These are the tastes and scents of the holiday baked inside a warm, rich mahogany cake. One whiff, one bite and your senses are filled with the beauty of the season!
My Mom always made gingerbread when we headed into the holiday season. The aroma of this cake baking in my kitchen stirs her memory to life!
Typically when we think of gingerbread, cookies are the first things that come to mind. Gingerbread dates back to the 1700s, so I think we can safely classify it as vintage! The cake has a slightly stout, almost robust undertone to it. It’s made with similar ingredients used in gingerbread cookies – molasses plus spices of ground ginger and cinnamon. Buttermilk is used for a tender crumb, interacting with the baking soda for that lift and butter for the richness it adds.
When shopping for molasses go for dark, unsulphured molasses, but not black strap as it has a slightly bitter taste. You can typically find molasses alongside the honey and syrup in food markets. I keep it on hand, obviously for gingerbread but it also adds an earthy note to French onion soup.
The batter is a glorious and golden, giving you a hint of what’s to come.
It’s the perfect cake to celebrate the holidays along with a dollop of whipped cream to accent those glorious, seasonal flavors.
Gingerbread
½ cup butter, room temperature
½ cup sugar
1 extra-large egg
2-¼ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup buttermilk
¾ cup molasses
Sweetened whipped cream for serving
Beat the butter on medium speed until very creamy. Pour in the sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the egg and continue beating on medium speed until well blended, and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, kosher salt, ginger and cinnamon together.
Using low speed, add the flour mixture about ½ cup at a time, alternating with the buttermilk, mixing until the flour is just blended into the batter.
Pour in the molasses and mix for about 1 minute.
Pour the batter into a 9” square baking dish that has been greased and floured. Bake in a 325-degree oven for 40 minutes or until the cake tests done.
Serve with a dollop of whipped cream!
Serves 8 to 10.
Gingerbread
Equipment
- Electric mixer
- 9" square baking dish
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 extra-large egg
- 2-¼ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ¾ cup molasses (not black strapped)
- Sweetened whipped cream for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325-degrees. Grease and flour a 9" baking dish.
- Beat the butter on medium speed until very creamy. Pour in the sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the egg and continue beating on medium speed until well blended, and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, kosher salt, ginger and cinnamon together.
- Using low speed, add the flour mixture about ½ cup at a time, alternating with the buttermilk, mixing until the flour is just blended into the batter.
- Pour in the molasses and mix for about 1 minute.
- Pour the batter into a 9” square baking dish that has been greased and floured. Bake in a 325-degree oven for 40 minutes or until the cake tests done.
- Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.
