Welcome back! If you haven't already, why not subscribe to my free newsletter & blog updates, so you never miss a recipe. You can easily unsubscribe any time. Thanks for visiting!
Gingerbread. Go on. Dust it up.
Wait. I know what you’re thinking. It’s kind of more of a chestnuts-roasting-on-an-open-fire deal-i-o, so I’m gettin’ ahead of myself.
Pish posh! The rich, moist and fragrant goodness of this gingerbread feels just right for Thanksgiving – or even for plain ol’ giving thanks (that’s for you, Canada). However you like it, you’re gonna like this. Bake it right before family arrives, and they’ll be putty in your hands. Oh the aroma!
You know how we start. With your basic dry ingredients. As per usual.
Then it gets interesting.
Add some molasses. That there? Blackstrap molasses. If you don’t dig it, use the regular unsulphured kind. It’s cool. I’m not the boss of you. I just work here, so I do what they tell me.
Then some pure maple syrup. You’re gonna want to use the good stuff here.
Don’t skimp on the honey, now.
Some packed brown sugar.
Softened butter. Poor butter. It looks sad, yet it makes me so happy.
An egg. A gee eff baker’s bee eff eff.
Warm water. Get in the pool.
And some oil. For the love of it.
Pour it in. Nice and smooth. Keep your eyes on the smooth, pourable batter. If you did any switcharoos with the ingredients, be sure the consistency of the batter is right, just the same. It does matter!
You know what to do next…*
*eat it, silly*
| Gingerbread Cake |
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I use Better Batter)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum (omit if using Better Batter)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsulphured molasses (I use blackstrap, but you don’t have to)
- 6 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 4 tablespoons honey
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 extra-large egg
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting (optional)
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch square baking pan and set it aside. It’s like that.
- In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum (but you’re using Better Batter, so you don’t need all that jazz, right?), baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and granulated sugar. Whisk to combine well.
- Add the brown sugar, molasses, maple syrup, honey, butter and egg. Mix to combine as best you can. It will be lumpy. But not for long. Add the water, and mix well. It will be smooth (see the photo). Add the oil, and blend.
- Pour into the prepared pan. Place the pan in the center of the preheated oven, and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with, at most, a few moist crumbs attached, about 30 minutes, give or take. The liquid sugars tend to blacken the cake on the bottom, but it still tastes good. Pinky promise.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with optional powdered sugar, to make it pretty. No other real reason.
This is your basic bridge-the-gap between Thanksgiving and the Christmas season cake. It works for both! It makes people happy!
Love,
Me
P.S. It’s Friday! We survived one another’s company for a whole 5 days this week. And I’m woman enough to admit it: I’ve never loved you more. And I’ve never felt like this before. See you Monday? Miss me over the weekend, k?
P.P.S. The Gluten-Free on a Shoestring Community Page is coming soon (this weekend, maybe?). And it’s gonna be the cat’s meow — if we use it! Promise to meet me there? We’ll ask, we’ll answer. We’ll kibbitz. Promise me!
P.P.P.S. Don’t forget to enter the Barney Butter Giveaway. It closes next Tuesday, so chop chop! Don’t miss out. It’s a big prize: a gift pack with crunchy almond butter, smooth almond butter, and squeeze packs PLUS their superfly superfine Almond Flour. Check it.
P.P.P.P.S. Just kidding. That’s it.
Don't miss a recipe! Stay connected. Enter your email address: |
I love gingerbread!!!! And I love cake:)
That looks devine!
I love gingerbread cake! It reminds me home. Thank you.
Have a LOVERLY weekend, Nicole…I’ll be baking and smiling…because Scott loves it when I bake…and he’s decided he loves you, too! Thanks!
You, too, Pam. Tell Scott I love him, too. And Molly. Who wouldn’t love a gluten-free dog? ;)
xoxo Nicole
:) Mollycake’s loves you too!!! that is as long as she can be a tester…which I daresay she is here!
Am going to be all over this one, Nikki. Add gingerbread to my weekend–and blackstrap yes! I was so happy to find GF blackstrap molasses a while back. Can’t beat the taste! Years and years ago, my grandma made gingerbread cake. If there was any left the next day (big ‘if’), she would make a lemon syrup to liven it up a bit–delicious.
