I am so happy to have a post published at Huffington Post this week, where I looked how mothering differs, generation to generation. Would love and appreciate if you could read it, at your leisure. Thank you.
After last week’s rather heavy post about labels, I figure we’ll go easy this week, with a recipe. I realize you guys probably don’t eat/ read/ think about gingerbread outside of December, but the advantage of living in a tropical country with no defined seasons is, we eat whatever we want, whenever we want and not worry about being out of season. I know, I live on the edge.
I have an obsession with spiced baked goods. When I see ‘cinnamon’, ‘nutmeg’, ‘ginger’, ‘black pepper’ in recipes, I want to make it and eat it right there and then.
I came across this nearly 4-year old recipe for gingerbread loaf, from one of my favorite recipe haunts, Chow.com, and told my sister that we were baking this. Of course, as usual, I didn’t have half the spices required so we substituted a couple of things, and the cake still turned out delicious (go check the original recipe for the original spices – but the beauty with spiced cakes is that you can substitute a few spices, and they will work out pretty well).
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon mixed spices (cloves, nutmeg, coriander, dill) – you can use allspice as well
- 1/2 cup well-shaken low-fat buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup dark molasses
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- Heat oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in middle. Coat a 9-inch-by-5-inch loaf pan with butter, dust with flour, and tap out excess.
- Combine flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and mixed spices in a large bowl. Whisk to aerate and break up any lumps; set aside. In a separate medium bowl, stir together buttermilk and vanilla until combined.
- Combine butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until light in color and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in molasses until well combined then add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until well incorporated.
- Stop mixer and scrape bowl and paddle (mixture will look separated and curdled). Add one third flour mixture beating on low speed just until flour is incorporated. Add half buttermilk mixture and once batter is smooth add another third flour mixture. Add remaining buttermilk and mix until incorporated. Add remaining flour mixture, and beat until incorporated and smooth.
- Pour into prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and cake is pulling away from sides of pan, about 40 minutes. Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
Favorite cake ever. Go.
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Hi, I'm Alison. I write. I mother. I make wishes. I keep memories. Founder of Little Love Media, social media consultancy. I get by on copious amounts of chocolate, cupcakes, coffee, blogging & social media.
YUM. That is all.
Christine recently wrote…Am I a hypocrite?
Yummy! Topped with a vanilla cream sauce or fresh whipped cream and it’d be perfect!
Jackie recently wrote…Wordful Wednesday ~ Winter Fun
Mmm, yes!
Mmmmm….I LOVE gingerbread! I bet the buttermilk and molasses really keep this recipe moist too. Thanks for sharing!
Leslie recently wrote…{Weigh In Wednesday} Week 2
Oh yes, this was a really moist cake!
Sounds delicious. I love gingerbread.
Jessica recently wrote…You Make Bath Time Lots of Fun
Looks delicious!!
Roxanne recently wrote…Book Review: Things Go Wrong For Me
I am obsessed with ginger. Just done my baking for the week tonight, will give this a go next week.
Stasha recently wrote…Wordless Wednesday
Let me know how it goes!
So I just realized that I haven’t been gttnieg your posts in my reader for the last month. What? Not cool. But you know what is cool? These tattoos. My daughter and I are totally going to make sleeves with them. Thanks for sharing them!
Yum! I love to bake! I’m gonna have to try this one.
adrienne recently wrote…Is This Just Hammer Pants?
Do and tell me how it goes!
Stopping by from SITS. That looks delicious. I like spices too. I pinned it so I can make this sometime
Sue recently wrote…WW – Empty Hostess Store
Sue, thank you for stopping by and Pinning the recipe! I do hope you try it, it’s really good.
B E A U T I F U L.
I Loooooove the color. WOW. Xxxxxx
my inner chick recently wrote…Dancing With The Goddess
Thank you, Kim!!!
I think my kids would LOVE this!
Heather’s Happenings recently wrote…Manicure Bouquet
I hope they will, let me know when you try this!
OMGosh, I had soooo much fun with this! You not only inspired me to make a wlleat card but to have a give away too! I never saw one of these before and now I am so hooked! Thank you! The DT did an excellent job on creating beautiful wlleats! Oh, yea, my card, here it is…I hope you like it!Blessings, Maria
Yay! Gingerbread all year-round!
Sue recently wrote…Laptops, Urine, and Pavlov
So very true in my household!
Oh man, that looks good! Congrats on the piece at Huffington Post-yay!
Tess recently wrote…New Year. New Everything! How about a giveaway?
Thank you so much, Tess! And it tasted as good as it looked!
That looks really yummy, Alison. I think you are right: perhaps a little scoop or ice cream and a hot coffee – would be one tasty treat!
Even by itself, it was delish.
I love gingerbread! Make me some STAT! xo
tracy recently wrote…A Lesson In Parenting and Sarcasm
Happily!!
This sounds super tasty…I love gingerbread flavors!
Natalie recently wrote…The Big Five Months
It WAS super tasty, one of my favorite recipes.
I must say this looks yummy. I am not a baker, but I save your recipes to make believe one day I will be brave enough to try it.
I will let you know if I do.
Alma recently wrote…Giveaway Winner
You can crochet, which means you can bake
[Melinda} I love homemade bread. Any kind. Anytime. Anywhere.
Mothering From Scratch recently wrote…The Perks of Being a Distracted Mother
Well, this is more a cake than bread.
I’m like you – love those comforting spices. This sounds (and looks) delish!!
It was!!
That sounds, and looks, delicious! I’m a big fan of gingerbread.
Kimberly recently wrote…Essence of Now: Dreary Days
I’m not a good baker at all…but that sounds delicious enough that I just might give it a try! I can practically smell it in the oven right now! (which is my favorite part of the whole process)
The Dose of Reality recently wrote…Friday Feast: OMG Please Tell Me There Is No Mayo In That
It smelled really good. Tasted even better.
YUM. We have a sort of “marketplace” in a bog room in the church after services sometimes, and there’s a lady that always brings GF goodies to sell. My mom will pick up something for us, and the last thing she got was a gingerbread loaf. It was SO GOOD.
Greta recently wrote…The Winter YUCKS #giveaway
GF gingerbread loaf?? WIN.
so hubby passes by while im here visiting
sees the gingerbread “ooh what’s that?” he’s asks. I say gingerbread. he says he likes ginger. i say nothing. u know i dont want to go buy the ingredients, put it all together or clean up the mess from baking it, u know this right?
hubby repeats “that looks good” I agree. hubby says he’ll give $20 to make it. I say ok, and take the $20. i’m waiting for one of the teens to wake up so i can offer one of them $10 to make it. What? what? I gotta get my cut too. sheesh.
Vanita recently wrote…Why Google Plus is Better For This Blogger
Hahahaha!! You’re such a sly one. I hope one of the girls did try making it. The process seems convoluted, but it’s actually not that difficult. Happy eating!
I honestly have never tried a spiced baked good that I didn’t like. This recipe sounds amazing! Thank you for sharing!
Jessica recently wrote…Herbal Philosophy Teas (Review and Giveaway)
It is, very much so! YUM.
I’d have to special order more molasses but this looks good!
It is totally worth special ordering molasses.
This looks really wonderful. I don’t think I have made gingerbread in ages. I need to try to and use your recipe.
JDaniel4′s Mom recently wrote…The White House- Read.Explore.Learn
It’s really yummy, do try!
I love your writing so much. beautiful article over Huffington Post
TOI recently wrote…Week 3
Thank you so much for your kind words!
Oh my yum.
Tonya recently wrote…Unwavering