Friday, February 5, 2010

Warm Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We're not hosting a Super Bowl party this year, but I've been asked to bring dessert to the one we're attending. The food being served is hearty, so I want to keep dessert as simple as possible with disappointing anyone. I've decided to do his and her cakes. Earlier this year I made Key Lime and White Chocolate Cake Squares. They proved to be one of my most popular recipes and I plan to make them for the gals this weekend. I decided to do gingerbread and lemon sauce for their husbands. I settled on an adaption of John Thorne's Moosehead Lake Gingerbread, a Maine hunting camp recipe that uses black pepper, dry mustard, and bacon grease. This is gingerbread with attitude. It's moist and fragrant and has rich color thanks to copious quantities of molasses, coffee and dark spices. You'll be glad to hear that bacon grease, while authentic and part of the original recipe, isn't used in this version. Back in the day, few guides had butter but they did have drippings and used them to cook and bake. The spices, mustard and black pepper were used to mask the flavor of the fat. I serve the gingerbread with lemon sauce because I love the pairing of those flavors. I suspect the lemon sauce never saw the light of day in the camps. The cake and the sauce are easy to do. I know that those of you who like strong flavors will love this. Here's the recipe.

Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, inspired by John Thorne and Maida Heatter

Ingredients:
Gingerbread
3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoons salt
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2-1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups dark molasses
2 tablespoons instant coffee
1-1/2 cups boiling water
Lemon Sauce
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1-1/3 cups water
2 tablespoons butter

Directions:
1) To make gingerbread: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 13-inch pan. Dust with fine dry breadcrumbs. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, mustard and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk to mix and lighten. Beat butter with brown sugar in the bowl of an electric stand mixer for 1 to 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add molasses and beat until smooth. Dissolve instant coffee in boiling water. With mixer on low speed, alternately add dry ingredients in three additions and coffee, which should be hot, in two additions. Begin and end with flour mixture. Beat only until smooth. Pour into prepared pan. Bake in center of oven for about 35 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Invert cake onto another rack and remove pan. Invert again. Serve warm with lemon sauce. Yield: 16 servings.
2) To make lemon sauce: Whisk sugar and cornstarch in a 2-quart sauce pan. Add lemon juice, zest, water and butter. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute. Serve warm. Yield: 2-1/2 cups.

Cook's Note: If you want your lemon sauce to be a vibrant yellow, add 1 or 2 egg yolks to the sauce after it has thickened. A drop of yellow food coloring can also be used.

This recipe is being linked to:
Designs By Gollum - Foodie Friday

40 comments :

Alea Milham said...

Such interesting ingredients. I can wait to see if I can detect the mustard and pepper!

Allie and Pattie said...

Wonderful! My friend is a lover of gingerbread. cn't wait to make her this version-I'm thinking she'll love it!
xoxo Pattie

Pat@BPM said...

This looks wonderful!

Hootin Anni said...

One word and only one word today Mary....


MMMMMMMmmmmmmmm!!!!

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

It's early morning and the gingerbread would make a great breakfast bite. Love the lemon sauce.
Sam

My Little Space said...

This sounds delicious! HHmm..mm...

Martha said...

I always think of gingerbread ONLY in December -- what a lovely cake and what interesting ingredients. The lemon sauce takes it over the top!

George Gaston said...

Mary, this cake sounds absolutely delicious! I love gingerbread and the addition of the lemon sauce must put your cake in a whole new category.

Great idea of the two cakes; I'd like a small slice of each, please.

Zurin said...

that sounds like a brilliant combination! gingerbread n lemon sauce is unique! tq for sharing such a wonderful recipe!

NKP said...

Lovely!
I made a similar dessert for Christmas a couple of years ago - but gingerbread is warming all through the winter.

SavoringTime in the Kitchen said...

The combination of gingerbread and lemon sauce sounds delightful! I love gingerbread with attitude ;)

Allie said...

Oh yummy!!!! I like the addition of the lemon sauce.

surfingtheworldcuisine said...

The photo is just wonderful! I'm sure it tastes great!

Deeba PAB said...

