I love gingerbread so much that over the summer I found gingerbread lip balm, bought it, and then saved using it until last week. Ya know, so I’d only use it “in season.” I also love a good gingerbread latte. Look how cute this one is from Costa Coffee! Ryan said the gingerbread man looks so happy, but he doesn’t know he’s about to be submerged in hot liquid. And of course gingerbread cookies for Christmas. This year, I want to try and make a gingerbread house from scratch. However, as much as I love gingerbread, I’d never had it in a bready-cakey form. Obviously, that had to be remedied so I made a gingerbread cake.

If you haven’t had gingerbread cake before, please try this recipe. It is so moist, even four or five days after making it. The batter is actually pretty liquidy when finished, so that probably contributes to its moistness. The best part though is that this cake is jam packed with flavor. It has Guinness (or whatever stout you prefer) and for me, that gives it “chocolate notes” without it actually having chocolate. I know that might sound like the pretentious sort of thing you say about wine, but there are flavors in the cake that remind me of the richness of chocolate. I also think the Guinness adds just a slight edge of bitterness, which is nice because it keeps the cake from being too sweet (which most holiday cakes are).

But, a lot of the flavor comes from the fresh and ground ginger, cinnamon, molasses, and pepper. I love this combination of flavors. It is warming, intense on my taste buds, and makes me feel like holiday cheer is nearby. This cake has real presence. This is not a cake you absentmindedly scarf down, and later can’t recall what it tastes like, but all you know is that your teeth are coated in sugar. This cake is different. This cake says hey, I’m here, step into Christmas. This is the cake that is so full of character and quality that you only need a small piece to feel happy, satisfied, and full of holiday spirit. Warning: If you serve this at a party, let people know what it is so they don’t expect a brownie and then end up with an unexpected (but awesome) flavor shock.

I recommend serving it with a cloud of whipped cream because the light sweetness helps mellow out the cake. Or, better yet. Cozy up on the couch with a blanket, your favorite movie, and a cup of herbal tea. I don’t think you could have a more relaxing and pleasant afternoon.

I got this recipe from KCET, a California TV station, but originally it comes from America’s Test Kitchen.

Messy level: Three spoons. For the batter you need a sauce pan, two bowls, and the baking pan. It’s a lot of dishes! Also, molasses is always messy and buttering and flouring a pan can lead to spills. It’s not a daunting mess – you won’t have a ruined counter or apron, but it’s definitely not a one bowl cake.

Gingerbread Cake

 

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Ingredients

• ¾ cup Guiness (or stout of your choice)
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ⅔ cup molasses
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting pan
• 2 tablespoons ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 large eggs
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• powdered sugar (optional for dusting)
• whipped cream (optional, but highly recommended, for a side)

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350/180°.
2. Butter and flour 8-inch square baking pan.
3. In a medium sauce pan, bring Guiness to boil over medium heat. Stir occasionally.
4. When it's come to a boil, remove from heat and stir in baking soda. The Guiness will foam up. When the foam stops, stir in molasses, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Stir until dissolved. It might like dissolved, but stir a bit more, I found the molasses deceiving.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, ground ginger, baking powder, salt, cinnamon.
6. Pour the stout mixture into a medium bowl. Whisk eggs, oil, and grated ginger into the stout mixture. (You can do this all in the sauce pan if you want, but I don't want you scratching your pan)
7. Take wet mixture and whisk it into flour mixture in thirds. Each time you add, stir until completely smooth before adding more.
8. Pour batter into prepared pan. Tap pan against counter 3 or 4 times to remove air bubbles. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean and the top should be a bit firm.
9. Cool cake in pan.
10. When cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar, if using. Then cut into squares and serve with a dollop of whipped cream, if using.

3.2.2807

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Eric, Abraham, and me circa 2010

It’s the holiday season, and that often means cookies out the wazoo. Growing up, one of my favorite things about preparing for the holidays was making cookies with my brother, Eric, and my cousin, Abraham. As we got older, I often had to bully them away from their video games to come decorate cookies with me, but once we were there, we always had a blast together.

