The best gingerbread cake

Today woke up dreary and grey with rain steady from the sky.  It was the perfect day for gingerbread.  I had 1/3 of a cup of molasses left, and the recipe for an awesome gingerbread cake in my newest edition of Cooks Illustrated, it couldn't have worked out better.  As I started to bake, mixing the beer, sugar and molasses, I began to swoon, and by the time it hit the oven I already knew it was the best gingerbread I'd ever smelled.  The only hurdle to overcome was the dreaded collapsed center but the article promised a sturdy middle and it delivered.  The cake came out perfect.

I went for my daily walk and come back an hour later fully soaked and cold to the bone, the smell hit me once I opened the door.  I hung my coat to dry and turned on the kettle.  Before I knew it I was blissfully consuming a large slice of cake topped with a soft, unsweetened whipped cream and a big mug of tea.  You might think "whipped cream on gingerbread cake? Weird."  But no, not weird.  The word you are looking for is, awesome.  Whipped cream on gingerbread cake is awesome.  The end.

The Best Gingerbread Ever Created


This recipe is slightly adapted from Cooks Illustrated.


I made half this recipe in a 9x5 inch pan and it worked wonderfully.  It still took 40 minutes to cook.


Ingredients:
3/4 c stout beer, I used Guinness which CI recommends
1/2 tsp baking soda
2/3 c mild molasses
150 g (3/4 c) light brown sugar
50 g (1/4 c) sugar
180 g (1 1/2 c) flour
2 Tbsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 eggs
1/3 c vegetable oil
1 Tbsp finely grated fresh ginger

Directions:
With rack in middle of the oven, preheat to 350 F.  Grease a 8x8 inch pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. (Important, mine stuck.)  Bring the beer to a boil in a medium saucepan.  When it boils remove from heat and stir in baking soda.  After it foams vigorously, stir in molasses and sugars until dissolved; set mixture aside.  Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and spices together in a large bowl.

Transfer the molasses mixture to a large bowl.  Whisk in eggs, oil and grated ginger.  Combine wet ingredients with dry ones in three additions, whisking vigorously between each, until completely smooth.  There is no risk of over mixing, in fact the batter needs to be beaten really well to keep from sinking when it bakes.

Transfer the batter into the prepared cake pan and tap against the counter a few times to shake and large air bubbles loose.  Bake until the cake top is just firm to touch and an inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 35-45 minutes. Cool on a wire rack, 1 1/2 hours.  Serve the cake with whipped cream and enjoy.

Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

I want to introduce you to these.  They sure don't look or sound like much, but are they ever good!?  Chocolate Gingerbread cookies.  Not really anything to the name, but they are my favourite thing I've made this season.  I made them on a whim, for a night of wine and cheese, ha! they've got nothing to do with wine or cheese, but we gobbled them none the less.

They are chewy, a huge plus in any cookie and very complex.  They are spicy with ginger and dark with a tiny bit of crunch all around the outside from the sugar.  They feel so decadent, but I can't. stop. eating.

Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies


I found these here.


1 heaping cup of semisweet chocolate chunks, chopped
180 g (1 1/2 c) ap flour
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1 tbsp cocoa powder
125 g (1/2 c) butter
100 g (1/2 c packed) brown sugar
1/2 c molasses
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp boiling water
granulated sugar, for rolling

Cover a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment.  In a medium bowl sift flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cocoa.  Set some water on the stove to boil.

In a mixing bowl cream butter on medium-high speed for three minutes until it is white and very creamy.  Add brown sugar mixing until combined.  Pour in molasses and combine.

In a small bowl mix together baking soda and boiling water.  First beat in half of the flour mix, then all of the baking soda/water mix and then the remainder of the flour mix.  Mix in chocolate chips (Batter will be very stiff) and dump out onto a piece of plastic wrap.  Pat into a one inch thick rectangle, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least two hours.

Heat oven to 325 degrees.  Cut dough into 24 equal pieces.  Roll each piece into a ball and coat in sugar.  I would place no more than 8 per cookie sheet, they spread a lot.  Place extra cookies in the fridge to chill while waiting for their turn to bake.  Bake for 14-16 minutes until the tops crack slightly.  Cool on the sheet for five minutes and then move to a cooling rack.