Gingerbread

Ingredients

Bread:

• 125g (about 9T) Unsalted Butter
• 200g (about ½-cup plus 2T) Molasses (not Blackstrap)
• 50g (about ¼-cup, packed) Light Brown Sugar
• 6g (1T plus ½t) Ground Ginger
• 4g (1½t) Ground Cinnamon
• 2g (1t) Ground Cloves
• 2g (1t) Ground Nutmeg
• 200g (about 1½ cups plus 2T) All-purpose Flour
• 6g (about 1¼t) Baking Soda
• 1g (about ¼t) Kosher Salt
• 150ml (5 fl oz) Whole Milk
• 2 large Eggs

Frosting (Optional):

• 113g (4 oz) Cream Cheese, softened
• 85g (6T) Unsalted Butter, softened
• 180g (1½ cups) Confectioner’s Sugar, unsifted
• 2g (½t) Vanilla Extract

Procedure

• Prepare your pan: butter and flour your chosen pan. Tap out the excess flour. Preheat the oven to 300°F (149°C).
• In a small saucepan on low flame, heat up the butter, molasses, brown sugar, and all of the spices, until the butter and sugar have melted. Do not boil. Stir to prevent burning. Turn off the flame. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
• Once the molasses mixture has cooled for 10 minutes, pour in the milk. Whisk together. Crack both eggs into the wet mix and whisk until combined.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix with a whisk until there are no lumps.
• Fill the prepared pan and bake for 75-90 minutes for the loaf, or 40 minutes for the square. The gingerbread is ready when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Remove from the oven and cool completely before serving or storing.
• While the gingerbread is cooling, make your cream cheese frosting. Mix the cream cheese and butter in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Sift and add the confectioner’s sugar. On low speed, mix until combined. Add the vanilla. Mix until incorporated, wrap, and refrigerate. Spread onto the cooled cake.

*Bunny Wisdom*

• Blackstrap molasses tends to be very bitter and won’t help create a yummy gingerbread. I suggest not going darker than robust molasses (if you’re really wanting that deep flavor).
• Go ahead and add 2g (1t) ground mace if you want a more spiced cake.
• Add the eggs into the the saucepan when the mixture has cooled a bit, to prevent curdling. Adding the cold milk in speeds up that process.
• Make a cream cheese frosting or a lemon icing to cover the top. Frosting and icing are optional.
• For lemon icing: combine 120g (1 cup) confectioner’s sugar, 15g (1T) lemon juice, and zest of half a lemon. Whisk until smooth. Cover cooled cake.
• If you’re having some trouble spreading the frosting, leave it out on the counter for 15-30 minutes to temper.
• Sprinkle some demerara sugar for added texture and sparkle.
• This keeps at room temperature for two days. Afterwards, slice it up to single servings and freeze in a zip-top bag for up to a month.