Holiday Gingerbread

I made this gingerbread with fresh whipped cream for a Thanksgiving night "Sips & Sweets" get-together with two fab pals. It was a hit that night and most definitely a hit the week after for breakfast and evening treats. The recipe is from Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock's The Gift of Southern Cooking, which I've already raved about. My pal Cate made mention of this gingerbread in particular, and she was right (so give her some credit and read her fantastic blog, why don't you?).

The directions kindly ask you (in a respectful Edna and Scott way, of course) not to eat your gingerbread until the day after you've cooked it. I can't speak to the comparison with straight-out-of-the-oven gingerbread, because I put on my Patience Hat and dutifully waited. The wait was worth it. Pungent and earthy and decadent with a dollop of cream... we'll be making more soon. In fact, my dad is such a molasses fiend that I should probably make this for him over the holidays. Gingerbread for everyone!

Dark Molasses Gingerbread Cake with Soft Whipped Cream

2 cups bleached all-purpose flour or 1 2/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup boiling water

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups molasses

Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy cream, chilled

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Sift the flour, soda, and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Using a wire whisk, blend in the spices and salt. Melt the butter in the boiling water, then whisk into the flour mixture. Add the eggs and molasses and whisk until well-blended.

Turn into a buttered and floured 8x8x2 baking pan and bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, until done, or until a skewer plunged in the center comes out with no trace of raw butter.

Whip the cream with the vanilla and sugar until it forms soft peaks. Serve with the warm gingerbread.