Baileys Gingerbread Loaf Cake
This Baileys gingerbread loaf cake is soft, moist & perfectly spiced. Adding Irish liqueur to this loaf cake gives it a festive hit of booze!
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If you’re a Baileys fan, you’re going to LOVE this gingerbread loaf cake! It’s soft, moist, squidgy & full of festive flavours. It’s seriously tasty & is mixed in just one bowl.
In this recipe, we’re making a classic gingerbread loaf cake that’s perfectly spiced (with ginger, cinnamon, cloves & nutmeg) & made with plenty of black treacle & brown sugar, for richness. We’re not stopping there though because we’re also adding a generous amount of Baileys cream liqueur into the batter which gives this cake a boozy kick that works perfectly with the punchy, warming flavours from the spices.
If you’ve never had Baileys before, it’s basically a mix of Irish whiskey, cream & cocoa. This stuff’s great, is especially popular at Christmas & is fantastic in desserts & cakes. It really does bring an already tasty gingerbread cake to another level! For a real treat, I’d recommend warming a slice up in a microwave then serving with a scoop of good quality ice cream…
For more festive bakes, check out our collection of Christmas baking recipes! There’s plenty to choose from here, from classic mince pies to stollen buns & Christmas pudding flapjacks. And for more recipes to bake, take a look at our collection of cakes, bars & brownies!
What You’ll Need
- Baileys – An Irish cream liqueur that’s made with whiskey & cream. You can get this in most supermarkets & it’s especially good at Christmas (like this cake!).
- Flour – We’re using plain/all purpose flour for this – make sure to sift it for a smooth cake batter!
- Brown Sugar – Dark brown sugar gives our gingerbread a rich, molasses flavour.
- Black Treacle – Treacle is a key ingredient in gingerbread as it adds flavour & sweetness. You can find black treacle in most supermarkets or online. I use Lyle’s black treacle.
- Spices – We’re using classic gingerbread spices for this loaf cake, including ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg & cloves.
- Sour Cream – Make sure to use full fat sour cream. This adds fat to the cake, giving it moisture & a softer crumb.
- Vegetable Oil – We’re using oil as the fat in this gingerbread cake, as it has a more neutral flavour (compared to butter) which lets the flavour from the spices & treacle shine through.
- Eggs – You’ll need 2 large eggs for this cake, each weighing around 60 grams out of the shell. It’s best to use room temperature eggs.
- Raising Agents – This recipe uses both baking powder & bicarbonate of soda.
- Salt – Don’t be shy with the salt (we’re using half a teaspoon!) as this gives the cake an improved flavour.
- Butter – We’re going to be piping a line of softened butter down the middle of the cake before baking, to control how the top cracks as it bakes. Either salted or unsalted butter will work here.
The Best Way To Line A Loaf Tin
The best way to line a loaf tin (for loaf cakes), is to generously grease the inside of your tin with soft butter then line the base & 2 longer sides with a piece of baking parchment, leaving a couple of centimetres overhanging (as shown below). This also acts like a sling, making it easier to remove the cake once baked.
How To Make Baileys Gingerbread Loaf Cake
The full, printable recipe card for this gingerbread cake can be found at the bottom of this post! Here’s a quick rundown of the recipe…
- Sift Dry Ingredients
First, we sift the flour, baking powder, bicarb & spices into a large mixing bowl then add in salt & brown sugar & whisk to combine. - Add In Wet Ingredients
To the dry ingredients, we add black treacle, sour cream, Baileys, oil & eggs then give it all a whisk, to combine into a smooth batter. - Transfer To A Loaf Tin
As soon as our batter is mixed, the bicarbonate of soda will start to react so we need to transfer it into a lined loaf tin straight away. Make sure to give the mixing bowl a scrape down with a spatula, to get every last bit of batter as well! - Pipe A Line Of Butter On Top
Next, we pipe a thin line of softened butter straight down the centre of the cake (down the length). This step is optional but allows us control of how the cake will crack on top as it bakes. - Bake
We bake the cake at 175°c/347°f for 45-50 minutes, until it is well risen & a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. - Leave To Cool
Once cooked, we let the cake cool for 20 minutes then lift it out of the tin & leave to cool completely on a cooling rack. - Maturing
If you want your gingerbread to have the best flavour, you’re to going to want to let it mature overnight! To do this, wrap the cake in clingfilm then simply let it sit for 12 hours or so before serving, either at room temperature or in the fridge.
