Gingerbread: 2000s Recipes + Menus : gourmet.com

2000s Recipes + Menus

Serves8

Active time:15 min
Start to finish:2 hr (includes cooling)

February 2009

With no bells and whistles or outré ingredients, this gingerbread is everything you want it to be: moist, satisfying, and gently spiced. Its sweetness comes from dark brown sugar and mild molasses (avoid robust or blackstrap, which would be too bitter). And it all comes together in minutes. You can dress it up with some freshly whipped cream, but it’s awfully good served perfectly plain with nothing more than a cold glass of milk.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup mild molasses (not robust or blackstrap)
3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1/2 cup hot water

Accompaniment:

lightly sweetened whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350ºF with rack in middle. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan.
Whisk together flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg until blended, then beat in molasses and buttermilk. Mix in flour mixture on low speed until smooth, then add hot water and beat 1 minute (batter may look curdled.)
Spread batter evenly in pan and bake until a wooded pick inserted into center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack.

Cooks’ Note: Gingerbread can be made 1 day ahead and kept in pan at room temperature (covered once cool).

Recipe by Ruth Cousineau

Photograph by Stephanie Foley