This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure for details.
Hi Bold Bakers!
No, we won’t be building a house out of this gingerbread. My Sticky Gingerbread recipe, also known as a Jamaican gingerbread, isn’t a hard cookie — it’s a delicious loaf of molasses, ginger, and cinnamon!
Growing up in Ireland, this bread was a staple. We always had a slice with some warm butter with our cup of tea or coffee. The warm spices just beg to be paired with a good cup of tea!
My Homemade Sticky Gingerbread is so incredibly moist and just a soft, lovely texture; it also has a wonderful sticky top. It’s a nostalgic goodie for a lot, I’m sure!
What is Jamaican Gingerbread?
Jamaican Gingerbread, which actually is from Jamaica, is a popular loaf that is a favorite in many households. It’s sold pre-made, but those are often disappointing. When it’s made at home, you’re guaranteed to have a sticky and flavorful gingerbread.
To me, this bread is the perfect amount of sweet and spicy, and it is baked the way you would make something like my Pumpkin Banana Bread.
What You Need To Make Sticky Gingerbread
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Two 9×5″ loaf pans
- Large pot
- Aluminum foil
- Parchment paper
How To Make Sticky Gingerbread
Ready to make two lovely loaves of this delicious bread? Here’s how you do it (and don’t forget to get the full recipe with measurements, on the page down below):
- Gently heat butter, sugar, and molasses in a large pot until melted. Set it aside to cool.
- Once that mixture is cooled, beat the eggs together and then whisk them into the molasses mixture.
- Sift the flour, spices, and salt over the molasses mixture and whisk until it is just combined.
- In the microwave or a pot on the stove, warm the milk. Whisk the baking soda into the milk. It will bubble, which means it is activated.
- Whisk the milk into the mixture until well combined. This will be a thin batter, so don’t worry!
- Pour the batter into two greased and parchment paper-lined 9×5″ loaf pans.
- Bake in a preheated 300°F (150°C) oven for 45 minutes.
- Cover the pans with aluminum foil and continue baking for another 15 minutes. This is what will give you the sticky, moist gingerbread!
- Take the loaves out of the oven and keep the tin foil on until it is completely cold.
Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips For Making Sticky Jamaican Gingerbread
- This gingerbread freezes perfectly! So even if you don’t eat two loaves right away, it will store well.
- Be sure to have your eggs come to room temperature for this recipe as they get added to a warm liquid.
- Putting tin foil on the top towards the end of baking is key to achieving the sticky top!
- Molasses and treacle are interchangeable; you can use treacle in this recipe.
- Molasses is a key ingredient in gingerbread. Don’t have any? Make your own Molasses Substitute!
- Brown sugar gives the gingerbread a deep, caramel flavor. You can easily make your own Brown Sugar!
How Do I Store Sticky Gingerbread?
Leftover sticky Jamaican gingerbread can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days — and, just so you know, the flavor gets even better as it sits!
Make More Bread!
And don’t forget to buy my Bigger Bolder Baking Cookbook!
Full (and printable) recipe below!
Try These Recipes!
Gemma's Sticky Gingerbread Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (8oz/225g) butter
- 1 cup (8oz/225g) light brown sugar
- ¾ cup (8oz/225g) molasses (Treacle)
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 3 cups (15oz/425g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups (10floz/300ml) whole milk
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Grease and line two 9x5” loaf pans.
- In a large pot, gently heat the butter, sugar, and molasses until melted. Set aside to cool down.
- Once cooled, beat the eggs together before whisking into the molasses mix. .
- Sift the flour, spices, and salt over the molasses mix and whisk in until just combined.
- Warm the milk in the microwave or in a pot on the stove. Whisk the bicarbonate (baking soda) into the milk. You will see it bubble and activate.
- Whisk the milk straight into the treacle mix until well combined. You will notice this is a thin batter, that's ok. Pour the batter into your prepared pans.
- Bake at 300°F (150°C) for 45 minutes. Then cover the pans with aluminum foil and continue baking for a further 15 minutes. This step is very important as it creates a lovely sticky, moist gingerbread.
- Once the hour is up take them out of the oven, leaving the foil on until they are completed cold to get a moist, sticky top. Enjoy as-is or with butter. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days. P.S the flavor just gets better as it sits.
Thanks so much Gemma I’ve been looking for a recipe for Jamaican gingerbread for ages! I LOVE it so much…especially with custard!!! Is golden syrup the same as treacle? and interchangeable with Molasses? Thanks! Anne (Ireland)
Omg omg omg! You have made my year! My favourite thing in the world is jamaican gingerbread and I cant get it here and with this lockdown nobody can come over with some 🙂 you are the best Gemma 🤗 your hard work is appreciated
Thank you Gemma for this awesome recipe.
I have to veganize my old favorites now due to health issues. I was thrilled to see this old favorite in the email today.
For those looking for an easy and fast egg substitute, I sometimes use the JUST Egg product with great success.
Remember to let it come to room temperature before adding it to this recipe.
Hi Gemma!! It’s Del from Dallas in the UK! I have my own ginger loaf recipe that I tried last week that failed miserably. I could NOT find molasses at Waitrose, Sainsbury or Tesco. I did, however, find Black Treacle which I think is called Blackstrap? I watched my loaf go from a high dome on top to flat and quite dense with a strong pungent flavor. Thoughts on black treacle? I like the makeup of your recipe much better than mine, so I’ll try making my own molasses with yours, but curious about your thoughts on using dark brown… Read more »
Love love the recipe . It did , however come out a bit dry. I did cover it well so I’m not sure what happened but the flavor was incredible.
I think i can answer my own question now that it’s made. It does rise a good amount in the oven, so to be able to cover it with foil at the end we can’t have a good amount of the bread rising above the edge . So it’s perfect the way it is for 2 lovely loaves LoL. I’ll take a picture once it’s fully cooled and can unwrap the foil 😉
It’s a darn good thing it makes two loaves: one for me, one for my husband. If you come over to visit, maybe you can talk him into a slice from his loaf. Mine, not so much. I was thinking I’d wrap and freeze one for when the kids come to visit. Now I’m thinking I’ll just do another doubled batch: one for me, one for my husband, one for my granddaughter, one for her parents and uncles and aunts to fight over. I think that’s fair. 😉
Would you please do a video showing the best way to line a loaf pan with parchment paper? This is a struggle for me and I’m sure there are some hints you could share to make it easier.
Made this last weekend and my family thoroughly enjoyed it toasted with butter! We’ve never heard of jamaican gingerbread before but i’ll def be using the recipe again.
It was moist and deliciously spiced! I added some chopped walnuts at the top for some crunch.. will probably try adding some bits of crystallised ginger next round. Thanks for this recipe!
I am excited to try this recipe. Since the top is somewhat sticky, can the loaves be easily frozen? If so, what is the best way to wrap them to put in the freezer?