Starbuck’s Gingerbread Loaf
This Copycat Starbucks Gingerbread Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting tastes even better at home! Moist, delicious with a thick, creamy frosting!
A HOMEMADE SWEET CAKE WITH CREAM CHESE FROSTING
Apparently I am all about them copycat Starbucks loaf recipes lately. I shared a recipe recently for the Starbuck’s Lemon Loaf and 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 😉
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 something else. After testing out applesauce and apple butter, it turns out apple butter adds that additional moistness without adding a bunch of oil. You can certainly use applesauce but we all preferred the apple butter version. 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.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- unsalted butter
- sugar
- vanilla extract
- egg
- apple butter
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- salt
- ground ginger
- ground cinnamon
- ground cloves
- nutmeg
- chopped walnuts
- cream cheese
- powdered sugar
HOW TO MAKE STARBUCK’S GINGERBREAD LOAF:
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9×5-inch 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 apple butter.
Slowly add the flour, baking soda, salt 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. 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.
Spread a thick layer of the frosting over the gingerbread cake. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Then dig in!
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Originally published: March 2017
Updated & republished: December 2021
Starbuck’s Gingerbread Loaf (+Video)
Ingredients
For the loaf:
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup apple butter
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
For the frosting:
- 4 ounces cream cheese (1/2 block), room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ – 2 cups powdered sugar
- chopped walnuts, for topping (optional)
Instructions
For the loaf:
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9×5-inch 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 apple butter.
- Slowly add the flour, baking soda, salt 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 (optional). Then slice and serve!
Video
Notes
- If you only have salted butter, just leave out the additional salt in the recipe.
- You can substitute applesauce for the apple butter in the recipe but I think you lose some of the moistness in the bread.
- Oil can be substititued for the butter.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
This was so moist and flavorful. Sometimes Gingerbread can be too spicy if you know what I mean but this was just right. I had been gifted some apple butter and we don’t eat it that much so this ended up being the perfect recipe for it – thank you!