Moravian Gingerbread
- 1¼ cups (2½ sticks) butter, slightly softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup molasses (not too dark)
- ½ cup finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- Pinch of ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 3½ cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
Instructions:
What makes this gingerbread different is that the ginger is freshly chopped.
- Preheat the oven to 375° F. Grease and flour a 13 × 9 × 2-inch baking pan well. Tap out the excess flour and set the pan aside
- Cream the butter in a large electric mixer bowl at moderate speed about 1 minute or until fluffy. Gradually beat in the sugar. Add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition. Now mix in the molasses, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
- Combine the baking soda and vinegar and beat into the butter mixture. By hand add the flour alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with flour and stirring after each addition only enough to combine.
- Spread the batter evenly in the pan and bake on the middle oven shelf for 45 to 50 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the middle of the gingerbread comes out clean.
- Transfer the pan of gingerbread to a wire rack and cool to room temperature before serving.
- Cut into squares and top, if you like, with drifts of whipped cream, scoops of vanilla ice cream, or, better yet, scoops of dulce de leche ice cream.