Spiced Ginger Loaf + Muffins
We chopped down our Christmas tree from the upper field of Tumbleweed Farm and dragged that puppy down to the farmhouse. We then whipped up a couple of Spanish coffees (our holiday tradition), strung lights, hung decorations and blasted holiday tunes. It feels like Christmas season has officially arrived at the farm!
We whipped up this spiced ginger loaf (and muffins) on the same day we cut down our tree. Taylor and I have a winter tradition of Spanish coffees and a sweet muffin, pastry or pancakes every Sunday during our “off season.” We try to slow down on Sundays just for a minute or two, and simply enjoy a slow morning with a few indulgences.
This quick bread is hands down one of the tastiest breads I’ve ever made. I actually called my mom right after whipping this up to give her the recipe so she could prepare it for Christmas. I was inspired by a recipe on Epicurious that had fantastic reviews. The recipe caught my attention because it called for a lot of fresh ginger (one of my weaknesses) and plenty of molasses. The original recipe used quite a bit of oil (I substituted half of the oil with some homemade applesauce) and I tweaked with the spices a bit. The result was absolutely delicious and I’m excited to share my version with you all!
The original recipe was intended to be a ginger cake. Since I don’t have a cake pan I substituted with a standard 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch loaf pan and used the extra batter to bake 6 lovely muffins. Ginger bread PLUS muffins is a win win in my book! The muffins are great on the go and the bread is perfect when sliced thickly and smeared with some good quality butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon and powdered sugar. Aside from peeling and grating the ginger this recipe is a breeze to whip up (that process is totally worth it though– don’t substitute with dried ginger!) We love this loaf and I think it’ll be part of our Sunday morning ritual more often. Pour a cup of coffee (or whip up a Spanish coffee!) and dig in.
Cheers from Tumbleweed.
Spiced Ginger Loaf + Muffins
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour Serves: 10-12
- 4 Tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 cup mild molasses
- 1 cup natural cane sugar
- 1/2 cup walnut oil (can substitute with peanut, grapeseed or vegetable)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup water
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 eggs, room temperature
Preparation
- Position an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 8 1/2 inch by 4 1/2 inch loaf pan and line 6 standard size muffin cups with paper liners.
- Peel and grate the ginger on a microplane or finely chop it in a food processor. Set it aside.
- Mix together the molasses, sugar, oil and applesauce. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper.
- Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the baking soda and stir. Remove from the heat and pour the hot water/baking soda mixture into the molasses mixture. Stir in the ginger.
- Gradually whisk the dry ingredients into the batter. Add the eggs and continue mixing until everything is evenly incorporated and smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan (don't fill to the top as it will rise) and pour the remainder of the batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake the loaf anywhere from 50-60 minutes and the muffins 18-20 minutes (or when a toothpick comes out clean)
- Transfer the muffins and loaf to a wire rack to cool.
Notes
*Instead of a loaf and muffins you can make a 9 by 3 inch round cake *Cooking times will vary depending on your oven *Have fun in the kitchen
There’s always room for extra muffins!
Oh my.. these look so good! I love that you’re using molasses:)
Five Star Recipe!!!
Made these tonight as my goody gift to my neighbors. Made them in mini loaf pans. Shared on with my neighbors. (Taste testing). We devavored it in no time at all. Delicious! House smells wonderful.
Hi Liz,
What was your bake time and temp in the mini loaf pans?
Thanks!
Rachel
Has anyone tried this with whole wheat or gf flours?
I made these last night and they are amazing!! I love how light they are but with a bold flavor; the fresh ginger and pepper in the recipe really make the flavors come alive. I had to use a hand mixer to get all the ingredients smooth but this did not affect the final product in any way. I was able to make a 8 x 5 loaf and up to 10 muffins with my recipe. Thanks for another awesome recipe – love your farm, blog and what you do!
This bread is perfection! I enjoyed it so much that I had to comment!
I’m so happy you loved it!