Gingerbread takes the cake

Plenty of foods are associated with Christmastime, but none perhaps as familiar as gingerbread. Although the slightly spicy and warming tang of gingerbread often is enjoyed in cookie form or baked into panels used to create gingerbread houses, the spice combination of ginger, cloves and cinnamon can impart a delicious flavor to cakes as well.
This holiday season, whip up this recipe for “Tender Gingerbread Cake” from “Butter, Flour, Sugar, Joy” (Sourcebooks) by Danielle Kartes.

Tender Gingerbread Cake

Yield: 1 cake

• 1 cup packed muscovado sugar (dark brown works great)
• 1⁄2 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1⁄4 cup plain full-fat Greek or plain yogurt
• 13⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1⁄4 teaspoon apple pie spice
• 1 cup hot water
• 3⁄4 cup molasses

Garnishes

• 1⁄2 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 cup pomegranate arils

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9-by-9-inch cake pan with parchment paper.
Cream the sugar, butter, and vanilla on low speed, 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until just incorporated, then scrape down the sides of the bowl and gently fold the yogurt into the batter.
In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices together.
In a third bowl, mix the hot water and molasses together.
Now mix the dry ingredients into the batter in 3 additions, alternating with the hot molasses water. Do not overmix.
Pour the batter into your lined pan and bake 25 to 30 minutes until the cake is well baked. Allow the gingerbread to cool, then dust with confectioners’ sugar and pomegranate arils. This cake is also lovely with cream cheese icing! Serve and enjoy. PC24C492