Friday, December 16, 2011

Old Fashioned Ginger Bread


this deep dark moist ginger molasses cake screams...

HELLO HOLIDAYS...

I'M EATIN' SWEETS AND I DON'T CARE !!!


yes, there are many ginger bread recipes out there...i think i looked at them all.  i had intended to bake good ol' Betty Crockers' ginger bread because i think it's always a classic when found in the tattered old 3 ring binder recipe book that i use as my tried and true recipes....
BUT then i fell on this recipe by a fellow blogger from London.  well, anything from "across the pond" goes over well in this house full of Anglophiles.

you must visit Marie Rayner's post about this wonderful cake...The English Kitchen
she explains how she came about this recipe and calling it "THE WORLD'S BEST"...
she came up with the recipe after years of trying many many ginger breads and finally through trial and error she tweaked this one to perfection.  it's a "no-fail" recipe if followed to the "T".  i did as suggested and the cake turned out absolutely delicious,

i know everybody probably has their favorite ginger bread cake recipe that their Grandmother used to make at X-mas, BUT you really should try this one just for kicks

YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MANY WORLD'S BEST CAKE RECIPES IN YOUR ARSENAL...


WORLD'S BEST GINGER BREAD CAKE
copied for your convenience below

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 1 /2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
8 1/2 ounces of plain flour (2 cups)
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
10 fluid ounces of boiling water (1 1/4 cups)
2 fluid ounces of dark treacle
4 fluid ounces of Golden Syrup
(you may use 6 ounces of mild molasses instead (3/4 cup)...I USED MOLASSES
3/4 tsp baking soda
6 Tbsp butter, softened
5.6 ounces of dark brown sugar (3/4 cup, packed)
1 large egg at room temp.

preheat oven to 350 F.  butter and flour a 9 inch square baking tin...set aside
I USED AN 8 INCH SQUARE AND FILLED 1 SILICON MUFFIN CUP

add the treacle and syrup, OR molasses to the boiling water along with the baking soda.  set aside and let cool to room temperature.

cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy with an electric whisk (i used the paddle attachment).  beat the egg with a fork and then beat it into the butter mixture a little at a time.  whisk together the flour, spices, baking powder and salt...set aside.  On low speed add the cooled water syrup (or molasses) mixture to the creamed mixture.  stir (low speed mixer w/paddle attachment)in the dry ingredients only to blend.  pour into the prepared baking tin.

bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until well risen and the tops springs back when lightly touched, or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  i always do the toothpick test.

this cake is fabulous on it's own, but Marie suggests serving with a Spiced Lemon Sauce (found here with the original)...sound divine, BUT i was lazy and didn't have a lemon in the house so i simply went to the cupboard and whipped out some caramel sauce.  oh boy...that worked !


22 comments:

Karen Harris said...

This looks very much like my favorite from England, sticky toffee pudding. I'll be trying this soon. I have to tell you that upon your recommendation I tried the flourless chocolate cookie recipe and fell in love. I totally agree with your mother. They do indeed taste like an expensive bakery cookie. They are now on my list of favorite cookies. Delicious and super easy to make.

DG said...

Wow this looks absolutely amazing and is now on my holiday menu!

Angie's Recipes said...

o my...this looks dangerously delicious, luscious and so festive!

Simply Tia said...

Awesome recipe!! I can’t wait to try it! It looks so rich and decadent! Yummmmmyyyy!

Simply Tia said...

Awesome recipe!! I can’t wait to try it! This looks so rich and decadent. Yum Yum Yummy!

Beth Michelle said...

Ive never had classic gingerbread but this makes me wish that I could try it right now!

Anonymous said...

I just made the cake yesterday. It was PERFECT!!! I used tea instead of just plain water - but I don't think that changed the taste much from what it intended to be. I advise not to eat on the day it's made - tastes quite naive. The next day, I notice that the moisture oozes out of the cake and the flavour is just full-on, mature and just right and absolutely gorgeous - yet not heavy. I made butterscotch sauce to accompany it (http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/10377/sticky+toffee+pudding+with+butterscotch+sauce). The molasses I used gave it such a beautiful attractiveness and addictiveness to its flavour. Next time I would up the ginger a bit, just because I like bit more tang. I made this just for myself, and because of the hot weather now, have to store it in the fridge. As it's so rich eaten with this sauce, I think the cake is going to last me for about two weeks - but I'll never get sick of this. This and the sauce make such a fantastic combination. Amazing and so worth the effort!!!

