Gingerbread Snacking Cake

Well, I finally finished my pumpkin quest (at least until next year) and have now shifted gears into holiday mode. To kick it off, I made Martha Stewart's gingerbread snacking cake.


Just the scent of it alone is heavenly and, like all spicy baked goods, the aroma and flavor deepens the day after you bake it (so if you can exercise a tiny bit of patience, it will be worth it). It's the kind of treat that just says, "Christmas." Even more importantly, it's delicious. I took it to my church's "Break the Fast" activity and the people there ate it up. I would definitely recommend putting the white chocolate on top. Not only does it look pretty, but it really adds something to the flavor of the cake and makes it twice as good.

On another note, I'll be celebrating my birthday tomorrow. While I won't say how old I'll be, I will say that I'm one year closer to thirty. Hopefully, that means I'm a year wiser too.


Gingerbread Snacking Cake (adapted from Martha Stewart)


8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pans
1 cup boiling water
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1 cup unsulfured molasses
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (I substituted 1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger)
2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
white chocolate chips, melted

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-by-13-inch cake pan; set aside. In a bowl, combine boiling water and baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl, sift together flour, ground spices, salt, and baking powder; set aside.

In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter until light. Beat in brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in molasses and grated ginger, baking-soda mixture, and flour mixture. Beat in eggs.

Pour batter into prepared pan; bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Cut into squares and decorate with the melted white chocolate.

This recipe is linked to:
Prairie Story's Recipe Swap

Week 11 Twelve Weeks of Christmas: