It may be the end of January, but that doesn’t mean that I’m giving up on all of the fun flavors associated with Christmas.  Sure, the holidays have come and gone, but it’s still winter.  It’s still cold, and who doesn’t need some cheer in the form of a delectable dessert at the end of a frigid January day?

I added gingerbread to my 30 While 30 list fully expecting to make it during the Christmas season.  Life (and 28 dozen cookies) got in the way, but an impromptu dinner with my mother-in-law presented the perfect opportunity to give this recipe a whirl.

This cake is just perfect.  The crumb is moist and dense – leaning more towards the consistency of a quick bread than a standard cake.   It has all of the hallmark gingerbread flavors – rich molasses, warm cinnamon and spicy ginger and cloves.  Serve it with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkling of cinnamon alongside your favorite hot beverage for the perfect winter day finale.

Gingerbread

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup light molasses
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
heaping 1/2 tsp ground ginger
heaping 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
scant 2/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup boiling water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour one 8 inch square baking pan. (I prefer to line a pan with foil and use cooking spray…easier clean-up!)
2. Cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add the egg and molasses, beating until well-combined.
4. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, ground ginger, ground cinnamon and ground cloves.
5. Once water has come to a boil, alternately add the water and flour mixture to the creamed mixture. Beat well after each addition.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Tags: 30 While 30 - Beth, cake

This entry was posted on Monday, January 24th, 2011 at 7:52 pm and is filed under Baked Goods. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.