Try this Gingerbread recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 291.547440234116 g
- Cholesterol 404.304358048759 mg
- Fat 208.398725089388 g
- Fiber 5.82230007602114 g
- Protein 20.0892600236283 g
- Saturated Fat 115.315106060457 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (726g)
- Sodium 3408.36600303818 mg
- Sugar 285.725140158095 g
- Trans Fat 13.2887497045956 g
- Calories 3089 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees (175 degrees C). Grease and lightly flour one 8 inch square baking pan.
- Cream shortening and sugar until light. Add the egg and molasses and beat thoroughly.
- Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, ground ginger, and ground cinnamon.
- Bring water to a boil and add alternately with flour mixture to the creamed mixture, beating well after each addition. Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy.
Swapping solid shortening for clarified butter introduces distinct dairy proteins that brown faster during baking, yielding a crisper edge on the crumb. Traditional American gingerbread relies heavily on dark molasses for its characteristic bittersweet profile, a distinct departure from the sharper, dry-ginger versions found in British baking traditions. Understanding this heritage highlights why liquid sweeteners dictate the moisture levels in the final batter.
Creaming fat and sugar properly incorporates tiny air pockets that expand when exposed to heat, providing the primary leavening alongside baking soda. Beating the egg and molasses thoroughly into this mixture ensures the fat emulsions do not break before the dry components enter the bowl. Sift the flour, salt, cinnamon, and ground ginger together to distribute the dense spices evenly throughout the mass without overworking the gluten later.
Boiling water added alternately with the dry ingredients loosens the thick batter just enough to dissolve the chemical leavening agents rapidly. Pour the batter into an eight-inch square pan prepared with a light coating of fat and flour to prevent sticking. Bake the pan at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 to 40 minutes, testing for doneness when a wooden pick inserted into the center emerges clean.
Allowing the baked cake to rest uncovered overnight transforms the interior texture significantly. Starches retrograde during storage, causing the crumb to firm up while the molasses draws ambient moisture from the air to keep the crumb remarkably tender. Slice and serve this rested cake alongside unsweetened whipped cream to balance the intense molasses sweetness.