For us, and I suspect for most people, gingerbread and sugar cookies are holiday staples. So, this recipe is a new take on two cookies you might already be making. If you already have go-to cookie recipes then all you’ll need is a set of nesting cookie cutters. I have circle cutters, but I’ve seen snowflake ones too, which would be really cute. Basically, you make the dough for both cookies then use the cutters to alternate layers and you’ll get an awesome bullseye look. As another option, you could just make sugar cookie dough and then divide it in thirds. Dye one-third red, one-third green, and leave one third plain. You can then make the same bullseye using Christmas colors. Go crazy.

The other reason I like this recipe a lot is because it looks like art (to me, maybe not to you). I’m a fan of the blog Modern Art Desserts, which is basically about a kitchen in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the desserts they make that either look like or are inspired by the art in the museum. They’re stuff is really awesome, and now I can be awesome too because my cookies are art-inspired. Anyway as I was arranging my finished cookies it hit me that these cookies reminded me of a Wassily Kandinsky painting called Squares with Concentric Circles. What do you think? If you dyed the sugar cookie dough, these cookies could totally look like this art.

So there you have it, not only are these cookies holiday staples, they are also inspired by high-art. The people who you share these cookies with will be impressed… maybe.

Anyway, for real these cookies are worth the effort. The balance of butter-sugar and ginger spice is perfect. It’s literally two cookies in one. What’s better than that? Anyway, enjoy the holiday season. With this recipe, I know you’ll be ready to own that office-cookie-swap or holiday-bake-off.

The sugar cookie recipe I’ve already shared over the summer, but I’ll write again below. The sugar cookie recipe, gingerbread recipe, and bullseye idea are all adapted from my favorite cookie book, The Art of the Cookie. You’ll make about 2 dozen cookies. 

Ingredients:

Nesting cookie cutters

Sugar Cookies-

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp milk

Gingerbread Cookies-

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground all spice

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 large egg

2 tsbp molasses

1 tbsp ground fresh ginger

Directions for Sugar Cookies

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

2. In a large bowl mix together the sugar and butter, using an electric mixer.  Beat for 2-3 minutes, until it’s light and fluffy.

3. Add the egg and vanilla. Beat on low until completely mixed.

4. Still on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture. Beat until mostly mixed in.

5. Add the milk and mix until totally incorporated.

6. Scrape down the bowl, press the dough into a rough ball. Then wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Put in the fridge for one hour, or as long as over night.

Directions for Gingerbread Cookies

1. In a bowl mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, and all spice.

2. In a large bowl mix together the sugar and butter, using an electric mixer.  Beat for 2-3 minutes, until it’s light and fluffy.

3. Add the egg, molasses, and fresh ginger and continue to beat on low speed.

4. Still on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture. Beat until mixed.

5. Scrape down the bowl, press the dough into a rough ball. Then wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Put in the fridge for one hour, or as long as over night.

Directions for Cookie Assembly

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Flour your work surface and rolling pin.

3. Roll out a portion of the sugar cookie dough, and a portion of the gingerbread dough, until each is about 1/4 inch thick.

4. Using your largest cookie cutter, cut out a circle from one dough. (In the picture, gingerbread)

5. Using your second largest cookie cutter, cut out a circle from the second dough. Using the same cutter, cut out a hole from your first circle. Fit the second circle inside the first circle. (So here, put the sugar cookie circle, inside the hollowed out gingerbread circle)

6. Continue cutting out concentric circles. I used a straw for the smallest whole.

7. Bake on a parchment paper lined baking sheet for 12-15 minutes. You want the cookies to be a little bit browner.

8. Serve and impress everyone who takes a bite!

Messy Level- This is definitely worthy of three spoons. You have to make two doughs, and so you use a lot of bowls and measuring spoons. Also, you have to use many cookie cutters and cookie sheets. It takes a lot of detail work and flour (as usual) gets everywhere.

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