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COPYCAT STARBUCK’S GINGERBREAD LOAF

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5 from 14 votes

STARBUCK’S GINGERBREAD LOAF WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Apparently I am all about them copycat Starbucks loaf recipes lately. I shared a recipe recently for the STARBUCK’S LEMON LOAFand I promised I would share the recipe for their gingerbread loaf. This one took a little longer to get on the blog than I initially had planned on. The truth is, I wasn’t real crazy with my first attempt. It wasn’t as moist as I had wanted. And I made WAY too much frosting for one loaf – not that I’m complaining 😉Homemade Starbuck's Gingerbread Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting, sliced

VIDEO INCLUDED BELOW:

A GREAT USE FOR APPLE BUTTER

After realizing it needed something to help make it more tender, I went back to the drawing board. It turns out that it really needed some applesauce. Actually, apple butter would be amazing if you have that on hand. It added that additional moistness without adding a bunch of oil. And I scaled back on the frosting just a bit so you don’t have a ton leftover. Again, not a problem from my perspective. 🙂 Side note: if you have fresh nutmeg – use it here. Freshly grated nutmeg has the best flavor but the pre-grated nutmeg will do the job in this.Starbuck's Gingerbread Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting recipe from The Country Cook

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
for the loaf:
salted butter
sugar
vanilla extract
egg
apple butter (or applesauce)
all-purpose flour
baking soda
ground ginger
ground cinnamon
ground cloves
nutmeg
chopped walnuts

for the frosting:
cream cheese
vanilla extract
powdered sugar

all purpose flour, apple butter (applesauce), sugar, butter, cream cheese, nutmeg, cinnamon, powdered sugar, ginger, cloves, egg
HOW TO MAKE STARBUCK’S GINGERBEEAD LOAF:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9×5 loaf pan lightly with nonstick cooking spray (the kind with flour in it – like Baker’s Joy.) Using a stand mixer or an electric mixer, cream together the butter and the sugar until fluffy.butter and sugar mixed together with an electric mixer

Beat in the vanilla and the egg. Blend in the apple butter (or applesauce.)vanilla extract, apple butter, egg added to sugar and butter in a bowl

Slowly add the flour, baking soda, and spices (ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.)flour, spices added to gingerbread loaf batter

When everything is mixed, pour the batter into your loaf pan. Bake for about 55 minutes until it is risen and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely on a rack before frosting. To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese with the vanilla and then add 1 1/2 cups of the powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy. Add a little more sugar if it’s not as thick as you like. Copycat Starbuck's Gingerbread Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and topped with chopped walnuts

Spread a thick layer of the frosting over the gingerbread cake. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Then dig in!Starbuck's Gingerbread Loaf Cake, slices

Enjoy!

Starbuck's Gingerbread Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting recipe

STARBUCK'S GINGERBREAD LOAF WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Copycat Starbucks Gingerbread Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting tastes even better at home! Moist and delicious and cheaper to make from scratch!
5 from 14 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Starbuck's Gingerbread Loaf
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 359kcal
Author: Brandie @ The Country Cook

Ingredients

For the loaf:

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup applesauce, or apple butter
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • chopped walnuts, for topping (optional)

For the frosting:

  • 4 oz cream cheese (1/2 block), room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 - 2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

For the loaf:

  • Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9x5 loaf pan lightly with nonstick cooking spray (the kind with flour in it - like Baker's Joy.)
  • Using a stand mixer or an electric mixer, cream together the butter and the sugar until fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and the egg. Blend in the applesauce.
  • Slowly add the flour, baking soda and spices (ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.) When everything is mixed, pour the batter into your loaf pan.
  • Bake for about 55 minutes until it is risen and a toothpick comes out clean.
  • Let cool completely on a rack before frosting.

For the frosting:

  • Beat the cream cheese with the vanilla and then add 1 1/2 cups of the powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy. Add a little more sugar if it's not as thick as you like.
  • Spread a thick layer of the frosting over the gingerbread cake. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Then dig in!

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 359kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 314mg | Potassium: 80mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 11.7% | Vitamin C: 0.4% | Calcium: 3.2% | Iron: 8.2%
Did you make this recipe?Share it on Instagram @thecountrycook and mention us #thecountrycook!

WANT MORE RECIPES LIKE THIS? TRY THESE!
COPYCAT STARBUCK’S LEMON LOAF!
BAKED GINGERBREAD DOUGHNUTS
STARBUCK’S CRANBERRY LOAF

 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Marsha says

    October 31, 2016 at 4:09 pm


    Looks SO scrumptious! I am in love with fresh grated nutmeg too. Thanks for sharing! I am especially fond of quick breads..and this one is very unique.

    Reply

    • Brandie says

      November 1, 2016 at 8:08 am

      Hope you love it Kelly! I feel like every time I am actually at Starbucks – they have already sold out! Ha! So now we can make it at home!

      Reply

      • Kathy says

        November 19, 2016 at 1:39 am

        You can buy Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour with the xanthum gum already in it, in a large bag for around $8 at SAMs Club. I use it 1:1 like regular flour.

    • G says

      December 24, 2018 at 2:32 pm


      Just made this gluten-free with Bob’s 1:1 baking flour and it was beyond amazing!! Had it today for Christmas eve breakfast and have slices ready for tomorrow. Was worried as I’m new to a gluten-free diet and usually everything tastes like cardboard, but this bread is plenty moist and delicious with that substitution. Thank you for this amazing recipe which is sure to become part of our holiday tradition!!

      Reply

  6. Betty Arnal says

    November 28, 2016 at 3:04 pm

    Hi there!

    Would love to add this to my Christmas baking treats! Do you think it could be frozen with the icing on?
    Thanks!

    Reply

  11. Roxie says

    January 18, 2017 at 6:28 pm

    I would add a couple of Tablespoons of oil and replace some of the applesauce with buttermilk powder, yum. It will be very moist.

    Reply

  12. GG says

    November 9, 2017 at 3:45 pm


    If you really want it to be like the Starbucks Gingerbread loaf, add chopped, candied orange peel to the top of the cream cheese frosting instead of nuts. This recipe looks delicious.

    Reply

  13. Lahela says

    December 13, 2017 at 2:48 am


    Honestly this is WAY better than starbucks. I added a splash of milk to the icing and didnt add any nuts to the top. This was fabulous. Will be making this again very soon.

    Reply

  14. LeeAnne Brown says

    December 18, 2017 at 7:22 pm


    Oh My Goodness – this is truly the BEST Gingerbread I EVER tasted!!! I did make a small adjustment – I was making a double batch – I added 3/4 cup (because that was all I had) and reduced the applesauce to equal the 2 cups requested for a double batch!

    Thanks for an awesome recipe! I made it to give away as small loaves and am trying to remind myself that I “can always make more!” so that I won’t keep it all at home!

    Reply

  16. Tasha says

    October 15, 2018 at 8:09 am

    Do you think this can be made in a bread machine? I’m new to bread machine and would like to try this recipe in it, does anyone know in what order the ingredients would go in?

    Reply

  17. Nancy Skipper says

    October 25, 2018 at 2:24 pm


    I’m making this recipe at this very moment & I had to come back to check the recipe because I thought there had to be a mistake as there is no liquid anything except the applebutter (I just happened to have one last pint from the previous batch I canned! YuM!!). When I watched the video – which I did not do before – I see your batter is very thick also! I can’t wait to try this! Thanks so much for sharing your recipes.

    Reply

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