I love traditional gingerbread, I wanted to create a lightened-up loaf recipe which can be tricky because for me gingerbread should have molasses in it to get that true flavor, and well we all know molasses is like a gazillion points! This recipe is a prime example of sometimes just a little is enough. The loaf was so easy to whip up and I was able to get it to just 5 Points per serving even with that sweet molasses in it.
A quarter cup of light molasses across a whole loaf is all it takes. There is no butter and no oil in here at all; unsweetened applesauce and low-fat buttermilk keep it moist instead. The result is a healthy gingerbread loaf that still tastes like the dark, sticky gingerbread you grew up with.
It is a December bake. One bowl for the dry, one for the wet, and the kitchen smells like Christmas all afternoon. It sits with the rest of my baking recipes if you want more like it.
Why you’ll love this healthy gingerbread loaf
- Real molasses. Most lightened-up versions swap it for maple syrup and lose the flavor. This one keeps it and counts it, and still lands at 5 Points a slice.
- Applesauce and buttermilk instead of butter and oil. They give the tender, moist crumb you can see in the photos.
- Big spice. Two teaspoons of ginger plus cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon. Nobody will call it bland.
- Ten minutes of hands-on work. It is a gingerbread quick bread, so there is no yeast and no rising time.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 10
Serving Size: 1 slice
5 WW Points Per Serving. You can view the recipe on the WW App here. (WW login required.)
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup light molasses
- 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Icing sugar for dusting on top, optional
Light molasses is the one to buy, sometimes labeled “fancy” or “original.” Blackstrap is darker and bitter and would take over the loaf.
Plain all-purpose flour is what I use. The applesauce is the unsweetened kind, and shake the buttermilk before measuring, since it separates in the carton.
How to make a gingerbread loaf
- Heat the oven and line the pan. Preheat to 350F. Spray a regular 9×5 loaf pan with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.
- Mix the dry. In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt.
- Mix the wet. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with the brown sugar, then add the molasses, applesauce, buttermilk and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
- Combine and bake. Add the dry mixture to the wet and mix well. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
- Cool, dust and slice. Let the loaf cool before slicing. Dust the top with a little icing sugar if you like and cut it into 10 equal slices.
Tips and substitutions
- Trust the toothpick, not the color. A molasses loaf is dark going in, so the crust tells you little. Check at 45 minutes and give it up to 10 more if the toothpick comes out sticky.
- Let it cool all the way. The applesauce crumb squashes if you cut it warm. Give it an hour and it slices clean.
- No buttermilk? Stir 2 teaspoons of vinegar or lemon juice into 3/4 cup of low-fat milk and let it sit for five minutes. Run the change through the app, since the count was built on buttermilk.
- Milder spice. A full teaspoon of cloves is what makes it taste old-fashioned. Drop it to half a teaspoon if you prefer it gentler.
- The dusting is optional. A light shake of icing sugar is what you see in the photos, but the loaf is lovely plain.
- Want portions instead of a loaf? My Weight Watchers gingerbread muffins are the same idea in muffin form, with banana and yogurt keeping them moist.
Storing and freezing
Once it is fully cool, wrap the loaf well and keep it at room temperature for up to 3 days. It gets a little stickier on day two. Beyond that, the fridge for up to a week.
This loaf will freeze well. Slice it first, wrap the slices individually and freeze them in a bag for up to 3 months. Thaw a slice on the counter, or give it 20 to 30 seconds in the microwave.
A gingerbread Christmas
A slice of this with a cup of tea is what a December afternoon is for, and at 5 Points I do not think twice about it. If you are filling a cookie tray too, my soft gingerbread cookies belong beside it.
Healthy Gingerbread Loaf with Molasses
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup light molasses
- 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- icing sugar, for dusting on top, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F spray a 9×5 regular loaf pan with some cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
- In a bowl mix together the flour and spices
- In a separate bowl whisk eggs with the brown sugar, add in the molasses, apple sauce, buttermilk and vanilla.
- Add the dry mixture to wet mixture and mix well, pour batter into the loaf pan and bake for 45-55 minutes, until baked right through.
- Let cool before slicing, dust with some icing sugar and cut into 10 equal servings.
Notes
Points plus- 4 using PP calculator
Nutritional info per serving.. Calories 140…Fat 1.7g..Sat fat 0.4g..Carbs 26.3g…Fiber 0.8g…Sugar 10.9g…Protein 4g using My Fitness Pal *Note- includes all ingredients
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Could you use non fat milk instead of buttermilk?
you could but the buttermilk does help with the overall texture
This looks delicious. Thank you. I add a little lemon zest to my gingerbread cookie recipe and it makes the flavor amazing. Have you tried that?
Hi, I have not but it sounds wonderful 🙂