Cakey Gingerbread Squares
Submitted by kcfagan
Cakey gingerbread squares with molasses, fresh orange zest, and warm holiday spices. Tender old-fashioned gingerbread, dusted with powdered sugar for a snowy finish.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
45 minREADY
1 hrsCakey gingerbread squares are the soft, tender side of the gingerbread family, more like a spiced quick-bread cake than the crisp cookie-style version. The crumb stays pillowy thanks to a one-cup pour of boiling water that goes into the batter alongside the molasses.
Molasses is doing the heavy work here. A full cup gives the cake its dark color, bittersweet edge, and that signature deep flavor no amount of brown sugar can replicate. Unsulfured molasses (not blackstrap) is the right choice. Blackstrap is too aggressive for cake.
Fresh orange zest is the surprise that lifts the warm spices. A small amount cuts through the heaviness of the molasses and gives the gingerbread a bright, almost candied edge that elevates it from rustic to refined.
Alternating wet and dry into the creamed butter (the classic three-stage method) is what keeps the crumb tender. Dumping everything in at once leads to gluten development and a tougher, denser cake.
Pro Tips
- Use room-temperature butter for the creaming step. Cold butter won’t aerate properly.
- Sift the dry spices with the flour. Lumps of ground cloves can taste medicinal in one bite and nothing in the next.
- The cake is done when it pulls away from the pan sides and a toothpick comes out clean. Trust the visual cues alongside the toothpick.
- Dust with powdered sugar through a fine sieve for the cleanest snowy finish. Don’t sprinkle from above.
Variations
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃).
Butter and flour a 9-inch square baking pan.
Using a hand-held electric mixer set at high speed, beat the butter until creamy, about 1 minute.
Add the sugar and beat until light in color and texture, about 2 additional minutes. Beat in the eggs and orange zest.
Sift the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, salt, and cloves onto a piece of waxed paper. In a 2-cup glass measuring cup, combine the molasses and boiling water.
Alternately in thirds, beat in the flour and molasses mixtures.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, and the cake is shrinking from the sides of the pan, 40 to 50 minutes.
Let stand on a wire cake rack for 5 minutes. Place the confectioners’ sugar in a sieve and dust over the top of the cake. Serve the cake warm or completely cooled.
Comments



