It’s been a tough year. But this time of the year still feels magical and I hope all of you have a Merry Christmas. It is not Christmas in our house unless the aroma of gingerbread cakes in the oven wafts through the air, ushering in that festive feeling in our hearts and home. Over the years baking gingerbread cakes or cookies has become a cherished tradition in our family, a favorite activity during the Holidays.
Baking gingerbread brings ineffable emotions in me. Takes me back in time to days when my boys had just learned to identify dinosaurs; and digging dirt was their favorite pastime. Days when they would follow me around as I am about to conjure up these gingerbread men cookies. Their eyes glued to the oven window watching the dough transform into these gingerbread men, their gullible minds full of the story that if you don’t watch them close enough gingerbread men may escape and run away. Those wide-eyed innocent days were some of the best days of our lives.
While the boys are past that fantastical age, their fascination for gingerbread remains. Magic still happens when ginger, molasses with a hint of orange hits the air as these gingerbread cakes bake in the oven. These are perfect treats on cold wintry nights with a cup of hot cocoa.
Making and eating gingerbread is quite synonymous with the Holidays. But I truly believe it should not be relegated to only Christmas time and Holidays. A dessert with this stature of cozy appeal needs to be baked more often. This version here delivers all the flavors of gingerbread and is so easy to make.
Recipe
| Ingredients | |
|---|---|
 | 2 cups all purpose flour |
| 1 teaspoon baking soda |
| 1 ½ teaspoon ground ginger |
| 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon |
| ¼ teaspoon ground cloves |
| ½ teaspoon salt |
| 8 tablespoon (1 stick) unsalted butter |
| ¾ cup brown sugar |
| 2 large eggs |
| ½ cup molasses |
| Zest of an orange |
| 1 teaspoon vanilla extract |
| ⅔ cup hot water |
| Instructions | |
|---|---|
| Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan or individual gingerbread house and Christmas tree molds |
| Sift together flour, baking soda, spices, and salt into a bowl |
| | In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat butter and brown sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes |
| Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in molasses and vanilla. Add the orange zest |
| Reduce speed to low and beat in flour mixture |
| Add the hot water and mix until batter is smooth, about 1 minute |
| Pour batter into baking pan. Bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes |
| If you choose to bake gingerbread in smaller pans like I did, reduce the baking time to 20 minutes. Do not over bake. Decorate with icing and dust with powdered sugar if you like |
If you make these Gingerbread Cakes for the Holidays, please leave a comment. I would love to hear from you! And if you do make this recipe, please don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or your favorite social media platform! I would love to see pictures of your creations.
Inspiration: Christmas
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