Cakey gingerbread squares
12 servings
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | x | -Dottie Cross TMPJ72B |
| 8 | tablespoons | Unsalted butter; at room temperature |
| ½ | cup | Sugar |
| 2 | eaches | Large eggs |
| 1 | x | Grated zest of 1 orange |
| 2½ | cup | Sifted all-purpose flour |
| 2 | teaspoons | Baking soda |
| 2 | teaspoons | Ground ginger |
| 1 | teaspoon | Ground cinnamon |
| ½ | teaspoon | Ground allspice |
| ½ | teaspoon | Ground nutmeg |
| ½ | teaspoon | Salt |
| ¼ | teaspoon | Ground cloves |
| 1 | cup | Unsulfured molasses |
| 1 | cup | Boiling water |
| 1 | x | Confectioners' sugar; for dusting |
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch square baking pan. Using a hand-held electric mixer set at high speed, beat the butter until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat until light in color and texture, about 2 additional minutes. Beat in the eggs and orange zest. Sift the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, salt, and cloves onto a piece of waxed paper. In a 2-cup glass measuring cup, combine the molasses and boiling water.
Alternately in thirds, beat in the flour and molasses mixtures.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, and the cake is shrinking from the sides of the pan, 40 to 50 minutes. Let stand on a wire cake rack for 5 minutes. Place the confectioners' sugar in a sieve and dust over the top of the cake. Serve the cake warm or completely cooled. Makes 12 to 16 servings. Source: "An Edible Christmas" (A Treasury of Recipes for the Holiday) by Irena Chalmers.
Reformatted by: CYGNUS, HCPM52C