Copycat Starbucks Gingerbread ~ skip the trip to the pricey coffee shop and make your own moist and perfectly spiced frosted gingerbread. It’s just right for breakfast, brunch, coffee break or dessert.
I got a sudden craving for Starbucks Gingerbread the other day, but I was way too busy to stand on one of their famous lines, and anyway, it’s been pouring buckets here in California, and I just blow-dried my hair… so there was no way I was going out in that. I wish they’d get that whole drone thing figured out soon, it would really help. But you probably already figured out that this story has a happy ending.
My copycat version is divine. It’s everything you dream of in a gingerbread, plus a heaping layer of cream cheese frosting. I say copycat, but in truth, it’s much much better than anything you could buy. The spicing is fresh and rich, the cake itself is extra moist, and the top heavy load of frosting makes it decadent and a little quirky. Definitely not mass produced. And it gets even better after a night in the fridge, so it’s pretty perfect for Christmas morning.
This recipe has been floating around the Internet for some time, and it’s really very good. It has a similar texture to my Spiced Apple Cake, probably because both recipes rely on fruit puree to create an extra moist crumb. The spice cake uses apple butter, and this recipe calls for applesauce, but I didn’t have any, and because of all that rain, I raided my cabinets for an alternative. I came up with a can of pears, which I drained and pureed in my little food processor…I think it was an inspired choice.
The frosting needs no introduction. It’s a classic cream cheese, dusted with some freshly grated nutmeg. Have I sung the praises of fresh nutmeg enough? I probably have, but I’ll do it again in case some of you are new 😉 I ONLY buy whole nutmeg, never the ground stuff. I use a simple microplane grater to shave off just what I need. The flavor and the scent is out of this world. Taste it in your mind’s eye…I know you can.
You will love this, I have no doubt. Make it with confidence for company. It’s that good. One warning — I don’t think this would be ideal to wrap and give as a gift because all that cream cheese frosting stays relatively soft. I think it would get messed up, just saying. But that’s just all the more reason to treat yourself.
Do you love to copy Starbucks as much as I do?
- Better Than Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bread
- What to Make Now: Starbucks Copy Cat Recipes
- Better Than Starbucks Banana Walnut Bread
- Starbucks Copy Cat Maple Oat Nut Scones
“Oh My Goodness – this is truly the BEST Gingerbread I EVER tasted!! This was fabulous. Will be making this again very soon.”
Bee
Copy Cat Starbucks Gingerbread
Equipment
- standard 9×5 loaf pan
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 cup applesauce (also use apple butter)
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
cream cheese frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, plus more if needed
Instructions
- Set oven to 350F
- Spray a 9×5 loaf pan lightly with cooking spray, and then, if you like, line it with parchment paper leaving the ends long so you can lift it out when it’s cool.
- Cream the butter and the sugar until fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and the egg.
- Blend in the applesauce.
- Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices and then add it to the bowl slowly. When everything is incorporated, turn the batter into your pan and smooth it out.
- Bake for about 55 minutes, or until it is risen and a toothpick comes out clean. Loaf pans and ovens can vary greatly, use your common sense to tell you when your cake is done. Check it early.
- Let cool completely on a rack before frosting.
- To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese with the vanilla and then add 2 1/2 cups of the sugar and beat until smooth and creamy. Add a little more sugar if it’s not as thick as you like.
- Spread a thick layer of the frosting over the gingerbread. Dust with freshly grated nutmeg.
Notes
- If you love the flavor of fresh ginger, add crystallized ginger to the bread, and sprinkle more on top of the frosting.
- If you love gingerbread spices, try my Glazed Gingerbread Bundt Cake or my Gingerbread ice Cream!
- This recipe makes ALOT of frosting…you could probably get away with halving it if you don’t care for such a decadently thick layer.
What can I use in place of applesauce and pear.maybe buttermilk?
I can’t say for sure, because I haven’t tried, but it might work to use buttermilk and maybe some molasses.
Starbucks uses crystalized ginger. I have not found any counterfeit recipe that makes it that way.
I didn’t use that because I personally don’t like it, but I think you could add it in to this recipe, either in the cake part, or as a garnish on top.
Joan, starbucks uses candied orange peel in their bread, I thought it was ginger at first too. Also, and weirdly, theirs has no actual ginger in it.
This looks so good, but Im wondering how did you get it so dark without molasses or brown sugar? Is it dark from the cloves? Just wondering becasue I love starbucks version but would love to try making my own. Thanks!
You know, several people have asked that, and I think it must have been the spices…cloves are very dark and do color a batter. I may try a variation of this with molasses, though.
Made this, but with an orange glaze instead of the frosting, for a charity bake sale. Everybody loved it but one comment summed it up perfectly. Emily said “That’s the best ginger cake I have ever tasted”. I couldn’t agree more. Thanks for this recipe, I love it. I’ll do the frosting next time.
Oh I’m so glad to hear that Jeff! It’s been a while since I’ve made this one, now you’ve got me craving it. Your orange glaze is an interesting variation.
Making this right now. Does it have to be refrigerated because of the cream cheese icing? 🙂
It can stay out for a day, but after that I would probably wrap and refrigerate, Dawn.
Can this be made as a cake in a jar like banana bread cake??
I honestly don’t know, Jacqueline, but it might be worth a try.
Is there really no brown sugar or molasses in this recipe? I thought all gingerbread had one or both items?
1 1/2 cups flour?
Yes Milica.
this only makes 1 loaf ?
Hi;
I clicked on the link to find “these will quickly become your family’s favorite holiday cookies – – they melt in your mouth,” but I cannot find them on the Pinterest link they took me to. Any hints? Thanks.
Oh, sometimes the pins can get all screwed up, that’s too bad, here’s the link to my Melting Moments Cookies — https://theviewfromgreatisland.com/2011/12/melting-moments.html
Hope you enjoy them!