Gingerbread Loaf

Aromatic Pungent and Spicy

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During Christmas holidays, we baked and ate lots of cakes of different shapes, sizes and flavours. We also baked lots of petits fours. The last of the petits fours are sitting in a lonely corner of the fridge. Nobody seems interested in them anymore. They were the not-so-popular ones. One of my favourite ingredients is ginger. I prefer fresh root ginger but dried, powdered ginger is also okay, although it tends to lose flavour and potency if bought in large quantities and kept on the shelf for a long time. It’s always much better to buy powdered ginger in smaller quantities.

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Today I want to share the recipe for a gingerbread loaf. The main ingredients are powdered ginger, golden syrup (you can substitute with molasses), butter and brown sugar. The cake is very easy to make. More like the Gingerbread muffins I made earlier on in the year. We enjoyed this loaf and we hope you do too.

  • Ingredients 
  • 250g (2 cups, 9oz) flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon mixed spice
  • 125ml (½ cup, 4.2 fl. oz) golden syrup
  • 80g (3oz) brown sugar
  • 125g (½ cup, 1stick + 1 tablespoon) butter
  • 125ml (½ cup, 4.2fl. oz) milk

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Please assemble all ingredients before you start.

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Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line the base and sides of a 8.5 x 4.5 inch (21.6 x 11.4cm) or 8 x 5 inch (20.3 x 12.7 cm) loaf pan with parchment (greaseproof paper). Sift the flour, baking soda (bicarbonate of soda), ginger and mixed spice, set aside.

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Combine the golden syrup, sugar and butter in a saucepan, stir over low heat until the butter is melted (do not boil). Remove from the heat and stir in the warm milk.

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Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl and set aside to cool.

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This is what it looks like after cooling

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Pour the sifted dry ingredients into the cooled mixture

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And stir until combined

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then beat with a en electric mixture on medium speed for 2 minutes or until smooth

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Pour mixture into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. ( I baked the cake for 1hour at 350°F (180°C).)

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Stand for 5 minutes before turning to wire rack to col. Serve with butter.

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Ginger is one of my favourite ingredients, so I enjoyed eating this cake

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I wish you a happy baking!

Gingerbread Loaf

Preparation Time: 30 minutes + cooling time; Baking time: 1 hour; Makes: 10 slices

Ingredients

  • 250g (2 cups, 9oz) flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon mixed spice
  • 125ml (½ cup, 4.2 fl. oz) golden syrup
  • 80g (3oz) brown sugar
  • 125g (½ cup, 1stick + 1 tablespoon) butter
  • 125ml (½ cup, 4.2fl. oz) warm milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 360°F (180°C). Line the base and sides of a 8.5 x 4.5 inch (21.6 x 11.4cm) or 8 x 5 inch (20.3 x 12.7 cm) loaf pan with parchment (greaseproof paper). Sift the flour, baking soda (bicarbonate of soda), ginger and mixed spice, set aside.
  2. Combine golden syrup, sugar and butter in a saucepan, stir over low heat until the butter is melted (do not boil). Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the warm milk then pour into a mixing bowl and set aside to cool.
  3. Stir sifted dry ingredients into the cooled mixture until combined then beat with a en electric mixture on medium speed for 2 minutes or until smooth.
  4. Pour mixture into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Stand for 5 minutes before turning to wire rack to col. Serve with butter.
  5. For cup measures: spoon the flour into the cup, heaping it up over the top, then slide a knife across the top to level off the extra. Be careful not to shake or tap the cup to settle down the flour or you will have more than you need. I use a 237ml American cup.

Points to Note:

  • Please note that oven temperatures are given as a guideline only. You may need to add or reduce the suggested temperature depending on your oven. I baked the cake for 1 hour at 350°F (180°C).
  • Last Updated: November 4, 2018

myfavourtepastime.com 

Author: Liz

I love everything food: eating, cooking, baking and travelling. I also love photography and nature.

71 thoughts

  1. Reblogged this on meticulousmick and commented:
    Made this on Friday and so easy, you have to give it a go. Edited version is put all ingredients that melt into a pot and get them to melt. let cool and mix in the rest. slam in the oven. Done, just enjoy. Now how simple is that?

