Cranberry Gingerbread Loaf

Cranberry Gingerbread Loaf is prepared with all of the gingerbread ingredients you’d expect, like molasses, brown sugar, and lots of warming ground spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and ginger which pair quite nicely with the moist tartness of fresh cranberries!

In our home, there are a few confections that show up every Christmas. It just isn’t a Lord Byron Christmas without copious amounts of gingerbread in all forms and shapes. This year, I’m adding this Cranberry Gingerbread Loaf to the mix. All of the gingerbread ingredients you’d expect, like molasses and brown sugar are present, but with the addition of warming ground spices and fresh cranberries!

I think we start eating gingerbread-flavoured baked goods in late September. And, it really does continue until well into January.  (That’s because I’ve baked so much, that our freezer is probably still running over with it until mid-January!)

Gingerbread is most commonly eaten at Christmastime. Why is that? Why do we only eat the most delicious things once a year? It’s like those of us who save our best china for when company comes to visit? Why does company deserve better than your own family? I say that life is too short to not use the fine china every day if you have it. And, just like the fancy dishes, apply the same logic to eating this loaf too!

WELCOME TO A LORD BYRON CHRISTMAS!

I’m going to tell you all about this recipe and how you can make it in your home this holiday season, but first, I want to tell you about what you can expect from Lord Byron’s Kitchen this Christmas. I know we’re getting closer to the big day, so it’s time to get to the holiday-themed recipes! Over the past decade, I have built a reputation for sharing series-type recipes. The most popular would be my annual 24 Cookies of Christmas, which was fashioned after an advent calendar. But, I have others that are only 12 days, which were fashioned after the 12 Days of Christmas.

This particular recipe is a part of my second holiday series for this year. So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 12 Holiday Cranberry Recipes Series. Just like every other series that I’ve shared over the years, this one will also see a new recipe shared each day for the next 12 days – even on Saturday and Sunday! You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to prepare the same holiday recipes year after year?

SUBSCRIBE NOW AND NEVER MISS ANOTHER RECIPE!

Traditionally, every year I share a series of recipes that you might already be familiar with. For example, I’ve previously shared 12 Holiday Trifles, 12 Holiday Bars & Squares, and even these 12 Edible Holiday Wreath recipes! Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! And, just in case you’re curious, you can see previous annual posts for my 24 Cookies of Christmas Series here!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Butter – Make sure your butter is at room temperature!
• Brown Sugar
• Eggs – Make sure the eggs are at room temperature.
• Molasses – When baking, the best molasses is fancy molasses.  Stay away from dark or blackstrap molasses unless instructed otherwise.  Fancy molasses is light molasses. 
• Flour – No need for anything special. Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
• Spices – You will need ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg.
• Baking Soda
• Salt
• Water
• Fresh Cranberries
• Confectioner’s Sugar
• Milk

CRANBERRY GINGERBREAD LOAF

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. Sift together the flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and incorporate into the mixture. Add the molasses and incorporate into the mixture. Set aside the batter. Add the baking soda to the boiling water and stir to dissolve. Beat 1/2 of the sifted flour mixture into the batter until just combined. Next, beat in 1/2 cup of the boiling water and baking soda mixture. Lastly, beat in the remaining flour mixture. Add the cranberries and fold them in with a sturdy spatula.

Transfer the batter to the loaf pan. Tap the pan firmly on your countertop. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool for 30 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.

Once the loaf is cool, whisk together the confectioner’s sugar and milk until smooth. Use spoon to transfer the glaze to the top of the loaf, allowing the glaze to cascade down the sides. Once the glaze is set, the loaf is ready to slice and serve. Enjoy!

THE ORIGINS OF GINGERBREAD

The history of gingerbread is quite the story, and quite lengthy too.  I love to learn about where food comes from and why we make food items the way we do. Gingerbread is no exception.  The origins of gingerbread can be traced back to the year 992. It was created by an Armenian monk.  He was responsible for teaching the French how to bake gingerbread.

In the 13^th century, the Germans brought gingerbread to Sweden. Swedish nuns adopted gingerbread; they believed it to be medicinal and would help with issues like indigestion.  They were responsible for the decoration of gingerbread and would paint them to look like church windows.

Fast forward to the 17^th century. Gingerbread was being sold in pharmacies and town squares, again for medicinal purposes.  Eventually, gingerbread found its way to North America and was first recorded in a cookbook dated 1796.

WE LOVE GINGERBREAD!

Lord Byron’s Kitchen is certainly no stranger to the wonderful spices that make up the awesomeness that is gingerbread. But, when it comes to gingerbread recipes itself, I’m afraid my blog is lacking.  I have my Gingerbread Bundt Cake and my Gingerbread Truffles.  There’s just so much more to do with the flavours of gingerbread!

I think when most of us hear the term gingerbread, we automatically think of an icing-covered, candy-coated, barely-standing-up-straight, too-tough-to-bite, cookie house at Christmastime.  I used to love helping and watching McKenna decorate those when she was a kid, but Lord, it was messy!

My worry was that the cats were going to eat the icing and we all know just how that would end up! The gingerbread house was never eaten.  It was always too hard, and by the time we got around to it, it had been sitting for a few days.  Gross. Trust me, this Spiced Gingerbread Loaf won’t be sitting around for too long at all. It’s just so delicious!

SERVING YOUR LOAF

Here’s the thing about breads and loaves – they both come from humble beginnings. Even looking at it, you can tell that it isn’t pretty, it isn’t spectacular, and it surely isn’t show-stopping. But, that certainly doesn’t mean that your bread shouldn’t be served with style!

Like scones and biscuits, I think breads lend themselves quite well to what most people would call English Tea. I like to think of English Tea as an afternoon snack. And, afternoon snacks are terribly underrated! I like to partake whenever time permits. Hot coffee and a slice of this Cranberry Gingerbread Loaf, or any other sweet treat, is a great break from the 9-5 routine.

With the cooler weather approaching, I can’t think of a better way to serve this bread than putting out a full set of tea. Sure, it might seem I have too much time on my hands, but life is short, folks – enjoy it! Take the tea set out of your cabinet, dust it off, and take a well-deserved afternoon break!

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!

Finally, as I stated previously, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 200 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!