Old Fashioned Gingerbread Cake - Holiday Dessert with Baking Soda

Serves 12 in about 1 hour. Eggs goes in first, and ground ginger finishes the pot.

Ingredients

• ½ cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs (at room temperature)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup molasses
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (plus a little for baking dish)
• ½ teaspoon salt (or 1 scant teaspoon kosher salt)
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 ¼ teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 teaspoons baking soda

Method

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9x13-inch baking pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer), cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
3. Tip in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
4. Stir in the vanilla extract and molasses until smooth.
5. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is well combined.
6. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and spices. Tip in to the wet ingredients and mix just until incorporated.
7. Mix the baking soda into the boiling water (it will foam), then gently mix it into the batter. The batter will be very thin-that's normal.
8. Tip in the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly.
9. Cook for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the edges pull away from the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
10. Leave it to the cake cool slightly before serving. Enjoy warm or at room temperature, with whipped cream, a dusting of powdered sugar, plain, or try my cream cheese frosting for a bakery style cake.

More dessert ideas are in the dessert collection.