2 1/2cups(310g)all purpose flour, spooned and levelled
2teaspoonsbaking powder
1teaspoonground ginger
1/2cup(113g)unsalted butter, or solid vegetable shortening
1cup(180g)brown sugar, packed, light or dark or a 50/50 mixture of light and dark
1cup(250ml)Fancy molasses, *see Notes below
1/2teaspoonground nutmeg
1/2teaspoonground cinnamon
1/2teaspoonfine salt, reduce to 1/4 teaspoon if using salted butter
1cup(250ml)boiling water
1teaspoonbaking soda
2largeeggs, well beaten before adding to batter
Caramel Sauce:
1/2cup(113g)unsalted butter
1/2cup(90g)light brown sugar, packed
3Tablespoonsdark brown sugar, packed (or use more light brown sugar if you have no dark brown sugar)
2/3cup(165ml)heavy whipping cream, 35% b.f.
Pinchsalt, omit if using salted butter
To serve:
Whipped cream, for topping
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Instructions
For the cake: Preheat oven to 325F / 165C (not fan assisted). Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan or two 8-inch square pans. Line with parchment paper if you'd like to easily remove your cake from the pans after baking. Tip! I find it easiest to line the bottom and the long sides only, letting the long sides extend over the top of the pan to use as handles. This allows the parchment to lay perfectly flat.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and ginger. Set aside.
(Start heating the 1 cup of boiling water for the next step)
In a large bowl with an electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar, until well creamed, 1-2 minutes. Add the molasses, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt and blend until well combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
In a medium bowl or measuring cup, pour the boiling water over the baking soda, then add to the molasses mixture, stirring to combine. Add the dry flour mixture, stirring until well blended. Add the well-beaten eggs and mix well.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s). Bake for 45-55 minutes for a 9x13 cake or 35-45 minutes for two 8-inch pans, or until a tester inserted in the centre comes out clean. Tip! I always like to to set the timer 5 minutes ahead of the stated bake times, as bake times can vary by individual ovens or colour/weight of the baking pan used. When checking the bake early, simply look through the glass to start (don't open the door yet!). If the cake looks like it needs more time, all good, check again in a few minutes. If it looks like it might be close to done (pulling away from the sides of the pan, good colour) then open the door and test it with a cake tester.
When cake is done, remove from oven and allow to cool in the baking pan. Cool to just warm to serve or cool completely, then cover to serve later.
You can serve the gingerbread cake warm or at room temperature, topped with warm caramel sauce and whipped cream.
For the caramel sauce: Combine the butter, brown sugars, cream and salt in a medium saucepan on the stove-top over medium heat. Stir until the butter melts and the mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 4 minutes, or until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Remove to a bowl and use immediately or cover and refrigerate until needed. Sauce will thicken when chilled, but will thin again once reheated. Re-heat in the microwave or a small saucepan.
Notes
Be sure to use molasses labelled as "Fancy" and not Cooking or Blackstrap, which are too harsh in flavour for this cake.I love a perfect square of gingerbread, so I like to line my baking pan with parchment so I can lift it out once cooled and trim the thin edges away (make great little snacks or cut them up and make a trifle dessert with them!). Simply trim away the outside edges by 3/4-1 inch, then cut the remaining cake into neat squares about 3 1/2 inches square.I find the caramel sauce the perfect, sweet compliment for the lightly sweet cake. For the whipped cream, I go with a just a bit of sugar to sweeten, so the overall dessert doesn't tip too far to the sweet side. If you'd like to skip the sauce, just go with a more generously sweetened whipped cream to balance it out.Be sure to take the time to read the notes above the recipe card, for more tips, tricks and substitution suggestion for this recipe. You'll also find step-by-step photos and a recipe video, that you might find helpful.