Spiced Gingerbread Loaf with Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

Spiced Gingerbread Loaf with Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting is one of those desserts that brings me back to my childhood.  

Throughout the years, my mom would make a boxed gingerbread cake and served with warm lemon pudding on top.  I remember how much we loved it. 

It was just so cozy with the lovely spices and the tangy lemon pudding.  Simple, yet memorable for sure! 

Simple and yummy is good right?  

Gingerbread cookies are a Christmas tradition, yet I wanted to make a bread, but this is more like a cake than a bread and in keeping with the Christmas tradition, keep the same flavors but give it a modern twist.  

Creamy, dreamy tangy lemon cream cheese buttercream frosting on top of this spiced old-fashioned gingerbread loaf will get your tastebuds dancing.  Oh My Gosh! 

This recipe is adapted from Starbuck’s Gingerbread Loaf, so you know it’s going to be fantastic, (which it is, duh!) and by making it, it costs a lot less too!

It’s so moist.  The way it should be.  

Apple butter is the secret to making this moist.  A friend of mine at work made some home-made apple butter and luckily I received some and it’s sooo good. 

In this recipe, applesauce can be substituted, but I really like the apple butter to change it up and give it a depth of flavor.  

Affiliate links are used for products that were used to make this recipe that you can buy at Amazon, with no additional cost to you. Take a look-see!

Speaking of depth of flavors, besides the apple butter and gingerbread spices of ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, I added in some molasses.  You can leave it out, but I recommend using it, along with coffee extract. I’m addicted! 

I used coffee extract in these Butter Pecan Turtle Cookies and Hearty Pumpkin Chai Spiced Oatmeal Cookies (Chocolate Chips & Cranberries included too.  You really should try it! 

I wish I would have had some lemon curd on hand, because I think it would look super, pretty adding some drizzles of it on top of the lemon cream cheese frosting.  Next time!! 

Spiced Gingerbread Loaf with Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting is a wonderful addition to the holiday baking fun and if you aren’t a lemon fan, leave the lemon out.  If you don’t want cream cheese, leave it out.  It will still be amaze-balls!  

Print Recipe

0 from 0 votes

Gingerbread Loaf with Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

Author: Kim Lange

Ingredients

Gingerbread Loaf

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp coffee extract or vanilla extract
• 1 large egg room temperature
• 1 cup apple butter
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons molasses
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg freshly grated or ground

Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

• 1/2 stick butter softened
• 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cups confectioner's sugar
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

• Set oven to 350F
• Line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper leaving ends long so you can lift it out when cooled. Spray non-stick spray over parchment paper/pan.

Gingerbread Loaf

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices and set aside
• Cream the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and coffee or vanilla extract.
• Mix in the applesauce and molasses.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients slowly until just incorporated.
• Add into loaf pan and level.
• Bake for about 55 minutes, or until it is risen and a toothpick comes out clean. Check it early to make sure you don't overbake.
• Let cool completely on a rack before frosting.

Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

• Beat the cream cheese and softened butter together until smooth, then add the lemon juice
• Gradually add powdered sugar and beat until well blended.
• Frost the gingerbread loaf.