Gingerbread Loaf

Soooo I’ve been a little MIA this week – whoops! Thanksgiving festivities and baby blessing preparation madness took over about one hundred and three percent of my brain the past few days. Plus: turkey coma. Am I right??

Just like that Thanksgiving came and went and now it’s Christmastown. I luuuuuv me some Christmas everything. Now that turkey day is over, I’m on board with the lights and the tunes and the SMELLS of Christmas. I basically want my house to smell of cinnamon and gingerbread from now until January one.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Ingredients

•     2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
•     1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
•     1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
•     1 teaspoon baking soda
•     1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
•     3/4 cup (180ml) unsulphured or dark molasses
•     1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
•     1/4 teaspoon salt
•     1/3 cup (67g) packed light or dark brown sugar
•     1/2 cup (115g; 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
•     3/4 cup (180ml) hot water (about 100°F (38°C))
•     1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
•     1 large egg, at room temperature

Orange Icing

•     2–3 Tablespoons (30-45ml) orange juice
•     1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Instructions

1. Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, salt and pepper together until combined. Set aside. In a separate bowl or dish, whisk the molasses and hot water together.
3. In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy – about 1 minute. Add the brown sugar and beat on high speed for 1 minute until creamed together fairly well. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. On medium-high speed, beat in the egg and vanilla extract until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the hot water/molasses and mixing each addition just until incorporated. Avoid overmixing. Batter will be thin. Whisk out any big lumps.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for around 50-60 minutes or until the gingerbread loaf is baked through. All ovens are different and your loaf could take a little more or less time. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the gingerbread loaf. If it comes out clean with only a couple moist (not wet) crumbs, it is done. Allow to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack before removing from pan.
5. Make the icing: Whisk the confectioners’ sugar and orange juice together. Drizzle over cooled loaf.
6. Leftover loaf keeps well covered tightly in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The flavor gets even better after a day or two!