Gingerbread with Spiced Rum Buttercream

Gingerbread is old school.  It goes way back to medieval times when spices like ginger and cloves were hot commodities.  I like that about it.

I think its oldfashioned-ness is part of its charm.  My mother used to make a square gingerbread cake, I think it was probably from a mix, and she topped it with a little blob of redi-whip.  I remember thinking how different it was from all the other desserts I was used to.   I liked it, but it was a little Spartan.

My version is earthy, luxurious, heavily spiced and enriched with a whole cup of molasses.  It's adapted from Martha. 

The spiced rum buttercream insures that you won't feel deprived.  And yes, you can really taste the spiced rum.

The light is streaming through the window at a decidedly different angle these days, but Los Angeles is still in the throes of summer.   I think we're the last place in the country to get a whiff of fall.  The thermometor read 105 yesterday.
1.   0.   5.
Send good thoughts our way, please.

In the meantime, I offer up the most wonderful, old-timey seasonal dessert, in hopes that it might appease whichever spirits are in charge of cool breezes, nips in the air, and chilly mornings.  Just in case your good thoughts aren't enough.  I have to cover all my bases...

Gingerbread with Spiced Rum Buttercream 
oven to 350
1 cup boiling water
2 tsp baking soda

• Combine the boiling water with the baking soda and set aside.

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup molasses

• Beat the butter until fluffy, then add the sugar and cream them together well.
• Add the molasses and water/baking soda mix.  

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup almond flour (or use more regular flour)
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder

• Sift together dry ingredients and add them to the wet.

2 eggs

• Beat in eggs.
• Pour into a well greased pan.  This recipe originally called for a 9x12 rectangle baking pan, but I wanted to use my 9" round springform pan, so I had enough batter left for 6 cupcakes. Go either way, but be sure to grease up your pan well, this cake is sticky.
• Bake for about 30-35 minutes for the rectangle, and a little longer for the springform, 40-45 minutes. Cupcakes will take about 14 minutes, till a toothpick comes out clean.
• Cool on a rack.

Spiced Buttercream
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
3 Tbsp Spiced Rum
Milk or cream to thin

• Blend the soft butter and sugar with a wooden spoon.
• Add the Rum and then the milk or cream, a tablespoon at a time, beating well, until the frosting is smooth and of spreading consistency. 
• Frost the cake when cooled.

I loved this cake.  And not just because cake is my weak spot.  I could barely make it through a quick photo shoot.  That first bite, the point, that bit that droops down under the weight of the frosting there, that's the best part.

Here's hoping for a cold front from the north!


One year ago today---

Maple Oat Nut Scones