Moist Gingerbread Loaf (Printable View)

A moist loaf bursting with ginger, cinnamon, and molasses for cozy winter treats.

# Ingredient List:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
03 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
04 - ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
05 - ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
06 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
07 - ½ teaspoon salt

→ Wet Ingredients

08 - ½ cup vegetable oil
09 - ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
10 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
11 - ½ cup unsulfured molasses
12 - ¾ cup buttermilk or plain yogurt

→ Optional Add-ins

13 - ½ cup raisins or chopped crystallized ginger

# How to Prepare:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt.
03 - In a separate medium bowl, whisk vegetable oil, dark brown sugar, and eggs until smooth; stir in molasses and buttermilk.
04 - Pour wet mixture into dry ingredients and gently combine until just mixed; avoid overmixing.
05 - Fold in raisins or crystallized ginger if desired.
06 - Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and smooth the surface.
07 - Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
08 - Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It's incredibly moist and tender, with a depth of spice that tastes like it took hours to develop, but comes together in just 15 minutes of prep
  • The combination of molasses and brown sugar creates a rich, almost caramel-like crumb that keeps for days, making it perfect for gifting or enjoying throughout the week
  • One loaf fills your entire kitchen with that unmistakable gingerbread aroma—the kind that makes people ask what smells so amazing the moment they walk through your door
02 -
  • Room temperature ingredients matter more than you'd think. Cold eggs and cold buttermilk won't mix smoothly into the oil, and you'll end up with a curdled-looking batter that bakes unevenly. Take two minutes to let them sit on the counter.
  • The molasses must be unsulfured. Sulfured molasses has a slightly bitter taste that doesn't belong here. This one discovery changed everything for me when I first made this recipe.
  • Don't overbake. A slightly underbaked center keeps the loaf moist for days. The moment you see a toothpick come out mostly clean, that's your signal to pull it out.
03 -
  • Measure your brown sugar by packing it firmly into your measuring cup. This ensures you get the full molasses content and deeper flavor throughout the loaf.
  • If your molasses is very thick and hard to measure, warm it slightly in the microwave for 20 seconds—it pours like a dream afterward and mixes in more evenly.
  • Invest in quality ground spices. Gingerbread is all about those spices, and old ones that have been sitting in your cabinet for years will taste dull and flat. Fresh spices make all the difference.

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