Classic Gingerbread Loaf Cake

 

Is there ever such a thing as too many Gingerbread recipes?  I think not!  At least not from my perspective. Gingerbread is one of my favorite things to bake and to eat.  It smells so lovely when it is baking.  I could just bottle it and use it for perfume. 

 

I saw this brilliant looking recipe on a page called Cloudy Kitchen the other day for a Classic Gingerbread Loaf Cake. It looked really good. I immediately bookmarked it to make.  Today was the day, and I have to say, in all honesty, this is one of the best gingerbreads I have ever made!

 

It is moist and deliciously dense with a beautiful flavor that is really pleasant. Most enjoyable.  It did look like it was sunk a bit in the middle, but I promise you that it is not. It is perfectly cooked through.

It cuts beautifully and has a beautiful texture.  Its lovely served simply sliced and spread with softened butter.  Its lovely even without the butter, I promise you.  This is one gingerbread that you are really going to enjoy!!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CLASSIC GINGERBREAD LOAF CAKE

Some pretty standard baking cupboard ingredients. There is nothing complicated here. The list looks long but most of it is those beautiful warm baking spices.

• 1/2 cup (150g) molasses (can use equal amounts of light and dark treacle mixed to substitute for the molasses)
• 1/2 cup (115g) butter
• 125ml (1/2 cup) whole milk
• 1 1/4 cup (150g) all purpose, plain flour
• 1/2 cup less 1 TBS (90g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 TBS ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp mixed spice (or pumpkin spice) (see notes to make your own)
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 large free range egg

She used dark treacle in the original recipe, but I chose to use molasses. I find dark treacle to be very strong and am not fond of the flavor. It is just not something I like in large quantities. A tablespoon here and there, but that's all.  

I used salted butter and did not find the loaf to be overly salty. It was just right. The combination of spices was excellent.  Do try to use them all if you can. I do give you a recipe for how to make your own mixed spice in the notes of the printable recipe. Its very easy to make and you will find it useful for a lot of things. I do use it a lot in baking.

Other than that, everything is pretty self explanatory and not out of the ordinary!

 

HOW TO MAKE CLASSIC GINGERBREAD LOAF CAKE

This is a relatively simple make. The wet ingredients are stirred into the dry until smooth and then it is poured into a prepared tin and baked to moist delicious perfection. The smell when it is baking is phenomenal!

Preheat the oven to 325*F/160*C. Butter a 9 inch by 5 inch loaf tin really well and line with baking paper, leaving a bit of an overhang for lifting out. Place onto a baking tray for ease of putting into and removing from the oven.

Place the molasses and butter into a saucepan and gently heat together, without allowing it to boil, until the butter has melted. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cold milk.

Sift the flour into a bowl along with the spices, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Whisk in the sugar.

Once the molasses mixture is no longer hot (shouldn't take long because of the milk) whisk in the egg, whisking well together to combine.

 

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet. Whisk well together to combine until the mixture is smooth, lump free and has no dry streaks. Pour into the prepared loaf tin.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 60 minutes until well risen and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. It should also have shrunk a bit from the sides of the pan.

Leave to cool completely in the tin before lifting out. Cut into thick slices to serve with or without softened butter to spread over it. Delicious!

 

Notes

Make Your Own Mixed Spice:

You can easily make your own mixed spice: Combine 1 TBS ground cinnamon, 1 tsp each of ground coriander and nutmeg, 1/2 tsp of ground ginger, 1/4 tsp each of ground cloves and allspice. Mix well and store in an airtight container out of the light for up to 6 months.

I always have a jar of this mixture in the cupboard as I use it a lot in my baking recipes. Its a lovely combination of flavors.

 

This is one incredibly delicious Gingerbread loaf cake. It has a beautiful dense and moist texture and is filled with lovely flavors.  I loved this magic combination of spices.  Prepare to fall in love.

It is so good that I found myself going back for just  . . .  one  . . .  more  . . .  slice, even without the butter. You have been warned.

 

Gingerbread cakes are my absolute favorite. I am from the school of thought that you just cannot have too many recipes for gingerbread!  Here are a few more of my favorite recipes!

SQUIDGY GINGERBREAD - Simply cut into squares, this is fabulous, but split and filled with lemon curd, there is no doubt about it. This truly IS the royalty of Gingerbreads.  Magnificently moist and squidgy,  with a beautiful ginger flavor and just a hint of mixed spice

DEEP, DARK AND DELICIOUS GINGERBREAD - This is the kind of gingerbread cake that you could imagine the Little Women sitting down to enjoy on cold winter's evening while the fire burns low in the grate, whilst their mother reads to them the latest missive from their pa.  It is moist and dark and full of flavor. This old favorite from my Big Blue Binder is a gingerbread cake that improves and becomes even more delicious with each day that it stands, just like magic.  

Yield: One 9 by 5 inch loaf cake

Author: Marie Rayner

Classic Gingerbread Loaf Cake

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 15 M

Dense, moist, dark and delicious with plenty of zip! This is fabulously easy to make and eat! Destined to become a favorite!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (150g) molasses (can use equal amounts of light and dark treacle mixed to substitute for the molasses)
• 1/2 cup (115g) butter
• 125ml (1/2 cup) whole milk
• 1 1/4 cup (150g) all purpose, plain flour
• 1/2 cup less 1 TBS (90g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 TBS ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp mixed spice (or pumpkin spice) (see notes to make your own)
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 large free range egg

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325*f/160*C. Butter a 9 inch by 5 inch loaf tin really well and line with baking paper, leaving a bit of an overhang for lifting out. Place onto a baking tray for ease of putting into and removing from the oven.
2. Place the molasses and butter into a saucepan and gently heat together, without allowing it to boil, until the butter has melted. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cold milk.
3. Sift the flour into a bowl along with the spices, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Whisk in the sugar.
4. Once the molasses mixture is no longer hot (shouldn't take long because of the milk) whisk in the egg, whisking well together to combine.
5. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet. Whisk well together to combine until the mixture is smooth, lump free and has no dry streaks. Pour into the prepared loaf tin.
6. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 60 minutes until well risen and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. It should also have shrunk a bit from the sides of the pan.
7. Leave to cool completely in the tin before lifting out. Cut into thick slices to serve with or without softened butter to spread over it. Delicious!

Notes

Make Your Own Mixed Spice:

You can easily make your own mixed spice: Combine 1 TBS ground cinnamon, 1 tsp each of ground coriander and nutmeg, 1/2 tsp of ground ginger, 1/4 tsp each of ground cloves and all spice. Mix well and store in an airtight container out of the light for up to 6 months.

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