There’s no such thing a too much cake! This gingerbread loaf with frosting is not an exception. The spices in the dough and how moist it is makes it the perfect center piece of your christmas table. I also added a frosting on top made with cream cheese that makes an amazing combination.
This gingerbread loaf with frosting is based on my Christmas Bundt Cake with walnuts and raisins recipe. That one is double the recipe and is made in a 25cm diameter bundt pan. This, on the other hand, is made in a rectangular pan of 22x11cm / 8x4in. The idea is to make a smaller cake for smaller families or even for selling. I also got a few requests to make it with frosting so here you go :). This time I only added nuts (I used pecans) and no raisins, but you could also do half and half.
The frosting on this gingerbread loaf is the same as in my apple and carrot loaf, which is also an absolute hit, one of my favourites! On top of the frosting I added chopped pecans and golden and silver sprinkles for an extra christmasy touch, Finally, I added upside-down rosemary sprigs that look like pine trees and a bit of icing sugar for that snowy effect :). I love how it looks.
Someone told me a few days ago that the amount of spices in this recipe (particularly the ground ginger) is a bit scary. Trust me when I say that the final reesult is DELICIOUS, spices are what give it that strong Christmas taste we love. This gingerbread loaf is amazing with a cup of hot chocolate or a nice cup of coffee in the morning :).
Ingredients
- 120 g unsalted butter at room temperature
- Zest from 1 orange
- 170 g brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 30 g vegetable oil
- ½ tsp vanilla extract or essence
- 2 tbsp honey
- 120 g milk
- 2½ tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp salt
- 210 g all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 100 g pecans toasted and chopped
For the frosting
- 100 g cream cheese
- 4½ tbsp icing sugar
- 1½ tbsp whipping cream
Instructions
- Whisk the butter, sugar and zest until you get a nice and fluffy mix.
- Add the eggs and whisk together
- Add the vanilla essence, vegetable oil, milk and honey and whisk together.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix using a spatula.
- Finish by mixing in the pecans.
- Butter and flour your 22x11cm / 9x4in pan and put the mix inside.
- Bake at the centre of a pre-heated oven at 180°C/350°F for 1hour or until you put a knife or skewer down the center and it comes out clean. Check at 45min and if it's too golden on top, cover with tin foil.
- Unmould and let it cool down to room temperature before spreading the frosting on top.
For the frosting
- Mix everything in a bowl until it comes together. Spread on the loaf.
- I also sprinkled on top extra chopped pecans, a few gold and silver sprinkles and placed rosemary pine trees.