouTube! Love this recipe…so making this on Christmas!!!
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I don’t really follow any diet anymore. I eat some paleo foods, some vegan foods, I’ve even started incorporating gluten back in–no rules 🙂 Oh yay, I hope you love the loaf Sharon!
Should I refrigerate the loaf after I’ve glazed it and cut into it? Thanks! Love the recipe.
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That will keep it fresh and moist the longest, so yes I would recommend it!
I made this last night, and it turned out alright. I like the texture and was surprised how much it rose while baking. However, it really wasn’t very flavorful – it could use quite a bit more molasses and spices. Also, it has a hint of a sour taste. Maybe from the lemon juice? I’ll try making this again, because the texture turned out great, but I’ll decrease the amount of milk used, and increase the molasses and spices. I may try vinegar instead of lemon juice to see how that does.
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Hi Stephanie! You could certainly add more sweetener, it is date sweetened so not as sweet as a traditional sugar-sweetened loaf. Hmm the lemon shouldn’t make it sour, just compliment the spices and sweetness, but you are welcome to try apple cider vinegar instead. Or remove the acid completely although it may not rise to be as fluffy. I hope the next batch turns out more to your liking 🙂
Hi there, I love your recipes! How long will this keep good after it’s baked?
I’d say 4-5 days in the fridge in an airtight container, much past that and it will start to dry out. Hope you enjoy 🙂
I have made this recipe 3 times already since you posted it in December. I just love it! It was just the thing I needed for the cold and festive month of December. I also tried it with fig butter (from Trader Joe’s) instead of dates just to change things up a bit and it was delicious! I have been adding a bit of nutmeg and allspice too, and it’s so good in the morning with my coffee. Thank you for creating it!
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Thank you for the lovely feedback, I am so happy to hear you love this one! Mmm the fig flavor with all those spices sounds marvelous. I’ve had that TJs fig butter before and it’s delish–great idea. That sounds like the perfect cozy morning, I know my gingerbread baking will probably not be over with the new year just yet 🙂 Happy 2018!
Delicious thanks! I upped the milk to one cup, added some chocolate chips, swapped almond butter for apple sauce, and used two cups of self-raising flour instead of the oat flour, baking powder and tapioca starch. It was great!
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Whoa sounds like a whole new but very delicious recipe, I am so happy it turned out well! Thanks for the feedback Julia (and making me crave gingerbread now ha)😊
What size pan do you use?
This is just a standard 8×4″ loaf pan😊
Can these be made into buns as well? If so, what changes should be made? (Eg baking timings, baking pan size, etc)
Thanks!!
P.s. I’m such a huge fan of your recipes 🙂
Hmm like muffins? That would work with the same ingredients, just reduce the cook time to 25-30 mins 🙂
Hmm like bread buns! Those found in bakeries. Will this work as well?^
No this won’t work, you would need a yeasted recipe for that. Sorry!
Wow! This loaf cake is incredible. The texture is dense and moist without being gluey, and the gingerbread flavor comes across just right. I substituted 1/4 tsp of the ginger with cloves, and the intensity of the spices was perfect for me. For the glaze, I used coconut yogurt instead of coconut butter, and even though it won’t harden as well as coconut butter, it tasted amazing – like cream cheese frosting! Thanks for the recipe! It will definitely be a go-to for me during the next holiday season. Best wishes for the new year!
★★★★★
I am so happy you loved it!! And the coconut yogurt glaze sounds delicious, I’ve made “cream cheese” frostings with yogurt before it works so well as a healthy swap😋😋 Thank you for the lovely feedback, and happy new years to you!