Gingerbread

[Roxanne 21]

Looking for a tried and true gingerbread cake recipe---PLEASE???

Peter asked me to make one today and I cannot believe that I have never made one!!! Why on earth would he come up with that idea---no clue!!!

Would love to hear your opinions!!!

[cjs]

How funny - when you all (or whomever...) was talking about gingerbread cookies, I kept salivating for gingerbread!! I just love it!


Cora’s daughter's gingerbread

2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup molasses
3/4 cup butter -- melted
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ginger
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup boiling water

Beat the eggs slightly. add the sugar, molasses, and melted butter to the eggs. Sift the dry stuff and add to the sugar mixture. Slowly add boiling water.
Bake in buttered 13x9 baking dish @ 350 oven for 30 - 40 mins.

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I love it right out of the oven.....shoot, now I'm really going to have to make one!

[bjcotton]

Here is one, I haven't tried it yet, that is from the same woman, Maida Heatter, that wrote the White Pepper and Ginger Lemon Cake. Sounds fantastic.


* Exported from MasterCook *

Gingerbrede Cake

Recipe By :Maida Heatter
Serving Size : 16 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : A List Cakes-Pies-Cookies

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
3 cups sifted all purpose flour
2 tablespoons ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons mace
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins (5 oz)
boiling water
4 ounces unsalted butter (1 stick)
1/4 cup dark or light brown sugar -- firmly packed
1/2 cup light molasses and 1/2 cup dark molasses (I use 1 cup of either)
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup bourbon, dark rum, brandy, or sherry
1/2 cup milk
3 large eggs -- beaten to mix
1/4 cup orange juice
1 orange -- zested
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons warm water

Adjust a rack one-third up from the bottom of the oven and preheat oven to 350°. Line a 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan as follows: Turn the pan over, and cover it with a piece of foil (shiny side down), 17 or 18 inches long. Fold down the sides and the corners of the foil to shape, remove the foil, turn the pan right side up, put the foil in the pan, and carefully press it into place. To butter the foil, place a piece of butter in the pan, place the pan in the oven until the butter melts, then, with a pastry brush or wax paper, spread the butter all over the foil. Set the pan aside.

Sift together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, cream of tartar, and salt. Set aside.

Cover the raisins with boiling water, let stand for about 5 minutes, drain in a strainer, and then spread on paper towels to dry.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter until soft, add the sugar, and beat to mix. Add the molasses and honey and beat well. Then add the sifted dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the bourbon and milk in one addition, and the eggs and orange juice in another addition.


Dissolve the baking soda in the warm water and mix into the batter. (This is a very old-fashioned method that still works well.)

Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the grated orange rind and the raisins.

Turn into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly pressed with a fingertip.

Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Then cover it with a cookie sheet or a large rack, turn over the pan an the sheet or rack, remove the pan, peel off the foil, cover with a large rack, and turn to finish cooling right side up.

When the cake is cool, carefully slide it onto a board. Use a long, thin, sharp knife to cut it into squares or slices.

Source:
"Maida Heatter's Cakes"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

NOTES : This is a recipe that was used by Mary Ball Washington, George's mother. It is very spicy. And equally delicious. Serve it as a coffee cake or a tea cake, or serve it with ice-cold buttermilk (a great combination). Or with vanilla ice cream as a dessert.

[MUSICMAKER]

Billy, I have made this cake, a number of times....it is the ONLY gingerbread cake we make and consume here! It is spicy, but not overly so (MHO). Should try it! It's sure to become one of your favs! It is also good with a lemon curd, with a few very, very thin strips of lemon zest for deco! Also good as is with a nice tea! yummmmm!

[Mare749]

Billy, you are making me want to get that cookbook! This sounds fantastic! Thanks for posting.

Maryann

[Roxanne 21]

Thanks for the suggestions!! I'll let you know what I come up with sometime this week...I looked through all of my baking cookbooks and they are pretty much the same except for one by Dorie Greenspan's FROM MY FAMILY TO YOURS--

I received that book a couple of months ago and haven't baked anything from there yet -- something interesting stuff there.

Jean---yours looks so quick and easy!! Dorie's looks a bit more complicated but similar to Billy's suggestion.

Do you use any type of icing?? She has a chocolate glaze.

[cjs]

No topping for me on gingerbread. If a Maida Heatter recipe is at hand, that's the one I would use - I love her recipes. Mine is just a simple good one.

On second thot (and rereading the recipe), no - personally I don't like my gingerbread messed with and I don't think I'd like the addition of orange and raisins in mine. Just a personal preference - this is one Maida recipe I'd probably skip.

[bjcotton]

I am going to attempt to have this done when Carol and Marilee (two sisters) come over. Can I sub anything for Cream of Tartar?

[cjs]

Billy, in our handy dandy Food Lover's Companion - it says to sub for -

1 tsp. Bakig powder, double acting - use - 1/4 tsp. baking soda + 5/8 tsp. cream of tartar. so why not just work backwards??

[DFen911]

I just watched on the food network about Ginger Bread Cake and it sounded wonderful. Maybe that's the ticket instead of the cookies.