Healthy Classic Gingerbread Loaf with Maple Glaze
This easy recipe is perfect for chilly winter days! The gingerbread is full of warm spices and cozy flavors, and the maple glaze on top adds a little extra sweetness. Leftovers will stay fresh for at least four days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
FOR THE GINGERBREAD
- 2 cups (240g) whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp (11g) ground ginger (see Notes before beginning!)
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites (room temperature)
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (180g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup (60mL) molasses (not blackstrap!)
- ¼ cup (60mL) pure maple syrup
- 6 tbsp (90mL) nonfat milk
FOR THE GLAZE
- 2 tbsp (30g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 ½ tsp pure maple syrup
- ¼ tsp liquid stevia (or adjusted to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F, and coat a 9x5” loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- To prepare the gingerbread, whisk together the flour and next 7 ingredients (through salt) in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg whites, and vanilla. Stir in the yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Stir in the molasses and maple syrup. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and milk to the yogurt mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour in 3 equal parts.)
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 325°F for 35-40 minutes or until the top feels firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with dry crumbs attached. Cool the loaf in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To prepare the glaze, stir together the yogurt, maple syrup, and stevia in a small bowl. Just before serving, drizzle the gingerbread loaf with the glaze.
Notes
IMPORTANT GINGER NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: I love my gingerbread on the extra spicy side, so I use a lot of ground ginger! If you prefer a mellower and more "normal" ginger flavor, use 1 tablespoon (5g) of ground ginger instead.
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It’s extremely important to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale (← that's the one I own!). Too much will dry out your batter and loaf.
IMPORTANT MIXING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Do not use a stand mixer or hand-held mixer to make the batter. This results in a gummy, chewy, rubbery, or tough loaf. Use a whisk where explicitly instructed, and use a fork for everything else.
IMPORTANT COOLING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It’s important to let the loaf cool completely to room temperature before glazing, slicing, and serving. This is because the loaf's structure hasn’t fully set until it has fully cooled. (A warm loaf will also melt the drizzle!) Do not cut the loaf while it’s still warm!
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the regular whole wheat flour.
EGG WHITES VS WHOLE EGGS: You must use both egg whites. The protein in the egg whites, along with the protein in the Greek yogurt, also helps prevent your loaf from collapsing while cooling. If you didn’t use both of the egg whites, your loaf would sink some, especially in the center, and turn out pretty dense and somewhat soggy in texture. (But the flavors will remain the same!)
If you prefer to use whole eggs, then use 2 whole eggs, and decrease the milk by 1 tablespoon to compensate for the added volume from the yolks.
MOLASSES NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: I use this kind. I don’t recommend substituting anything for the molasses, if at all possible. It’s required to produce the iconic gingerbread flavor. It’s a dark, thick liquid with a consistency similar to honey, and it can often be found near the maple syrup at the grocery store. Do not use blackstrap molasses; it’s too bitter.
However, I understand it can be hard to find molasses outside of the US, so in a pinch, you can substitute pure maple syrup, honey, or agave. They’ll produce the same texture, but keep in mind your loaf will have a noticeably different flavor.
MAPLE SYRUP ALTERNATIVES: Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup in the loaf. (You can also substitute them in the glaze, but the glaze will lose its maple flavor.) Do not substitute sugar-free maple syrup! It’ll make the loaf collapse while cooling and turn out overly dense.
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.
STEVIA NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so they're not necessarily 1-for-1 substitutes for each other. For the best results, I highly recommend using the same one that I do! It’s one of my favorite ingredients (you’ll also use it in all of these recipes of mine!), and I buy it online here because that’s the cheapest price I’ve found.
I do not recommend substituting any "regular" liquid sweetener in place of the liquid stevia (ie pure maple syrup, honey, agave, etc). Liquid sweeteners will make the glaze too thin and runny to stick to the gingerbread loaf. If using a different granulated sweetener, you’ll need the equivalent of 1-2 tablespoons of powdered sugar.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: For the gluten-free flour, use as follows: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ½ cup (60g) tapioca flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, and 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will also work, if measured like this.
HOW TO STORE: Store leftover gingerbread in the refrigerator inside of an airtight container. It should keep for at least four days (if not closer to a week!).
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.