A high altitude recipe for moist and spicy gingerbread loaf cake, with sweet eggnog icing, sparkling sugar and gingerbread sprinkles. This is an easy loaf cake recipe with plenty of warm and cozy gingerbread spices, which is so nicely complemented by the sweet frosting. You’ll love this delicious cake for the holiday season!
You might also love these high altitude recipes for gingerbread whoopie pies, gingerbread layer cake with mascarpone buttercream, and soft and chewy gingerbread cookies.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet, so high altitude bakers can be sure of consistent and reliable results when baking in the mountains.
Cozy Christmas Flavors. A delicious blend of warm spices, molasses and brown sugar makes this cake cozy and flavorful, but not too sweet on its own. The eggnog frosting is sweet, so it’s a a really nice balance for the spicy gingerbread loaf cake.
No Mixer Needed. You don’t need a mixer to make the cake or the icing, just a bowl and whisk.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
Cake
- Flour. All purpose flour gives the loaf cake structure and strength.
- Baking Powder. Leavening agent, so the cake rises as it bakes.
- Salt. Balances the sweetness.
- Spices. A blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and espresso powder adds plenty of spice, warmth and flavor.
- Milk. I use whole milk, which adds fat for a tender, flavorful cake.
- Apple Cider Vinegar. The acidity in the vinegar tenderizes the cake crumb. You could also use buttermilk to replace the whole milk/apple cider vinegar combination.
- Dark Brown Sugar. Sweetness and moisture.
- Molasses. If you can find it, use dark molasses or blackstrap molasses for a deeper gingerbread flavor. Light molasses will work just fine, too, though.
- Eggs. Gives the cake structure.
- Butter + Oil. A combination of butter and vegetable oil keeps this gingerbread loaf cake flavorful and moist.
- Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
Icing
- Powdered Sugar. Sweetens and thickens the icing.
- Vanilla. Use a good quality vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste for the best flavor in your icing.
- Nutmeg. Enhances the flavor of the eggnog.
- Eggnog. Thins the icing to a thick, drizzly consistency.
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line a standard sized loaf pan with a piece of parchment paper, so that it hangs over two sides of the pan (this parchment paper “sling” makes it easy to lift the cake out of the pan after baking).
- In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and spices, then whisk until evenly distributed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, molasses, eggs, melted butter, oil and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and whisk just until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 45-50 minutes, until a cake tester or sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Set the pan on a cooling rack, and let cool for 15 minutes. Lift the cake out of the pan by the parchment paper, and let cool until warm.
Icing
- In a bowl, stir together the powdered sugar, vanilla, nutmeg and eggnog until smooth.
- Pour the icing over the top of the cake, letting it drip over the sides.
- Before the icing sets and crusts over, sprinkle the top of the cake with coarse sparkling sugar, ground nutmeg and mini gingerbread people sprinkles.
- Let the cake finish cooling until the icing sets before you slice the cake.
Icing Variations
- Vanilla Icing. For vanilla icing, omit the eggnog and nutmeg, and add 2 1/2 tbsp whole milk.
- Lemon Icing. Lemon is fantastic with spicy gingerbread. For a sweet but tart lemon icing, omit the eggnog, nutmeg and vanilla, and add 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice to the powdered sugar. Decorate the top of the cake with freshly grated lemon zest.
- Maple Icing. For maple icing, make the vanilla icing and add 1/2 – 1 tsp maple extract.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
Where did you get the sprinkles?
I found those adorable gingerbread people sprinkles in a Christmas sprinkle mix at my local grocery store. You can buy similar sprinkles on Amazon.
Can I make your recipes if I don’t live at high altitude?
Please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for various altitudes.
How should I store this gingerbread loaf cake?
Store the leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
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High Altitude Gingerbread Loaf Cake with Eggnog Icing
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Standard-Sized Loaf Pan
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- 1 ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- 1 tbsp instant espresso powder or instant coffee
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- ¾ cup + 2 tbsp dark brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2 tbsp dark molasses
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
Icing
- 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 4 ½ tbsp eggnog
- coarse sparkling sugar, ground nutmeg, and mini gingerbread people sprinkles, for decorating
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line a standard sized loaf pan with a piece of parchment paper, so that it hangs over two sides of the pan (this parchment paper "sling" makes it easy to lift the cake out of the pan after baking).
- In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and spices, then whisk until evenly distributed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, molasses, eggs, melted butter, oil and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and whisk just until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 45-50 minutes, until a cake tester or sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Set the pan on a cooling rack, and let cool for 15 minutes. Lift the cake out of the pan by the parchment paper, and let cool until warm.
Icing
- In a bowl, stir together the powdered sugar, vanilla, nutmeg and eggnog until smooth.
- Pour the icing over the top of the cake, letting it drip over the sides.
- Before the icing sets and crusts over, sprinkle the top of the cake with coarse sparkling sugar, ground nutmeg and mini gingerbread people sprinkles.
- Let the cake finish cooling until the icing sets before you slice the cake.
I LOVED this ginger cake! The spice combination was wonderfully punchy and the molasses quantity is just right. The eggnog icing is delicious and my favorite topping for the cake. I have also made it with cream cheese icing when I didn’t have eggnog and that combination works well too. Thanks for another great recipe Heather!
The flavors of this cake are exceptional. The addition of espresso is brilliant! This is a refined version of a simple loaf cake that’s a perfect recipe for any occasion.
Can’t wait to try this. I have an adorable Christmas tree loaf / cake pan I’m making it in for a bake sale, but will bake the leftover batter into muffins so we can taste them. I expect this will be our Christmas morning breakfast tree cake.
I’m not sure if I make this cake in my tree pan, that the thinner drizzly icing will work well; so I think I’ve settled on your eggnog buttercream from the cardamom eggnog cake. My plan is to basically crumb-coat it (naked cake-esque), then pipe droopy garlands across the tree in four places with a few Christmas sprinkles. I’m hoping this cake and that icing is also a good combination for this purpose. (I’ll try it in a loaf pan with this icing another time!)