Gingerbread Cake Tips & Tricks
- Use black treacle & dark brown sugar in the cake batter, for a rich molasses flavour. This is key to making the best tasting gingerbread!
- Scrape the sides of your mixing bowl down regularly, for a properly mixed batter.
- Use room temperature ingredients for a smoother cake mix.
- Pipe a line of softened butter down the middle of the cake batter, to control how the top of the cake cracks as it bakes.
- Don’t open your oven door too early as this can cause your cake to sink.
- Once cool, wrap the cake in clingfilm then leave to mature overnight before serving. This develops the flavours in the cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Although gingerbread loaf cakes are great served the same days as they are baked, they’re even better if you let them mature overnight. This gives the flavours in the cake a chance to develop & become stronger.
Gingerbread loaf cakes should be stored in an airtight container or wrapped in clingfilm. Stored at room temperature, they’ll keep for up to 3 days. Stored in the fridge, they’ll keep for up to 5 days.
When your gingerbread cake is cooked, a skewer inserted into the centre will come out clean (a few moist crumbs are ok).
The most common reason for gingerbread loaf cakes to sink is because the oven has been opened too early. Make sure to give your cake at least 40 minutes in the oven before checking it. It’s also important to set your oven to the correct temperature & to use the correct size tin.
Yes, you should definitely grease & line your loaf tin when making a gingerbread loaf cake, to prevent sticking. It’s best to grease the tin generously with butter and line the base & two longer sides with a piece of baking parchment. This also acts like a sling, making it easier to remove the cake from the tin once baked.
How To Bake A Gingerbread Loaf Cake In An Aga
With all of my recipes, I include cooking instructions for conventional ovens, fan ovens & also Agas. Here’s how to cook this recipe in an Aga…
Bake the gingerbread loaf cake on a grid shelf placed onto the floor of the baking oven. Slide a cold plain shelf onto the top set of runners just before baking the cake, leaving it in for the duration of the cook.
Equipment Used
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More Baking Recipes To Try!
- Rapeseed Oil Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake
- Chocolate Loaf Cake With Dark Chocolate Ganache
- Sour Cream Pound Cake With Vanilla Bean Icing
- Kettle Chip Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Brown Butter & Molasses Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Black Tahini Chocolate Sheet Cake
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Baileys Gingerbread Loaf Cake
Equipment
- 2 lb Loaf Tin
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Sieve
- Piping Bag
- Cooling Rack
- A Skewer
Ingredients
- 220 g Plain Flour
- 1½ tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Bicarbonate Of Soda
- 1½ tsp Ground Ginger
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Ground Nutmeg
- ¼ tsp Ground Cloves
- ½ tsp Table Salt
- 100 g Dark Brown Sugar
- 150 g Black Treacle
- 140 g Sour Cream (At Room Temperature)
- 120 g Baileys Irish Cream
- 75 g Vegetable Oil
- 2 Large Eggs (See Notes)
To Pipe On Top (Before Baking)
- 20 g Softened Butter (In A Piping Bag)
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 175°c/155°c fan (347°f/311°f).
- Grease a 2 lb loaf tin with butter then line the bottom & two longer sides with a piece of baking parchment, leaving a couple of centimetres overhanging the tin's edges (this makes it easier to take the cake out of the tin once it is cooked!).
- Next, sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda & all of the spices into a large mixing bowl then add in the salt & brown sugar and whisk to combine.
- Add the treacle, sour cream, Baileys, oil & eggs to the flour then whisk until combined & smooth – don't over whisk though!
- Once mixed, immediately transfer the batter into the lined tin then pipe a thin line of softened butter straight down the middle.Piping a line of butter lets us control how the cake will crack on top as it bakes.
- Bake the cake for 45-50 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Once cooked, let the cake cool in the tin for 20 minutes then lift it out of the tin & leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
- When your cake is cool, it can be served straight away or for extra flavour, wrap the cake in clingfilm then leave overnight before serving (this lets the flavours develop).
