My photo
Ontario, Canada
I am a wife, mother and grandma who enjoys the many aspects of homemaking. A variety of interests and hobbies combined with travel keep me active. They reflect the importance of family, friends, home and good food.
Cook ingredients that you are used to cooking by other techniques, such as fish, chicken, or hamburgers. In other words be comfortable with the ingredients you are using.
--Bobby Flay

For Your Information

Please watch this area for important information like updates, food recalls, polls, contests, coupons, and freebies.
  • [March 19, 2020] - Effective Mar 17, this blog will no longer accept advertising. The reason is very simple. If I like a product, I will promote it without compensation. If I don't like a product, I will have no problem saying so.
  • [March 17, 2020] - A return to blogging! Stay tuned for new tips, resources and all things food related.
  • [February 1, 2016] - An interesting report on why you should always choose organic tea verses non-organic: Toxic Tea (pdf format)
  • Sticky Post - Warning: 4ever Recap reusable canning lids. The reports are growing daily of these lids losing their seal during storage. Some have lost their entire season's worth of canning to these seal failures! [Update: 4ever Recap appears to be out of business.]

Popular Posts

Friday, April 20, 2007

Gingerbread

Desserts can be a challenge sometimes because we often look to create something quite complicated. However, simplicity is often the key and so it is with many quick cakes. I call them quick cakes because all you do is mix and pour. Ingredients are normally what you have on hand so whipping up one of these cakes is easy. Toppings tend to be as simple as the cake itself. But don't let that fool you. Simplicity does not mean lack of flavour or eye appeal. Gingerbread is one of my favourite quick cakes.

Gingerbread

There is just something comforting and down right homey feeling about smelling gingerbread baking. This recipe is so easy. All you have to do is measure the ingredients, mix together then bake. It could not get much easier than that! I like using a decorative can pan for this cake because just before serving I use a very simple icing sugar glaze over the cake.

Gingerbread
source: Betty Crocker's Cookbook, Pp. 180 with modifications by Garden Gnome

2 1/4 c unbleached flour
1/3 c organic sugar
1 c dark molasses
3/4 c hot water
1/2 c shortening
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp kosher salt

Pre-heat oven to 325ºF. Grease and flour a square 9x9x2 inch square pan or similar volume decorative baking pan. If using a silicone pan greasing can be omitted. Measure the ingredients into a mixing bowl. Blend on low speed about a half minute until ingredients are mixed. Increase speed to medium then blend for 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into the pan. Bake 50 minutes or until the centre tests clean with a toothpick. Serve warm with whipped cream or applesauce.
Serves 8

My Notes: I serve this cake with a simple icing sugar glaze. Mix icing sugar into 3 tbsp milk until the consistency is similar to sour cream. Drizzle over the cake for a nice presentation.


7 food lovers commented:

Anonymous said...

Can I ask a question about cup measurements? I don't want any conversions, I was just curious as to whether you actually use a cup, for everything? And do you not worry that your cup might not be the same size as the person's who made the recipe?

Is there a particular measuring 'cup' used in countries where measurements are done in cups? How can you be sure you're got 3/4 full cup, if it's not a clear cup? Okay, maybe too many questions, but I wondered if you'd have any answers. Many thanks, and you have a cool blog :)

Erin said...

Now that looks absolutely delicious!!!!!!!!

Garden Gnome said...

Hi Ec, thanks for you lovely complement!

Garden Gnome said...

Hi Rache and thanks for visiting my blog along with you kind comments. I'm using Canadian measurements where one cup equals 8 ounces. If I had my druthers, I would post everthing in metric because that it what I normally convert any recipe to. But if you read my blog, you will see I use recipes as a guide then modify and a lot of readers are more comfortable with non-metric measurements. But for the most part many of the recipes I use have been coverted to Imperial from metric.

In Canada and the US we can buy standard measureing cups. They generally come as sets and graded as 1 c, 3/4 c and etc. Those are for dry measurements. In Canada you can buy a similar set in metric measurements. For liquid ingredients, there are clear measuring cups and I think for both countries there is both Imperial and metric measurements. These tend to be clear measuring cups calibrated to Imperial on one side and metric on the other.

So if you are using a cup meant for dry measuring, level it off. If using a cup meant for liquid, squat so you are at eye level and bring it up to where the minicus (lower bevel of liquid) is to the right measurement.

HTH

Michael said...

Hi Garden Gnome,
I don't know how many sites you have; it seems your template is always changing.
But your quality is consistent; I enjoy them all.

Cheers,

Garden Gnome said...

Hi Paros, thankyou for your kind comments. I have 4 blogs. One is for gardening which is what started everythibg. One is for cooking, one is for homemaking and one is my personal whatever blog. But each blog has it's own personal identity and I try to keep it that way. Each one does have a different look and different feel.

Garden Gnome said...

Hi Mindy and thanks for visiting. Thank-you for you lovely complement! I'm so glad you are enjoying my blog.