black sticky gingerbread

i promise this will be my last ginger-related recipe for at least a month. this is worth it though; this is what i had been aiming for when i baked this--a dense, lightly sweet and very spicy ginger bread cake. i cut out a little sugar and upped the spices, making this a perfect breakfast or snacking cake--as pictured, i served it with a mound of plain yogurt swirled with maple syrup. if you're having it for dessert, lightly sweetened freshly whipped cream is wonderful too.

note: this makes a really giant block of cake, serving (in my opinion) way more than the 10-12 that the recipe says. if you don't want to overdose or don't have people around to help you eat it, you might divide the batter between two smaller pans and freeze one for later.
black sticky gingerbread
makes one giant 9x9" brick of a cake
adapted from in the sweet kitchen

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup unsulphured blackstrap molasses
• 3/4 cup flavorful honey, such as a dark wildflower, berry or chestnut
• 3/4 cup tightly packed dark brown sugar
• 3 cups all-purpose (i used white whole wheat) flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tsp ground ginger
• 3 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup milk (2% recommended)
• 1 packed tbsp grated fresh ginger root
• lightly sweetened whipped cream or yogurt, for serving (optional)

preheat the oven to 325°F. lightly grease a 9x9" baking pan (the recipe says the pan should be 2" deep, but i would recommend using a deeper one or else it might overflow in the oven--mine was roughly 4" deep) and line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper that has been cut to hang over two opposite edges by a couple of inches. this overhang will make removing the cake from the pan clean and simple.

combine the butter, water, molasses, honey and brown sugar in a medium non-reactive saucepan and place over low heat. stir the mixture frequently until the butter is melted, and all of the ingredients are well blended. remove from the heat, pour into a large bowl and set aside to cool.

meanwhile, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, all-spice and cloves, and set aside. when the molasses mixture feels just warm to the touch (important to let it reach almost room temperature--i jumped the gun and added an egg too soon, which curdled and i had to strain it out. if you're unsure, give it a few minutes in the fridge), add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. add the milk and stir to combine. fold the dry ingredients into the batter in four additions, using big, long strokes. don't be concerned if you can't get all the lumps out-settle for most of them! stir in the grated ginger.

pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the center of the oven for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the top of the cake springs back when touched and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. if you're unsure, it's better to be underbaked by a few minutes rather than overbaked. allow to cool for 15 minutes, then, using the overhang of parchment, lift the cake out of the pan and cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.
well-wrapped in plastic, this gingerbread actually improves with age. if stored at room temperature, it will have a sponge-cakey texture and will keep for about 4 days. refrigerated, it becomes stickier, denser and wonderfully chewy and will last at least a week. allow the cake to return to room temperature before serving.