Oooh lemon syrup sounds amazing with gingerbread cake, Linda. Sign me up!
I love blackstrap molasses, too. So does my husband. He’ll eat anything with that deep, rich flavor in it. Love the nostalgia!
xoxo Nicole
Did somebody say “black strap molasses”?!??!?!
That’s what it took for you to post a comment on the blog. 2 1/2 years blogging, nothing. Blackstrap molasses, and you jump in?
You ate this last night, hon. You loved it.
xo Nik
Oh my goodness, I was DYING for a good gingerbread recipe just the other week. THANK YOU!!! :)
I forget sometimes how much I love gingerbread and everything you put in there sounds delicious. I’m going to make this soon. Big fan of blackstrap molasses and maple syrup. Have a fantastic Turkey Day, Nicole! Hugs.
Great, Lisa. Thanks for stopping by, and have a very Happy Thanksgiving. :)
xoxo Nicole
all this molasses & gingerbread talk makes me think of soft molasses cookies my gram used to make….i have to hunt down the recipe….and convert…. (I MIGHT just share….). with a good cup of java…mmmmmmm. Makes me smile thinking of her!
Food is so nostalgic this time of year, isn’t it, Pam? I love it!
xoxo Nicole
This looks like a wonderful recipe! I’m planning on making it sometime in the near future. With just the two of us it takes awhile to finish a dessert.
Hi, Donna,
This would definitely freeze well. Or you could even make the whole recipe, and bake only half of it. Freeze the rest of the batter in a freezer-safe container (I really like the new Ball plastic screw-top freezer containers), and then bake the rest later. Or you could also bake the whole thing, slice into squares, and then freeze half. One way or another, you should have this cake! ;)
xoxo Nicole
Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU! I just started looking for a gf gingerbread recipe and here it is. Back in my days of eating all things gluten, I would make a Paula Deen gingerbread trifle for Thanksgiving. Very delish, and now I can make it even better with this recipe. Yay!
OH NO you di-int!
gingerbread cake?
for realz?!!!
your my favorite 4-ever!
Aw, shucks, Kat. ;)
xoxo Nicole
I love this – I love the ingredients, the lightness and the smell…. but mine never cooked all the way through! I did 30 minutes and then another 10. And then I thought it was done but only the outer part was done – the middle was mush. So I put it back in until the top was pretty burnt but still the inside is very wet, not at all as crumbly beautiful as your picture. I’m not totally disappointed in it because it’s edible, just not something I’d take to someone’s house.
Hi, Theresa,
If your cake didn’t bake through, it is one of a few things. First, your oven temperature might be off. Second, many of the so-called all-purpose GF flour blends out there are really anything but all-purpose. Sorry it didn’t work out as you had hoped. :(
xoxo Nicole
I’ve always thought our oven had a cooler temperature, since everything always requires the maximum amount of cooking (as in 12-15 minutes for cookies will be 15 or 17 minutes for me). I did use Better Batter – I love using Better Batter for your recipes – it just works. I still love the flavor and I’m not giving up… maybe I’ll try it again if I’m not distracted by another post of yours with something else delectable to bake!
So strange, then, Theresa. I’m really stumped. Thanks for checking back in. I was going to close comments on this post, since it’s from last week, but I wanted to make sure you had an opportunity to check back in. :)
xoxo Nicole
I made this recipe this past weekend. It was good. . . and, I even left the butter in the microwave. ha ha. I practically made it fat free too, all on accident. oops. ha ha ha ha ha
Oh, no, Amy! I’ve definitely done that before. Then, I go to use the microwave, and I have no idea where that butter was meant to go. So funny. Glad you enjoyed the fat free version. The one with fat is even better. ;)
xoxo Nicole
Just made this cake- it is SO good! It is very light and has just the right amount of spices. Thank you Nicole for another awesome recipe. Now. must. try. not. eat. the. whole. thing. mylself :)
So glad, Julia. Thanks for letting me know!
Go hide it from yourself. :)
xoxo Nicole
Comments on this entry are closed.