Gingerbread Cake

I originally got this recipe from a "Needlecraft" magazine from the 1920s or 30s, from a molasses advertisement that claimed it was a one hundred and fifty year old recipe. Not exactly though, because it had measurements and instructions and everything, so it had at least been updated for the times. They did call for vegetable oil and I would be surprised if they hadn't been using lard a hundred and fifty years earlier. I have meddled with it since myself; I changed the flour and therefore the quantity required (if you want to use soft unbleached flour you can go back to the original 2 1/4 cups), the amount of spices (much more, thank you), and reduced the amount of molasses. So hardly anything, really. It's still a (now) 250 year old recipe for gingerbread. Or so you can tell yourself.

Gingerbread is a very old concept and it comes in every version from thick, hard slabs to the lightest and fluffiest of cakes, which is what this one is. I used to make this a lot so I was surprised to realize I have never posted it. Has it been that long since I made it?! Apparently yes. I was thinking I should start back up making it often - soon again, in fact - but then the 2 of us polished it off in less than 24 hours and now I have to reconsider. There may be a good reason I haven't made it in so long... you have been warned!

Be sure you use fancy molasses (the mild kind) and not blackstrap which is just too much.

12 servings
1 hour - 15 minutes prep time

Mix the Dry Ingredients:
2 1/3 cups whole spelt flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt

Measure these out into a small mixing bowl and blend them thoroughly.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of a 9" spring-form pan with parchment paper, and butter and flour the sides. Put some water on to boil.

Finish the Gingerbread:
3/4 cups Sucanat OR dark brown sugar
1/2 cup mild vegetable oil OR soft  unsalted butter
1 large egg
3/4 cup fancy molasses
1 cup boiling water

Measure the Sucanat and oil (or butter) into a large mixing bowl. Break in the egg. Beat them together with an electric mixer until well blended. Add the molasses and beat again, then add the boiling water and beat again for just a minute.

Begin adding the dry ingredients, about a quarter at a time, beating in well between each addition. It is a good idea to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and give it one final beat.

Scrape the batter, which will be quite thin, into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until it springs back when lightly touched in the middle, or it passes the old toothpick test.

Let cool on a rack at least 10 minutes before removing the sides of the pan, and let cool completely (or almost) before serving.





Last year at this time I made Quick Pan Chicken Gravy with Incidental Chicken Fingers.

Posted in: Ontario Food