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Frosted Gingerbread Pound Cake

Name: Frosted Gingerbread Pound Cake Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 110 min
Ingredients: ½ cup butter (room temperature); 1 cup sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 egg (room temperature); 1 cup applesauce; 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon salt; 2 teaspoons ground ginger; 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon; 1 teaspoon ground cloves; ½ teaspoon nutmeg; zest from ½ orange (optional); 4 ounces cream cheese; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 ½-2 cups powdered sugar; Chopped peppermint pieces or chopped nuts (optional topping)

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3 Comments

5 from 2 votes

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Get all of the delicious flavors of gingerbread in our fantastic frosted gingerbread pound cake, a perfect holiday dessert recipe.

This frosted gingerbread recipe tastes like a classic gingerbread cookie but so soft and moist, the perfect holiday dessert recipe. It is the perfect loaf cake to serve this holiday season. It is so good and you can make it your own.

You don’t have to top it with frosting (but why wouldn’t you?) because it is so a nicely moist and flavorful loaf cake that can stand on it’s own, but the frosting is a great topping. In fact, you might even want double the recipe so you’re willing to share it.

A loaf of cake on a cooling rack next to a bowl of frosting and a dish of crushed candy.

A loaf cake on a wire rack being frosted with white icing using a spoon.

Recipe Ingredient Notes

To make frosted gingerbread pound cake, you need the following ingredients:

Pound Cake Ingredients

Butter
Sugar
Vanilla Extract
Egg
Applesauce
All-purpose flour
Baking Soda
Salt
Ground ginger
Ground cinnamon
Ground cloves
Nutmeg
Orange Zest

Frosting Ingredients

Cream cheese
Vanilla extract
Powdered Sugar
Chopped peppermint pieces or chopped nuts

A hand sprinkles white frosting over a loaf cake on a cooling rack, with crumbs scattered on the surface below.

A frosted cake with crushed peppermint on a cooling rack, next to a bowl of partially used frosting.

Equipment Needed

For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:

A sliced gingerbread loaf with white frosting on a cooling rack, sprinkled with crushed candy canes. A white cloth with red stripes is in the background.

A slice of gingerbread loaf with white icing and peppermint candies on top, with one piece cut and laying in front.

How to Make Our Frosted Gingerbread Pound Cake

Pound Cake Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×5 loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, ground cloves and nutmeg. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy (I used a stand mixer and mixed it for about 2 minutes. You can use an electric mixer or even do it by hand). Add in the vanilla, egg, applesauce, and orange zest (if using).
Slowly add in the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined (do not overmix!).
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it around evenly with a spatula or back of a spoon.
Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked into the middle of the cake.
Place loaf on a wire rack and let it cool for about 20 minutes, then turn the loaf cake onto the wired rack and let it finish cooling.

Frosting Instructions

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and vanilla extract together using an electric mixer. Slowly add in the powdered sugar until it reaches the consistency you like (if it’s too thick, you can think it out with some milk) and it’s smooth and easily spreadable.
Spread the frosting on the cooled cake and top with chopped up peppermint pieces or your favorite chopped nuts.
Slice and serve!

Recipe Notes

We love topping this pound cake with some chopped peppermint candy pieces, but that is not the only option. You can also top this cake with the following: chopped almonds, chopped peanuts, chopped pecans, chopped hazelnuts, brown sugar cinnamon drizzle, or a sprinkle of cinnamon.
One of the things I love about this recipe is that it uses applesauce instead of an oil. Not only does it make this recipe on the healthier side, but it also has some great added flavor. If you want to know more way to use applesauce in recipes, Insanely Good has a great list of easy recipes that uses applesauce.

A loaf of gingerbread topped with white frosting and peppermint candies is sliced, with two slices in the foreground and a partially eaten slice on a plate in the background.

Enjoy More Delicious Breakfast Cakes

Some days there’s nothing we want more than a slice of chocolate cake. Check out our comprehensive list of cake recipes here.

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Questions & Reviews

JB says:

Really amazing! As soon as I saw this recipe this morning, I made it right away. I added a teaspoon of vanilla. The bread took all of 55 minutes in my wall oven. It was a small recipe though. I thought, it could be increased by at least 25%.
Rachel P. says:

I loved this recipe so much when I ate dairy! Do you think it could be made with a vegan butter?
Momma Cyd says:

Vegan butter substitutes are fine to swap in equal quantities to butter in your baking recipes.

About The Author:

Steph Loaiza

Steph lives in Southern California with her husband, Andrew, and her five kids: twin girls and 3 boys. She going to Disneyland with her family and reading in her spare time.