Beautifully spiced and with a truly amazing crumb), this low carb gingerbread loaf (made with some actual blackstrap molasses) might just be, well, what Christmas tastes like.

Low Carb Gingerbread Loaf

Almond Flour!

You see, we’ve got here all the hallmarks of a terrific gingerbread loaf: a tender and ultra moist crumb, that buttery melt in your mouth situation, and a beautifully complex spice mix (which only intensifies after an overnight rest).

Just be sure to top it all off with the glaze to hit those ultra citrusy notes.

The Deets

We’re doing things a tad bit different here vs traditional pound cake methodology (i.e. creaming the butter with the sweetener). You see, I’ve found the texture and final crumb come out *much* better if you whisk the sweetener with the eggs instead until light and fluffy.

The texture of the eggs and sweetener will thicken and grow in volume significantly after beating it for a couple minutes with an electric mixer or a whisk (but only go for the latter if you’re an actual pro).

The Flours

I like a mixture of super fine almond flour and coconut flour (I always use Anthony’s!). Add a touch of (grass-fed) whey protein isolate (for structure), xanthan gum (you know, to replace the gluten) and we’re golden.

And if just grain free (i.e. carbs aren’t a constraint), feel free to sub 1/4 cup almond flour with arrowroot starch for an extra fluffy loaf.

The Gingerbread Spices

When you think of gingerbread, perhaps needless to say, but we’re talking about predominantly about a mix of ginger and cinnamon, with highlights of cloves and nutmeg (freshly ground preferably) and a touch of freshly ground black pepper to round everything up.

Still, I had a mishap this time around where I swapped cloves for allspice… and I gotta say it was a beautiful accident and I’ll now be adding this pungent spice forever more :).

So don’t be afraid of the seemingly long list of ingredients, as most of them are spices (and salt etc) and I’m fairly certain that they’re staples in your pantry.

The Sweetener

This recipe is what I like to call a prime example of how adding some actual sugar (i.e. the blackstrap molasses) to what is otherwise a fully keto recipe helps a better rise while baking and ultimately a better structure as the cooled loaf doesn’t collapse much at all (take my keto lemon pound cake as a comparison).

I think sometimes it’s easy to ‘blame’ the gluten… but imo sugar can have an even greater effect (also in the browning, as my edges even got a little crisp!).

Otherwise I gotta say, you guys, that I’ve found that imho keto muffins, (white) cakes, pound cakes, etc. work best with erythritol sweeteners (per usual here, my favorite is Lakanto).

You see, I find that erythritol behaves much more like sugar in these cases in terms of texture and rise… while allulose has the unfortunate quality at times of behaving more like a wet ingredient, resulting in dense, over-browned (deep yellow/orange?) and wet centers. It’s a bit of a weird one (feel free to chime in the comments).

If you’re opting for the lemon glaze (and I’m totally twisting your hand about it!), your best option is allulose (or xylitol*) because barely any after taste. But it must be powdered.

So get your blender out, make sure it’s completely dry, and process your sweetener of choice until powdered. Just make sure you wait a few moments for the dust to settle before opening the blender or food processor.

Or you can always grab a bag of Lakanto powdered.

And if just gluten free, use regular cane sugar.

*pssst!! if using xylitol, make sure to be careful if you have a pup (or kitty) around the house, as it’s highly toxic to the little guys!

Pssst! Looking for a fully keto option? My (2g net carb!) gingerbread cupcakes are the way to go!