The girl, very full from dinner (Mom made American chop suey), going from room to room, trying desperately to get some decent lighting, when it was rainy and dismal outside. Dining room, den, bedroom, kitchen, where the girl went, the giggles and comments followed. But did that deter her? No, it did not. She persevered. And while it might not be winning any awards any time soon, gosh darnit, the picture is the best that she could get.
All drama aside now. I came across Nigella's recipe for chocolate gingerbread well over a year ago. But whenever I was in the mood to make it, of course I was lacking in ingredients. A few web searches later, Scharffen Berger came to my rescue. I never realized they had recipes on their website, let alone exactly what I was looking for. :)
This comes together easily and oh, did the kitchen smell good while it was baking. I don't usually do gingerbread so early in the season, but with the rain we've had ALL weekend long, it works. It's a very dense cake, and would do well with some whipped cream. The chocolate is a nice addition to traditional gingerbread, and I think I'd like to see it in cupcake form, too.
Ingredients:
1-3/4 cups + 3 Tbsp. flour
2½ tsp. ginger
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. allspice
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
2/3 cup boiling water
10 Tbsp. butter, softened
3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. sugar
2 eggs
½ cup molasses
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour an 8-inch baking pan.
Whisk together flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
Put cocoa in a small bowl, stirring in 1/3 cup of boiling water.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, then add molasses. Stir in cocoa mixture. Gradually add half of the flour mixture, then the remaining 1/3 cup of water. Beat in remaining flour mixture, beating just until incorporated. Spread into prepared pan.
Bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Let cool in pan before cutting. Can be served warm or at room temperature.
1 comment:
I've been waiting to try out this recipe! It looks fantastic. And I hear you about the picture taking. ugh! When the light's gone, it's so hard to get a good shot, but you did it!
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