    Thank you ‘My Favourite Pastime’ for this. Chubby from Cork 😜

    1. I am terribly sorry, I took so long to respond, but I notice you did re-blog it, thanks! I’m glad you made it and you enjoyed it. That’s what really matters. Have a wonderful week.
      Liz

    1. Thanks so much for all the kind words. I love spices too. I got tonnes of spices in my pantry and I always use them. Have a lovely weekend!
      Liz

  2. What more can I add to all the lovely comments? Such an easy sounding recipe. I freeze ginger when I buy it and have one of those hand graters that looks like a long knife. I have not tried to grate frozen (or fresh) into a loaf such as this, but it might be worth an experiment. Sometimes I buy the candied ginger and chop it up and add it to ginger cookies. Baking just seems to mellow out some of the stronger hotter pieces…..if there is any left after munching! I am putting this recipe into my file to try later if you don’t mind….sounds like a winter cake to me! I just don’t have the amenities where I am right now, nor do we like to turn the oven on!!! Barbecue almost everything. By the way, has anyone tried BBQ’ing pineapple? We did and it is simply awesome! Have a fab day Liz! Keep ’em coming, I so look forward to your posts!

    1. Dear Sandy,
      The recipe is easy sounding and open to many substitutions/additions. I like the sound of adding candied ginger. I made some double gingernut cookies with candied and powdered ginger that tasted really nice but the photos were no good so I never posted them. Maybe when I bake them again, i’ll take better photos. Don’t worry about cooking right now. Just enjoy your holiday and eat as much BBQ as you can. Don’t I wish I was in your shoes right now…The pineapples you have there must have an excellent taste since it’s a tropical fruit and we never seem to have very tasty ones here. I shall try Bbquing pineapple during summer this year. I can’t wait for summer. Today it’s gonna be snowing the whole day…how dreary and grey but I’m having fun inside. Just eaten four smoked ham and cheese muffins. I’m stuffed to the hilt!!! Enjoy your weekend, Sandy and best wishes to your family and friends!
      Liz

    1. Hi Rörschåch.
      Thanks for cracking me up, early in the morning. Mmm i have to start selling baked goods, at the door, during summer. What a grand idea. With some lemonade?? have a fantastic weekend!
      Liz

    1. Hi there Cathy,
      I have just been congratulating you and wishing you a happy marriage. I am so happy for you. Stop drooling and whisk out the gluten free flour (LOL). Best wishes to chucky and all the best in everything!!
      Liz

      1. Thanks Liz for your lovely best wishes 😀 its crazy how much we love each other even more since we were engaged for 14-15 years before we tied the knot. I’ve got some lovely banana flour of all things and it really is a lovely product. Great for banana bread and should marry well with the ginger in this recipe 😀

        1. Omg I am so thrilled to hear you love each other even more. I love love stories (don’t all women do and wish their marriages would last forever?).
          I have never cooked with banana flour. I just wonder what it tastes like. I wish you a happy baking. Thanks and take good care of yourselves, Best wishes!
          Liz

        2. Thanks Liz, Jason (Chucky) really is my soul mate. We met when he moved in next door to me and my two girls from a previous marriage. I borrowed a chair off him and the rest was history 🙂 Banana flour does taste a bit like banana cake when cooked so I tend to use it for that purpose mainly but it isn’t too overpowering and should lend a different note of flavour to this bread. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

        3. A great love story. I’m happy that you found your soul mate (some people never do). I am curious about banana flour. Next time I’m out grocery shopping I’ll check the shelves. I hope I’ll find some coz I would love to try it. I wish you a wonderful weekend. Take care!
          Liz

        4. It worked quite well Liz. You’ll probably have more luck at a health food shop for banana flour. It’s low GI too. I think it will make quite lovely crepes as well.

        5. I’m glad to hear it worked well for you. I shall check the health food shop at the mall and keep you posted. Please link me to some recipes. Enjoy your weekend. Liz

  3. Love love love ginger! – I am a newbie blogger and I’ve been lurking around looking for blogs to follow. I love yours – the photography is great! Carrie

    Ps My blog is about flavour pairings so please feel free to visit and share!

