Gingerbread Loaf With Cream Cheese Icing and KitchenAid Giveaway

This Gingerbread Loaf is a spiced ginger loaf topped with cream cheese icing and makes a perfect treat for Christmas entertaining and gift giving.

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love made for me
A Gingerbread Loaf with Cream Cheese Icing
As I’d saved the Roasted Cashew Latte Bark for under the tree
And I’d eaten the Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
And finished all the Gingerbread Biscotti

Today is the day that I’ve been waiting for so I’m really excited to do this giveaway for you guys! Make sure you enter this contest for your chance to win this cool KitchenAid mixer in Empire Red for Christmas! But before we talk about that, I want to talk a bit about this gingerbread loaf, which gave me a hard time until I got it just right. Had to make it 3 times before it turned out perfect. My issue with the first 2 was that the middle kept sinking which did not make for a pretty loaf, tasty but not pretty.

Fooled around with the recipe a bit, turned down the temperature in the oven and finally ended up with a beautiful loaf. The first time my batter was a bit too thick, and I kept opening the oven door, which is a big NO NO and I know that, but in all my excitement, I can’t help myself. The second time, everything looked great, but in the last 5 minutes of baking it sunk like the Titanic.

3rd time was a charm! I reduced the oven temperature, never opened the oven door till the end and added a bit more water and I ended up with a beautiful loaf! However, I wanted something gorgeous for you guys, so I made this incredible cream cheese icing, which I couldn’t stop licking the bowl, then drizzled it with some red and green chocolate.

What a beauty this was, and definitely tasty, so perfect with a cup of coffee! I was so happy it turned out so great, I didn’t even want to cut into it.

If you’re a fan of gingerbread loaves, you’ll love this bread. You could even make this in little mini gingerbread loaf pans and give them away as Christmas gifts. People will love them!

But now, the moment we’ve all been waiting for, the giveaway! First of all, my KitchenAid mixer is one of my most used gadgets in my kitchen, and I have an Empire Red too. I simply love it and couldn’t imagine life without it. I wanted to do this giveaway because I wanted to show my appreciation to all of you guys, that keep coming back over and over again, try my recipes and give me your wonderful comments. Many of you have made me laugh, many of you have made me cry with your amazing words and this is just how I want to show you guys that I love you and want to give at least one of you a really cool Christmas with a new KitchenAid mixer! This isn’t sponsored by KitchenAid or anyone, it’s just from me to you and I hope you all enter to win. Secretly I wish you could all win, but there can only be one winner, so good luck to all of you!

The mixer is a KitchenAid KSM95ER Ultra Power Stand Mixer, Empire Red, valued at around $450 and simply gorgeous.

To enter the contest, please follow us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, your choice, and leave a comment below answering this question: What is your favorite Christmas tradition?

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED! 

Congratulations Diane M.!

4.74 from 122 votes

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Gingerbread Loaf With Cream Cheese Icing

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

50 mins

Total Time

1 hrs 5 mins

 

This Gingerbread Loaf is a spiced ginger loaf topped with cream cheese icing and makes a perfect treat for Christmas entertaining and gift giving.

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: 10

Calories: 437 kcal

Author: Joanna Cismaru

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1/3 cup dark brown sugar packed
• 1 egg at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup dark molasses
• 3/4 cup hot water from tap

For Cream Cheese Icing

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 4 oz cream cheese
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
• 2 oz red Candy Melts
• 2 oz green Candy Melts

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 325 F degrees. Coat a 9x5-inch loaf pan with cooking or baking spray. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of your mixer, add the butter and brown sugar, and beat on high speed using your paddle attachment, for about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat together for another 30 seconds or until well blended, scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
4. Meanwhile in another smaller bowl whisk together the molasses with the hot water.
5. Add a third of the flour mixture and beat on low until well incorporated, then 1/3 of the molasses/water and continue beating. Repeat this a couple more times, alternating between flour and molasses mixture. Please note that the batter will be quite thin.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for about 50 minutes or until baked through. To test if the loaf is baked through, insert a toothpick in the center of the loaf, and if it comes out clean, it is done.
7. Allow the bread to cool until it comes to room temperature in the pan, before removing it from the pan.
8. To make the icing, add the powdered sugar, cream cheese, vanilla extract and lemon juice to the bowl of your mixer and beat on high using the whisk attachment until smooth. Spread the icing over the loaf, the icing should be quite thick, so it should be easy to spread.
9. Melt the the red and green candy melts, if using, in the microwave. I usually microwave them for 1 min, stir then microwave for another 30 seconds and they should be melted. Drizzle the chocolate using a teaspoon over the gingerbread loaf.
10. Cut into slices and serve.

Recipe Notes

All ovens are different, so the baking time could vary quite a bit. Do not open the oven door while the bread is baking, this could cause the middle of the loaf to sink.

Store the gingerbread loaf in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap, in the fridge for 5 to 7 days.

Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.