This morning there was a definite chill in the air. The morning was damp and chilly and the skies were gray and leaden. The wind through the trees was brisk and my mind was danced with images of steaming tea and gingerbread. It’s one of my favorite cakes, not too sweet, yet rich and spicy and inherently warming. As someone who is notorious for scraping the icing off of cakes before tasting even one crumb, I am intrigued by and attracted to cakes that require no adornment. Last night I was reading An Embarrassment of Mangoes and the writer describes a gingerbread made with four forms of ginger, dried, fresh, candied and ginger brew. I forgot to copy down her recipe but I loved the idea. So with that template in mind, this morning I set out to create my own. It’s sparingly sweet but the addition of candied ginger and chocolate chips takes the edge off. It's moist and sticky and incredibly textural. It was wonderful today with a dollop of sweetened mascarpone but I suspect that it will be even better tomorrow…if there’s any left to taste.
Gingerbread
1/2 cup melted butter
2/3 cup molasses
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup spicy ginger ale ( Santa Cruz Organic is a good one)
1 large egg
1/4 cup minced fresh ginger
21/4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1teaspoon ground ginger
1/2teaspoon cinnamon
1/2teaspoon salt
1/4 cup diced candied ginger
1/4cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350ºF
Thoroughly blend melted butter and molasses. Stir in coconut milk and ginger ale. Beat egg and stir into liquid ingredients. Add fresh ginger. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, spices, baking soda and salt. Stir in liquid ingredients until just blended. Fold in candied ginger and chocolate chips. Bake in a greased and floured 8”square pan for 30-45 minutes.
Let cool for at least 10 minutes before tasting.