    1. Hi Carrie,
      Thanks so much for the kind words and compliments. It’s always nice to know that people notice what you do. I have just been browsing your blog. What an interesting concept. I never thought of recipes from that standpoint. I enjoyed browsing. I hope to see you more often. Have a fantastic weekend!
      Liz

  4. The color of your finished bread is so beautiful! It’s so cold here right now, I’m envisioning what my kitchen would smell like with this bread baking in the oven and then enjoying a slice with a hot cup of tea. That would be a perfect afternoon to me!
    And, just a couple of clarifications…mixed spice (Allspice?) and golden syrup (molasses?). Thank you for sharing your recipe with us!

    1. Dear Allison,
      Thank you for the kind words.
      Mixed spice is a mixture of spices recipe originating from Britain. In the US, Pumpkin Pie Spice mix is a great alternative to mixed spice. See link here below:
      http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/181605/mixed-spice
      GOLDEN SYRUP has a similar color to corn syrup – light gold – but is an entirely different product. Also called “light treacle,” golden syrup is an inverted sugar syrup, made from sugar cane juice that has been concentrated and is about 25% sweeter than sugar. It has a slightly toasty edge to its sweetness that gives it a unique flavor in the world of sweeteners. This is quite unlike corn syrup, which has a flavor so mild as to easily blend in with just about anything, leaving only sweetness behind. Golden syrup can also help to inhibit crystallization of sugar when used in cooking and baking. SEE http://bakingbites.com/2008/09/corn-syrup-vs-golden-syrup/
      I hope that helps and clarifies. Have a lovely weekend!
      Liz

  5. This cake looks so moist! I’ve never made gingerbread loafs or anything gingerbready really, because I read somewhere that you need powdered ginger. Thanks to you that’s not going to stop me anymore! I’m definitely trying this one out.

    1. Hi Ridhika,
      You have such lovely recipes on your blog, I’m sure you can make this at the snap of a finger. I love many of your posts and I know I want to try a number of things from your blog. Have a lovely weekend!
      Liz

    1. Hi there,
      You should serve Mr. N some homemade ginger sauce as a side. That will give him an extra kick. I loved your current photo.
      Liz

  6. I really, really love the color of the bread.
    It’s so homey and romantic (do I make sense at all? L-O-L!)
    It looks like something you can share with your family at tea time or something to bring to a picnic with your lover by the riverside. 😀

    1. Hi Hari,
      Mmm homey and romantic (you make sense). The kind of bread you’d eat with your loved one by your side…or your family (LOL),, but aren’t family loved ones as well? Happy New Year to you. News about your New Year was all over our radio station here today and by then I knew it was the year of the horse. I felt so proud of myself ha ha. Great having you as s friend. I learn a lot of things from you. Enjoy the weekend!
      Liz

    1. Hi Shanna,
      great to see you. I’ve had a long day today with the school having a tournament the whole day. I’m just falling asleep on the chair but it’s great to see you, as aways. Have a good night. Best…Liz

  7. Beautiful loaf, and no eggs which is ALWAYS useful – I sometimes run out and then I really need a recipe like this one. The texture looks perfect, and I love that gingery colour to match the flavour 🙂

    1. Hi Trixie
      Thanks do you know all this time It didn’t even occur to me it was eggless. How hilarious. I just eat without thinking. Thanks and have a lovely weekend!
      Liz

  8. Okay . . . Now I have NO excuse. I finally remembered to buy molasses the other day in preparation for a gingerbread baking session. Now with your beautiful pictures and prose in front of me, I have no excuse. I’m inspired, as usual, by you. I’ll probably use the James Beard recipe that is my mainstay (it has sour cream!), but must get crackin’ on this project before the molasses becomes hard in the bottle! ;->

    1. Hi Dorrie Anne,
      Could you please swing that James Beard recipe my way? It sounds like an old time favourite. I wouldn’t mind trying it as well. I have some molasses in my pantry..waiting, desperately, to be used., expiry date is hoovering around the corner. Thanks. I shall be waiting.
      Liz

        1. I know you’ve wonderful recipes around you. One of these days you should do a guest post. I’ll wait, meanwhile enjoy your breakfast. I’m en train de eating lunch right now. Best wishes!

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