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Blue Ribbon Gingerbread

Source of Recipe

From "Lost Recipes" by Marion Cunningham


Recipe Introduction

"Gingerbread existed in medieval times, and it was given as a gift like a box of chocolates. The original gingerbreads always had honey as a sweetener, and if you want to honor the past, add 1 tablespoon honey to the following recipe. This Blue Ribbon recipe pays tribute to the old-fashioned gingerbread -- dark and spicy. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream."

List of Ingredients

• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 8 Tbsp (1 stick) butter, softened
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 cup dark molasses
• 1 Tbsp honey (optional)
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour an 8-inch square pan. Sift the flour, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves together onto a piece of waxed paper.

Put the butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until it is smooth and creamy. Add the sugar and molasses (and honey, if you wish), and continue beating until well-blended. Mix the baking soda and boiling water and pour into the butter-sugar mixture, beating well. Add the flour mixture and continue to beat until the batter is smooth, then beat in the eggs.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick or broom straw inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack. Serve warm. (Some like this gingerbread cool, so try it both ways.)

Serves 8 or 9