Be still my beating heart .... oooooh this is fab. I love gingerbread! Goegeous!!

The Quintessential Magpie said...

I always love to see what you are doing in your kitchen, Mary! And this sounds SO delicious. I'm also in love with the idea of your white chocolate and key lime treats. Wish I were attending that party!

Happy Foodie Friday...

XO,

Sheila :-)

Jane said...

Nothing tastes better (or smells better!) than warm gingerbread on a cold night...or any night, for that matter. The ingredients of this recipe are intriguing...mustard?
I will be making it tonight!

Thanks,
Jane (artfully graced)

Cathy said...

This is one of my favorite desserts, Mary. My mother used to make it when I was a child and she would add a nice big scoop of whipped cream on top. Love the warm lemon sauce.

Farmer Jo said...

Mustard? Interesting! I adore gingerbread (I use the Joy of Cooking recipe), but I am going to try this soon.

Foodiewife said...

This is one of the most unique versions of Gingerbread I've ever seen. It's so worth a shot. The lemon sauce looks super easy! This one is added to my "Mary's Delightful Recipes" folder.

The Muse said...

Ms Mary...I hope you made enough...for it looks as though your gingerbread is a hit!
(now, you really are not surprised, are you?)lol

I personally invite you to join in the Poetic Valentine Giveaway at
http://adivashammer.com/archives/913

Good luck :)

Lori said...

I so love gingerbread. This looks very delicious Mary.

♥Sugar♥Plum♥Fairy♥ said...

Oh this is a very interesting combi and yeah the lemon sauce would go very well with the warm gingerbread.

Karen said...

I'd have to have a piece of each cake - they both sound good. I didn't make my gingerbread at Christmastime and miss it. Love the mustard and pepper in this, as well as the coffee!

Mary Bergfeld said...

Karen the spices mask the taste of the coffee and the mustard. The coffee is really to deepen the color of the gingerbread.

Kathleen said...

Very interesting, Mary..
I used powdered mustard in many dishes, but never in cake...
It looks delicious!

pigpigscorner said...

Looks so moist! Love the sauce.

Pam said...

I may just have to make this cake this weekend - it looks and sounds AMAZING!

The Fajdich Times said...

Mustard and Black Pepper.....interesting. Your recipe looks wonderful:)

~ ~ Ahrisha ~ ~ said...

Gingerbread (smacking my head) Why didn't I think of that? I haven't had this dark and lovely cake for years and I am quite fond of it. Thanks for the reminder.

Patricia @ ButterYum said...

What an interesting recipe. Fabulous photo!!!

:)
ButterYum

I Am My Mother's Daughter said...

We're snowed in this weekend and Mom loves gingerbread...so this is my plan for tomorrow. Thanks!!!

JG said...

Oooh, Gingerbread! It looks so goood!

Debbie said...

Very interesting ingredients in the gingerbread...the lemon sauce looks really good. I love gingerbread and find I eat it mostly over the Christmas holidays!I would love to try your lemon sauce with it.

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

you would be welcome at my party

Nancy Jane said...

I'm intrigued by the addition of mustard and pepper, and will have to give your recipe a try. We also like our gingerbread topped with lemon sauce. I posted a blurry shot of some that I made for Christmas this year. Always a treat!

Coleens Recipes said...

I LOVE warm gingerbread. We always had it with canned peaches as a kid, but the lemon sauce sounds excellent.

Joyce said...

Remind me to have a superbowl party next year and invite you:) Everyone is going to go nuts when you serve this. Have fun at Superbowl.
Joyce

Katy ~ said...

Gingerbread is one of my all time favorites. I'm not too sure about the pepper and mustard, grins, but I'd certainly be willing to have a nice big sample to try.

CC said...

One of my favorite memories is of my mother in the kitchen,with her apron on..making gingerbread. I swear I can almost smell it..and when it came hot from the hot oven,and a large slice was put on a little plate..and slathered with sweet cream butter....ooo,what sweet memories. Gingerbread will always be one of my favorite snacks..it's wonderful.

Sasha said...

What an interesting recipe. I'm sure your fellow party-goers won't be disappointed : )

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