These mini gingerbread loaves transform classic cream cheese-frosted gingerbread into an adorable smaller version perfect for any holiday occasion. The gingerbread is moist and tender, and the rich, creamy cream cheese molasses frosting on top enhances the flavor even more. It’s just so good!
Gingerbread is a classic holiday flavor, and I love to make all kinds of recipes with it. For years, I’ve made my signature gingerbread cake with cinnamon molasses frosting, so this year, I wanted to try something different. I decided to take the sensibilities of my cake and transform it into little mini gingerbread loaves. Then, I tweaked the frosting just a bit, and voila. I had a delicious twist on a classic holiday treat.
Why You’ll Love These Gingerbread Mini Loaves
- Basic Ingredients: This recipe uses basic baking ingredients, so you don’t have to hunt down specialty items.
- Easy to Make: Both the bread and the frosting are simple recipes that even beginners can make.
- Moist and Tender: The cake is moist and tender with a wonderful crumb.
- Classic Flavor: The gingerbread and the molasses cream cheese frosting combine to create a sweet treat overflowing with holiday flavor.
Ingredients
For the Gingerbread
- Spices: Ginger, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice create the classic gingerbread flavor profile we love during the holidays.
- Molasses: Molasses adds extra sweetness and is a key flavor in any gingerbread recipe.
- Cold Butter: Cold butter helps give the loaves their wonderful texture.
- Corn Syrup: Corn syrup adds sweetness and tenderness to the gingerbread loaves.
- Milk: Milk adds moisture and fat, creating the perfect gingerbread texture.
For the Frosting
- Cream Cheese and Butter: Cream cheese and butter make the rich, creamy base for the molasses frosting.
- Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar adds classic sweetness and body to the frosting.
- Molasses and Cinnamon: Molasses and cinnamon create a delicious complement to the gingerbread cake.
See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for a full list of ingredients and their exact measurements.
Flavor Variations
- Buttercream: For a sweeter version, make a maple buttercream frosting instead of cream cheese frosting.
- Nuts: Try folding chopped walnuts or pecans into the gingerbread for more flavor and texture.
- Chocolate Chips: Chocolate chips add more flavor and sweetness to the gingerbread.
- Gluten-Free: Easily make this a gluten-free treat by using 1:1 gluten-free flour in place of all-purpose flour.
- Cake Flour: Cake flour makes a super-tender gingerbread variation.
How to Make This Mini Gingerbread Loaf Recipe
For the Gingerbread
1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray an 8-count mini loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2: Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and set aside.
3: Heat the milk and brown sugar in a small saucepan until the sugar is melted and the mixture is lukewarm. Do the same with the molasses and corn syrup in another small saucepan.
4: Set the pans aside to cool a bit while you cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until it resembles fine crumbs.
5: When the liquid mixtures have cooled to lukewarm, mix the milk mixture into the flour mixture, followed by the molasses mixture. Then, add the egg and whisk until combined.
6: Add the batter to the mini loaf pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
7: Let the loaves cool completely in the pan before removing them.
For the Frosting
1: Beat the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl until creamy. Then, add the vanilla and cinnamon and mix well.
2: Slowly add the powdered sugar to the mixture, beating until creamy.
3: Mix the molasses into the frosting and blend well. Then, chill the frosting in the refrigerator.
4: Frost the cooled mini loaves with the chilled frosting, sprinkle with festive sprinkles, and serve.
Hint
It’s important to chill the cream cheese frosting so it’s super rich and thick when you frost the mini loaves.
Storage
Refrigerate these mini gingerbread loaves in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
What to Serve with Mini Gingerbread Loaf Cakes
These mini gingerbread loaves have a classic flavor profile that makes them the perfect fall or holiday breakfast, brunch, snack, or dessert.
Try serving them alongside hearty fall main courses like crock pot chili, cowboy stew, or crock pot chicken and dumplings.
Tips
- Cold butter is key to the texture of these gingerbread loaves, so cube the butter before beginning the recipe and then let it chill until just before you cut it into the flour.
- Be sure to let the molasses and milk mixtures cool to lukewarm. You don’t want the mixture hot, or it will throw off the texture of the gingerbread.
- Be sure to fully soften your butter and cream cheese for the frosting for the richest, creamiest texture.
- Mix the batter until it’s well combined, but don’t overdo it. You want everything fully combined but not overmixed to the point of absolute smoothness. That will make the gingerbread tough.
Frequently Asked Questions
Gingerbread isn’t just bread or cookies. It’s an umbrella term that encompasses any baked good flavored with ginger, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and molasses. It can be found in bread, cookies, cake, and other baked goods.
To ensure your cream cheese frosting is nice and creamy, use equal parts butter and cream cheese, and be sure that both are fully softened for easy whipping.
It’s very common for gingerbread of any kind to be dark. Whether bread, cake, or cookies, gingerbread is usually dark because it’s made with brown sugar and molasses, both of which cause baked goods to get very dark.
Try These Mini Gingerbread Loaves Today
These mini gingerbread loaves are as delicious and cute as they sound. Smaller versions of full size gingerbread topped with rich, sweet cream cheese molasses frosting are perfect for fall and holiday desserts, afternoon snacks, or as part of a larger dessert spread at any party. They’re absolutely delicious, and they’re so much easier to make than you might think. Give them a try, and I know you’ll fall in love with them!
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Mini Gingerbread Loaves
Ingredients
Mini Gingerbread Loaves
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ cup butter cold, cut into small pieces
- ½ cup molasses
- ½ cup corn syrup
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 9 ounce milk, yes, 9 oz
- 1 large egg
Molasses Frosting
- 4 ounce cream cheese
- ¼ cup butter softened
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- Optional: festive candy sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° and spray an 8-count mini loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Mini Gingerbread Loaves
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice together. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, heat milk and brown sugar together just until sugar is melted and is lukewarm.
- With another small saucepan, heat molasses and corn syrup until lukewarm as well.
- While both pans are cooling down a bit, cut cold butter into small pieces, add to the flour mixture, and use a pastry blender until the mixture resembles fine crumbles.
- Once both pans have cooled to lukewarm, add milk mixture to flour mixture, stir until blended then add molasses mixture. Stir.
- Add egg and whisk until well Incorporated.
- Pour into the prepared mini loaf pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool completely in the pan.
- Once cooled, remove from the pan.
Molasses Frosting
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter together until creamy.
- Add vanilla and cinnamon, mix well.
- Slowly add powdered sugar and beat until creamy.
- Mix molasses into mixture and blend well.
- Refrigerate frosting until chilled then frost the mini loaves when cooled completely.
- Sprinkle with festive sprinkles and enjoy!
Notes
- Cold butter is key to the texture of these gingerbread loaves, so cube the butter before beginning the recipe and then let it chill until just before you cut it into the flour.
- Be sure to let the molasses and milk mixtures cool to lukewarm. You don’t want the mixture hot, or it will throw off the texture of the gingerbread.
- Be sure to fully soften your butter and cream cheese for the frosting for the richest, creamiest texture.
- Mix the batter until it’s well combined, but don’t overdo it. You want everything fully combined but not overmixed to the point of absolute smoothness. That will make the gingerbread tough.
Nutrition
