Starbucks Copycat Gingerbread Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting
This moist gingerbread loaf is everything you love about Starbucks—rich molasses flavor, warm spices, and crowned with decadent cream cheese frosting. Perfect for holiday gifting or coffee nights!
Servings 8
Ingredients
For the loaf:
- ½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup apple butter
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp nutmeg
For the frosting:
- 4 ounces cream cheese 1/2 block, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ – 2 cups powdered sugar
- chopped walnuts for topping (optional)
Instructions
For the loaf:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray that has flour in it, like Baker's Joy.
- Using a stand mixer or an electric mixer, mix together the butter and sugar until it becomes fluffy. Add the vanilla and egg, then mix in the apple butter.
- Gradually add the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices (ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg). Once everything is mixed, pour the batter into your loaf pan.
- Bake for about 55 minutes until the loaf has risen, and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Let it cool completely on a rack before adding frosting.
For the frosting:
- Whisk the cream cheese with the vanilla, and then mix in 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar until the mixture is smooth and creamy. If it's not thick enough, you can add a bit more sugar.
- Spread a generous layer of the frosting over the gingerbread cake. Optionally, sprinkle chopped walnuts on top. Now, you can slice it and serve it!