Tuesday, March 10, 2009

116. Old-Fashioned Gingerbread (p. 703)

When I think of gingerbread, I usually think about little houses and the little men who live in them. This recipe ain't that kind of gingerbread. It's so much better. The cookies and houses are usually dry and flavorless. They're really all about the frosting and gumdrop buttons. This cake is moist, spicy and delicious.

This is a pretty easy recipe that you could throw together in a few minutes before you cook dinner, and you could have a fresh, tasty dessert ready to enjoy in no time. You probably already have everything you need in your cupboards and fridge right now. Go check, I'll wait.

Ok, now that you're back, all you need to do is sift together the dry ingredients. Then in a separate bowl, beat together some butter and brown sugar. Add some eggs and molasses, and then the dry ingredients, bit by bit, and finally some hot water. Pour the batter into a pan and bake. Really, could it be any easier?

This is a perfect casual dessert. It's best served warm out of the oven (a little sweetened whipped cream doesn't hurt) It's great with a cup of coffee the next day at about 10 o'clock in the morning (a little something that I refer to as "second breakfast").

As I said, this cake is moist and delicious. And spicy ... the hefty doses of ginger, cinnamon and cloves give this cake a nice punch, and the molasses give it a nice rich, smoky flavor. It's a classic that I'll make again and again.

Date Cooked: February 21, 2009
Degree of Difficulty: Pretty easy
Rating: A

1 comment:

Melissa Bach Palladino said...

I LOVED this cake. Yum. My mouth is watering just looking at the picture!