Gingerbread Cake

This is my first attempt at making gingerbread and I couldn’t be happier.  I’d always been biased against gingerbread thinking it would taste like the very adorable, but often dry and hard gingerbread cookies you see at Christmastime.  Last Christmas I got a silicone cake pan that makes 6 small gingerbread cakes so I decided to give it a shot.  My criteria for choosing a recipe was that I already had all of the ingredients in the house which is how I stumbled on this one from the King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion.

I have to say I think it’s one of the best cakes I’ve ever made.  In addition to the 6 gingerbread men I made an 8 x 8 cake and I’ve eaten the whole thing myself this week.  Typically I don’t make recipes more than once, but I’m eager to make this recipe again in different variations.  I’m thinking a layer cake with orange cream cheese frosting or maybe in a loaf pan with some raisins and nuts added in.

In addition to being really delicious, the cakes comes together in about 15 minutes and has stayed fresh for five days and counting.

Gingerbread Plus

from The King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion

note: If you like spicy gingerbread you should increase the spices and maybe add some black pepper as well

3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup corn syrup or golden syrup
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. fresh ginger grated on a microplane or finely chopped
1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the sugar, molasses, syrup, melted butter, oil, eggs, and fresh ginger beating until smooth.  Stir in flour, baking soda, spices, and salt.  Then carefully stir in the water; go slowly, as it will want to splash up.  Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and stir in any of the pastry patches that have gathered there.

Pour the batter into a lightly greased 9 x 13 pan.  Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the top of the cake springs backs when pressed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.