My love of all things orange combined with the Christmas gingerbread flavor swirled together in a bread is finally here and I couldn’t be more excited for you to experience it yourself.
A few years back I mentioned to Abra that I wanted to do yet another swirl bread for the holiday season because quite frankly, they’ve become my favorite to make. Can’t say she was too surprised when I told her there was going to be an orange swirl batter involved. #orangeloverforlife
Glorious, isn’t she? Now you wouldn’t think that gingerbread and orange would go well together, but somehow the two batters are swirled together to form the most delectable orange gingerbread loaf that’s absolutely perfect for serving during the holiday season.
It’s sweet, it’s full of spicy ginger flavor, and SO tender you won’t know what deliciousness just hit you. Especially if you want to slather it up with a little butter + sea salt on top. DROOL.
Gingerbread + orange = match made in heaven
A few reasons you’ll love this orange gingerbread loaf:
- It’s FUN to bake! Baking this bread with a friend or someone you love is highly suggested; you can both be responsible for one of the batters.
- The cozy cinnamon, ginger and allspice make the gingerbread swirl truly irresistible and reminiscent of Christmas. The orange adds a nice sweet bright citrus flavor.
- The orange glaze is truly perfect. Drizzle it on and enjoy.
Everything you’ll need to make this orange gingerbread loaf
We’re making separate orange and gingerbread loaf batters and then swirling them together for the most perfect, beautiful bread. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Flour: this bread uses whole wheat pastry flour, which gives it the best fluffy texture.
- Sweetener: you’ll need maple syrup for both layers, and blackstrap molasses for the gingerbread layer to sweeten the whole loaf.
- Eggs: you’ll also need 2 total eggs so the loaf bakes up properly.
- Spices: the gingerbread batter is filled with cinnamon, ground ginger & allspice.
- Milk: you’ll also need some milk to give the gingerbread batter moisture.
- Butter: both layers have a little butter for extra moisture.
- Orange: gotta have that true orange flavor in the orange layer! We’re adding real orange juice and zest.
- Baking staples: don’t forget the vanilla extract, baking soda & salt. The orange layer also has some almond extract to pair perfectly with the flavor.
- For the glaze: top your loaf with a luscious glaze made from powdered sugar, orange juice & orange zest.
Molasses: the key to gingerbread flavor
A lot of people ask if they can skip the molasses in this orange gingerbread loaf. If you want that rich, deliciously spiced gingerbread flavor, the answer is nope! Not only does molasses provide delicious sweetness to these cookies, but 1 tablespoon of it has 20% of your daily iron needs. Mind. BLOWN.
Can I use a different flour?
Feel free to use all purpose flour in place of the whole wheat pastry flour if you’d like. I would just suggest reducing the butter to 2 tablespoons in each of the batters. If you’re looking for a gluten free alternative, try my Paleo Orange-Kissed Loaf with Dark Chocolate Glaze or my Paleo Cranberry Orange Bread.
Can I make it vegan or dairy free?
I haven’t tested this recipe using flax eggs, but let me know if the comments if you do! Feel free to use coconut oil or vegan butter in both of the batters to keep the bread dairy free.
Tips for making the best swirl bread
Here are some tips for making swirl or marbled bread look beautiful:
- Alternate the batters. Make sure you alternative the batter on top of each other. I like to add half of each batter, then repeat.
- Only swirl a little bit. Once you have all of the batter in the pan, use a butter knife or wooden skewer and swirl just 3-4 total times in an S-shape or in a figure-8 pattern. Try not to over-swirl or the batter will start to blend together and become one color.
How to make orange gingerbread muffins
Yes, this bread can easily be made into muffins! Simply divide the batter between 12 greased muffin liners and bake them for 20-25 minutes until a tester comes out clean.
Freeze it for later
This orange gingerbread bread freezes well! Simply wrap in plastic, then tightly in foil and finally place in a reusable container or freezer-friendly bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature once you are ready to enjoy. You can also feel free to freeze individual slices for a quick on-the-go treat.
Check out my other gingerbread creations here
- Healthy Gingerbread Loaf
- Incredible Gingerbread Oatmeal Cream Pies
- Fluffy Gingerbread Pancakes
- Healthy Gingerbread Muffins
- One Bowl Gluten Free Gingerbread Snacking Cake
Get even more of my baked goods here!
I hope you love this orange gingerbread loaf! If you make the recipe, I’d love to hear from you — please leave a comment and rate the recipe below. xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Orange Gingerbread Swirl Loaf
Ingredients
- For the gingerbread layer:
- Wet
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
- 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted (or sub melted and cooled coconut oil or vegan butter)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Dry
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour*
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- For the orange layer:
- Wet
- 1 egg
- ½ cup fresh orange juice
- Zest from 1 orange
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup (or sub honey)
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted (or sub melted and cooled coconut oil)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- Dry
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour*
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- For the glaze:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice, plus a little more if necessary to thin the glaze
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8 ½ x 4 ½ loaf pan with parchment paper and spray the inside with nonstick cooking spray.
- First make the gingerbread batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, pure maple syrup, molasses, almond milk, melted butter and vanilla extract until well combined. Add in your dry ingredients: whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and salt. Mix until just combined. Set aside while you make the orange batter.
- Make the orange batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, orange juice, orange zest, pure maple syrup, melted butter, vanilla extract, and almond extract until smooth and well combined. Add in your dry ingredients: whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda and salt. Mix until just combined.
