Gingerbread Loaf Cake with Lemon Frosting

By Kathie Carr
@kathiecc

This was originally a copy cat recipe of a Starbuck's creation. Their version uses orange zest which I am allergic to. So I tried it with lemon and lime, instead, and I found I like the lemon flavored version very much.

Rating:

★★★★★ 3 votes

Serves:

9-12

Prep:

15 Min

Cook:

40 Min

Ingredients

1 1/2 c: all purpose flour
2 tsp: cinnamon
1 tsp: cloves
2 tsp: ginger
1/2 tsp: salt
1/2 c: butter, softened
1 c: sugar
1 tsp: lemon extract
1 c: unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp: baking soda
1 pkg: (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 tsp: vanilla extract
1/2 tsp: lemon extract
2 1/2 c: sifted powdered sugar
2 tsp: finely grated lemon zest

How to Make Gingerbread Loaf Cake with Lemon Frosting

Step-by-Step

1FOR CAKE:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 inch loaf pan. Set aside.

Stir together flour, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Stir in lemon extract. Mix baking soda into applesauce. Stir this into creamed butter mixture. Add flour mixture. Mix until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan.
2Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Allow to cool on a wire rack while preparing frosting.
3FOR FROSTING: Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in vanilla and lemon extract. Slowly beat in powdered sugar.

Once the cake has cooled, spread the frosting on top. Garnish with lemon zest if desired.