Gingerbread Baby Cakes

Recipe Ingredients

2 cups	125g / 4.4oz	Unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup	59ml	Instant espresso powder
3 tablespoons	45ml	Unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon	15ml	Ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon	2.5ml	Baking powder
1 teaspoon	5ml	Salt, preferably kosher or fine sea salt
1 teaspoon	5ml	Freshly-ground black pepper
2		Unsalted butter - (8 oz) - at room temperature
1 cup	160g / 5.6oz	Packed dark brown sugar
4 cups	792g / 27oz	Eggs - at room temperature (large)
2 1/2 tablespoons	37ml	Peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger
2 cups	474ml	Unsulphured molasses
		Melted butter - for greasing pans
		Sweetened whipped cream - for serving
		Candied lemon peel - (optional)

Recipe Instructions

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Brush the insides of 8 mini- or baby cake pans, each 4 inches across and 1 inch deep, with a light coating of melted butter, dust with flour, and tap out the excess.

In a small bowl, whisk the flour, expresso powder, cocoa, ground ginger, baking powder, salt, and black pepper together just to mix; reserve.

Put the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or use a hand-held mixer, and beat on medium-high speed until the mixture is smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. The butter and sugar must be beaten until they are very light and fluffy, so don't rush it -- the process can take 6 to 8 minutes with a hand-held mixer, 3 to 4 minutes with a heavy-duty mixer. Reduce the speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time, beating at high speed for 30 seconds to a minute after each addition. The mixture may look curdled, but that's OK -- it will smooth out as you continue to mix the batter. Beat in the fresh ginger and add the molasses, mixing on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes, until completely smooth. With a rubber spatula, fold in the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated.

Divide the batter among the prepared pans and rotate the pans a couple of times to level. Bake the cakes for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cakes are springy to the touch and the tops crack. Take care not to overbake these cakes, they should remain moist.

Transfer the cakes to a rack and cool for 10 minutes, then run a thin knife around the edges of the pans to loosen and unmold the cakes. Turn the cakes over so they cool right side up.

Serve the cakes warm or at room temperature with a generous dollop of lightly whipped cream and a shower of candied lemon peel if desired. These moist cakes will keep covered at room temperature for 3 days or, wrapped airtight, can be frozen for up to a month. Thaw, still unwrapped, at room temperature.

This recipe yields 8 small cakes.

Large Gingerbread Cake: Butter and flour a 10-inch round cakepan, fill with the batter, and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the top is springy and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 10 minutes, then run a thin knife around the edge of the pan to loosen and unmold the cake. Turn the cake over so it cools right side up.

Source:
BAKING WITH JULIA written by Dorie Greenspan (c) 1996 - William Morrow and Company, New York, NY - 481 pages - $40.00 - As reprinted in the Nov/Dec, 1997 issue of Cookbook Digest

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