Orange Spice Gingerbread Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup of white sugar
- 1/2 cup of butter, softened
- 1 egg
- 1 cup of Crosby’s Fancy Molasses
- Zest of 1-2 oranges
- 2 1/2 cups of flour (spooned in)
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp ginger
- ¼ tsp. cloves
- ¼ tsp. cardamom
- 1 cup of hot water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F and line a 9”x9” pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices.
- In a large bowl cream butter and sugar then beat in egg and molasses. Stir in orange zest.
- Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture. Stir in the hot water.
- Pour into a prepared pan.
- Bake at 350 until a tester comes out clean, 40-45 minutes.
I served it with whipped cream, orange zest,
fresh orange slices and a sweet dusting of icing sugar.
Orange zest is a lovely addition to gingerbread. It takes the flavour in a whole new direction and works perfectly with molasses and the spices. You decide just how much orange zest you want to add (a little or a lot). The cardamom can be omitted if you don’t have it on hand.
This recipe is an adaptation of a gingerbread recipe found in the wonderful cookbook, Out of Old Nova Scotia Kitchens (recently reprinted). The spicing is borrowed, in part, from the gingerbread recipe in the book Delicious! by Ruth Reichl.
A big thanks and hug to my dear friend Connie who shared this recipe with me.
PFXO
Farberware Nonstick Bakeware 10-Inch Fluted Mold
Fancy molasses is an excellent topping on toast, pancakes or biscuits and is a great addition to marinades, rubs and sauces. It is a popular ingredient in baked goods, yielding softer cookies and crustier bread.
Microzest™ Premium Lemon Zester
Eddingtons Italian Olive Wood Spoon, 12-Inch
Patti Friday, reporting from inside 'The Art Dept.' at the international 'Embassy of Ideas'