- Spoon half of the gingerbread batter into prepared loaf pan, then top with half of the orange batter. Repeat with remaining gingerbread batter and orange batter. Swirl the batters together with a butter knife just a few times (do not overdo this or the batters will start to come together and look crazy). Bake for 45-60 minutes until a tester comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. Once done baking, remove from pan and place on a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
- For the glaze: Mix together powdered sugar, orange juice and orange zest until smooth. You may need to add in more orange juice to thin out the glaze, but remember we want it to be a thicker glaze, like an icing. Pour or drizzle over the top of the loaf and spread towards the sides, if necessary.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
36 comments
I am wondering if I freeze the loaf should I wait until unthawing to add the glaze?
Yes I’d recommend thawing the loaf before adding the glaze 🙂
In the instructions, don’t you mean to say “alternate” the batters instead of “alternative” ?
Updated! 🙂
Love this recipe, as always they look so good, Just wondering in the notes it says if using all purpose flour to reduce butter to 3 tbsps. but that is all it calls for in each of the batter recipes. Could you clarify that please. Wishing you and all at AK a Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.
Sorry it’s supposed to be 2 tablespoons in each of the batters – updated! Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you, too!
I wanted the difference between blackstrap molasses & regular molasses. If I use regular molasses will that alter the taste at all? Thank you!
regular molasses with work just fine! Check out this article for more info on the differences in molasses: https://www.seriouseats.com/2017/02/what-is-blackstrap-molasses.html
This loaf has turned me into an orange-dessert lover. The glaze is SO good and goes surprisingly well with the gingerbread flavors. I could make an entire loaf of just the orange batter though – super tasty. You’re nailing it with the Christmas desserts this year, Monique!
So happy you loved this one, Molly! I wanted to knock all of the holiday treats out of the park 😉 loving all things orange + gingerbread, too!
I tried this dish and came fabulous. Thanks for this dish.
So happy to hear that!
Question!! How would I substitute coconut flour for wheat in this luscious sounding gingerbread orange swirl bread? I mostly eat grain-free so coconut flour is my go-to for all baking. I can’t wait to try this it sounds delectable. You are a girl after my own heart!
I’ve only made this loaf as-is, so I’d recommend this orange loaf if you’re looking for a gluten free option! https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/paleo-orange-kissed-loaf-dark-chocolate-glaze/
Made this for Christmas morning and it was a big hit!
Amazing! So happy to hear that.
Monique and I share a love for orange flavored things. The orange swirl with the gingerbread spices makes this such a delicious treat, snack, or breakfast during the holiday season!
YES love all things orange! One of my favs 🙂
This looks wonderful. However, I am on Keto right now. Do you think if I subsituted the sugar and used sugar free syrup that these would turn out?
Hmm I’m not sure how the flavor will turn out – sorry! Let me know if you give it a try.
This bread turned out so delicious! Moist, beautiful, and full of flavor. I love that it has no refined sugar! (Aside from the icing) 5 stars!
I’m so glad it came out perfectly! Thanks, Caroline 🥰
im wanting to make this loafbut trying to go sugar free. using sugar free maple syrup but need a sugar free molasses substitute. would you please be able to suggest something I could use instead of please?
Sorry, I don’t use sugar free substitutes so I can’t say!
This look so good, but I need it to be gluten free. Why would a gluten free flour not work as a substitute in this recipe? Thank you!
I absolutely love gingerbread. The flavor of the molasses, maple syrup and orange zest blended perfectly. It was moist on the inside and mine had a wonderful slight crunch on the top. I subbed a blend of whole wheat pastry flour, flax meal, chia seeds, almond flour, brown rice flour, buckwheat flour and sorghum flour instead of using all whole wheat pastry. I wanted to experiment with this flour blend and next time may not use any wheat at all.
Could this recipe be converted to muffins? It sounds amazing, but my kids only eat muffins, not bread. Because toddlers 😂
Yep! Just follow the instructions in the blog post about for how to make orange gingerbread muffins.
I love making this bread for that time in-between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The bright orange and the spices gingerbread really get the feeling of winter going.
Would love to have directions on making them into mini loaves so I could give as gifts.
Absolutely! We love this for brunches and snacks between the holidays. Great idea to make mini loaves – this should work well by adding the batter to a mini loaf pan, I’m just not 100% sure how long they’ll need to bake. Feel free to try cutting the baking time in half (and watching closely) – let me know if you give it a shot!
This cake has a nice flavor especially with the icing. My gingerbread batter was not as loose as shown in the video and I cannot think what went wrong. I think if it were lost the texture would have been moister.
Hi! Make sure you don’t pack your flour (check out my tips for measuring flour here!) and be sure to not overmix the batter because the loaf will be much denser.
Hi Monique.. dyeing to try this recipe but I only have one 9 X 5 loaf pan. Just wondering if I could use this or if I did 1.5 of the recipe or double it?? Or is there another cake pan you could suggest using? I have a 20cm round pan or 8 X 8 square pan. Thanku in advance.
Hi! Feel free to use the 9×5 inch loaf pan – you may just need to reduce the baking time a bit!
Thanx so much Monique.. I actually made as muffins for one of my daughter’s. She loved them!! My youngest daughter asked if I could make her a batch too. But she’s gluten free. Would it be possible to sub all purpose flour with gluten free flour blend??
Amazing! I haven’t tested this recipe with GF flour so I’m not 100% sure how it will turn out. Let me know if you try it!