Cholly's World -famous Gingerbread Cake

Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1 cup dark molasses
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs

Recipe

• 1 in a 2-quart pan over high heat, bring 1 cup water to a boil.
• 2 remove from heat and stir in molasses and baking soda.
• 3 after mixture stops foaming, stir in 1/2 cup cold water; let cool to room temperature, stirring often (about 10 minutes).
• 4 (this can also be done easily in microwave).
• 5 in a small bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.
• 6 preheat oven to 325 degrees f.
• 7 in mixing bowl, with an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter and brown sugar until well blended.
• 8 beat in eggs until blended.
• 9 reduce speed and add flour and molasses mixtures alternately until incorporated, then beat on high spped until well blended.
• 10 pour into a buttered and floured 9-inch square pan.
• 11 bake in a 325 oven until a toothpick inserted in center of thickest part comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.
• 12 let cool on pan on a rack for at least an hour.
• 13 serving suggestion: pour about 1/4 cup creme anglaise onto each plate.
• 14 cut cake into pieces and set them in sauce on plates.
• 15 if desired, lightly sift unsweetened cocoa and/or powdered sugar over each plate and garnish with a mint sprig.
• 16 offer additional creme anglaise at table.