Jules and Ruby said...

Anonymous...wow ! so happy to hear you loved this delicious cake...and you're right, it's a great cake the first day, but it's a FABULOUS cake the next day. more ginger?...all for it. i love ginger. maybe some crystalized ginger pieces...or served with ginger syrup.
thanks for the great report

Katie said...

Can you please tell me what treacle is? The cake looks wonderful!

Jules and Ruby said...

hi Katie...treacle is an English thing. i believe they use it like we use molasses. you can substitute with molasses. i i was lucky enough to find treacle and golden syrup, but molasses has the same qualities...don't mention i said this to a true Englishman, please...

tara said...

I am looking forward to making this yummy cake. does anyone know if this could be made in a bread pan??

Jules and Ruby said...

hi Tara...i'm not sure....never tried it, but i'm thinking it might not cook well because it is already quite moist in the 9 x 9. if you don't fill the loaf pan as much it might be okay. is it that you don't own a 9 x 9?...or you just want to make loaves?...best bet is to stick to the 9 x9 for the first try. thanks for the comment. i would love to know what happens....jules

Anonymous said...

Looks Delish! Can/has anyone doubled the recipe to bake in a 9x12 pan? If so how did it turn out. I would like to bake this for our meeting, however I would need the recipe to serve about 25 so I would like to bake it in larger pans.
thanks so much for this lush recipe~

Jules and Ruby said...

hi Anonymous...could you just bake two 9 inch pans? i don't feel comfortable saying that a 9x12 will work for a double recipe....maybe someone else will chime in with an answer?...hope all goes well and hope you try it...jules

Kay The Baker said...

It's my fathers birthday..My father loves gingerbread. Be it cookies or cake he loves it because his grandmother (our great grandmother) used to bake cookies at Christmas time using a very old recipe and even decorated them with royal icing like you see in old movies. When she passed away at 99 years old, I have never been able to live up to her cookies..(and that is saying a lot seeing I'm going to Johnson & Wales University for a 4-year baking and pastry degree..) this recipe look's wonderful and I cannot wait to try it. Maybe this will be something that can sort of live up to the wonderful things Ma made for dad growing up and us grandkids growing up.
(If you are wondering why not just use her recipe it is because she knew it by memory and would never write it down because she didn't know exact measurements, she would just say "a bit of this and a bunch of that" which doesn't help me heh'..)

Jules and Ruby said...

hi Kay the baker...baking and pastry degree, how cool is that. well, i hope this recipe suits your father. i remember it being quite delicious. lucky to have your gran for 99 yrs...mine was just shy of 108 !!!!! so lucky to have them...right?
anyway, hope this works for ya. thanks and would love a report how it turns out...J

Anonymous said...

Ok,this is a very delicious cake.just what I've been looking for but.....it fell in the center,ahhhh.not pretty but is Ummmmy. What happened?? I'm curious about the hot water,soda thing as well

Unknown said...

I made this cake last night so that it would be “ready” for tonight’s dinner. You have every right to claim it the world’s best. Perfect. Really good food is far more than sustenance and sensory pleasure. It is a gateway to our memories and dreams. Like Proust’s Madeleine, your cake brought back a rush of wonderful memories. Summers in the 1980’s in a seaside village where we did Summer Stock and might well have starved had it not been for the local tearoom’s abundant and generous supply of moist rich gingerbread and whipped cream. Thank you for your generosity in sharing this recipe. – David Bennett

Anonymous said...

I made this cake today and wow...it's terrific. Thanks for sharing this winner.

Anonymous said...

Wow, I just made this and it is absolutely AMAZING! I made half a recipe and baked it in a loaf pan. While it was baking I whipped up some homemade caramel sauce and all I can say is wowsers! Still warm, drizzled with warm caramel sauce - dreamy. They compliment each other perfectly.
Thank you sooo much for this amazing recipe.

Anonymous said...

Delicious!! Thanks for this recipe. I changed it around a bit but it still turned out perfect. I used wholemeal flour, 2 eggs instead of one and substituted the butter for oil. I used molasses but I think golden syrup would be better next time. Overall so fluffy and moist. I made caramel sauce to pour over. Mmmmmmm!

LorLak said...

This was fabulous! Made it per instructions. Exceptionally delicious moist Gingerbread. I served it to a bridge group and they were loving it! Topped it with homemade caramel. Yummmmyyy!!!!

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