Greek Yogurt Gingerbread Loaf

Perfect for a gift or entertaining, this lightened up gingerbread loaf has all the warm holiday spices with less calories and fat thanks to a secret ingredient: Greek yogurt.

I fully believe that the gift of a homemade baked good never goes out of style. The holidays can be an expensive (and stressful) time of year for many, but baking is an easy, yet thoughtful, way to show neighbors, teachers, coworkers, and others how much they mean to you. And while you could make a beautiful plate of decorated sugar cookies, not all of us have time to roll out, shape, bake, and decorate all those cookies. That’s where quick breads come in!

Just as delicious as cookies, quick breads are way less work. Simply beat together the ingredients, pour into a loaf pan, and bake. For more of a gift-factor, buy some cute loaf tins or simply get colored cellophane or ribbon to wrap the cooled loafs in.

I like to think of this gingerbread loaf as a double present: beautiful and tasty, while secretly healthier. Pair a slice of this loaf with a warm cup of coffee and you have yourself the ultimate holiday dessert.

Note: just because this loaf recipe is healthier than the original, it’s still important to watch portion sizes and limit to one slice per serving.

 

Print Recipe

Greek Yogurt Gingerbread Loaf

 

 

 

Course: Dessert

Servings: 12 slices

Calories: 185kcal

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup molasses dark, unsulfured
• 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt low fat
• 3/4 cup hot water (about 100°F)
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Greek Yogurt Glaze

• 2 Tbsp plain Greek yogurt low fat
• 3 Tbsp powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk molasses and hot water together.
• In a large mixing bowl beat Greek yogurt and brown sugar until creamy. On medium-high speed, beat in the egg and vanilla extract until combined. Reduce speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture and molasses until just combined.
• Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out mostly clean (it’s okay if a few crumbs still stick to it). Remove from oven and allow it to cool.

For The Glaze:

• Whisk together yogurt, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Drizzle over cooled loaf.

Notes

Leftover loaf keeps well covered tightly in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

 

Servings: 12 | 185 Calories per Serving

 

Nutrition for 1 slice: 185 calories, 1 g fat, 0 g saturated, 177 mg sodium, 42 g carb, 1 g fiber, 18 g sugar, 4 g protein

 

(Note: compare to the nutrition facts for the traditional recipe: 305 calories, 9 g fat, 5 g saturated, 177 mg sodium, 56 g carb, 2 g fiber, 31 g sugar)