Best Sourdough Gingerbread Loaf Cake Recipe

You are going to love this sourdough gingerbread loaf cake recipe! It's everything you love about gingerbread ... with a sourdough tang. And did I mention the slightly crunchy edges with a soft, tender crumb. And those warming spices complimented by a rich vanilla cream cheese frosting. It's all just so good! 

I love baking this sourdough gingerbread loaf cake for a Christmas eve treat! It's the perfect spice cake to serve with hot cocoa or eggnog to celebrate the festive season! But of course, you don't have to wait for the festive season, it can be eaten at any time of the year! Like today!

If you love all things gingerbread and sourdough, you might also love these traditional sourdough gingerbread cookies, sourdough gingerbread crinkle cookies, delicious sourdough gingerbread muffins or these sourdough gingerbread cinnamon rolls.

Why You'll Love This Recipe!

Quick Bread Recipe - This simple quick bread recipe will give you the best sourdough gingerbread cake with no fancy ingredients or trips to the store necessary (just like these other sourdough quick bread recipes)! Use what you have in your pantry to create something truly special! It uses apple sauce to keep it moist, rather than sour cream or yogurt.

Perfect for the Holiday Season - Full of gingerbread spices, this simple homemade gingerbread loaf made with sourdough starter is the perfect gingerbread recipe for the holiday season.

Use 150g of Sourdough Discard - This sourdough gingerbread loaf cake uses 150g of sourdough discard, which will help you to empty that discard jar. You can also use active sourdough starter with no issue in this recipe if you prefer. 

If you don't have a sourdough starter yet, you can use these instructions to make your own sourdough starter at home.

How To Make Sourdough Gingerbread Loaf Cake

This is one of the easiest sourdough discard recipes you'll ever make! You literally need to just mix and bake! Seriously, it could not be simpler!

You can bake this gingerbread loaf recipe in either a standard loaf pan or a sheet pan (although you may need to double the quantities depending on the size).

It even lends itself to a bundt cake pan. It's the perfect sourdough Christmas recipe for sharing and gifting! The loaf pan I've used to bake this recipe measures 24cm x 14cm or 9.5" x 5.5".

Preheat oven 180C (350F). Grease a loaf pan with butter or cooking spray and set aside.

Grab a large bowl. Using a whisk, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar.

Now, add the vanilla extract, egg and unsweetened apple sauce to the bowl and whisk until well combined.

Now add the sourdough starter and whisk it through. The mixture will become thick and marshmallowy.

Lastly, add the all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices into the bowl and use a spatula to gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. You don't want to over mix the batter.

Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top, ensuring the batter is evenly distributed.

Bake for around an hour at 180C (350F) or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Once the sourdough gingerbread is done, remove from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for around 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool to room temperature.

While the sourdough gingerbread loaf cake is cooling, add all of the cream cheese icing ingredients to a bowl and whisk together until light and fluffy (you can use electric beaters if you want to make it easier). Spread onto cooled loaf cake and top with chopped pecans.

Long Fermented Sourdough Gingerbread Cake

This sourdough gingerbread cake can be fermented overnight if you wish. Mix together all of the ingredients, except for the baking powder and baking soda. Place the batter in the fridge for up to 12 hours. When you're ready to bake, add the baking powder and baking soda before pouring into a loaf pan and baking as per the recipe instructions.

How To Store + Freeze

Store unfrosted cake in an airtight container or cake tin for around 3 days. This cake is super moist so it doesn't dry out quickly. Once the cake is iced, I store in the fridge. When it's time to serve, allow the cake to sit at room temperature for around 20 minutes for best flavor and texture.

This sourdough gingerbread loaf cake freezes really well! I find it freezes best without the icing. I wrap the cooled loaf cake in parchment paper and then in aluminum foil. It will last in the freezer like this for around 3 months with no change to the texture.

When you're ready to use it, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw at room temperature before adding frosting.

Share the sourdough love!