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Dec 4, 2012

Gingerbread Baby Cakes

These gingerbread baby cakes are loaded with gingery spiciness. 

These gingerbread baby cakes are loaded with gingery spiciness.

Eight little four inch baby cakes of buttery gingery brown sugary molasses-y peppery goodness. I absolutely love these cakes. They are so spicy, and well... hot! These cakes definitely have an adult taste.


These gingerbread baby cakes are loaded with gingery spiciness.


I am thinking that even though they are butter cakes, the spices might speed up your metabolism enough to cancel the butter out.

I vote yes on that one.

These gingerbread baby cakes are loaded with gingery spiciness.


These cakes have an adult appeal. The spice is very strong. I served mine with lightly sweetened whipped cream and it balanced the spiciness perfectly. Vanilla ice cream or sweetened flavored mascarpone would also be perfect. I'm also envisioning some caramel, butterscotch, or chocolate sauce....

These gingerbread baby cakes are loaded with gingery spiciness.


What amazed me is that my five and nine year old grandsons fell in love with these cakes. Let's just say, if they don't like something that I've baked, they don't hesitate to let me know (politely of course). They were crazy about these and requested that we add them to their lunch boxes. Happy happy me!  I am nuts about those little boys =)

The recipe calls for eight four-inch by two-inch cake pans, or one 10-inch cake pan. I had the 10-inch pan, but since I am hosting this week's Tuesdays With Dorie, I "needed" to be authentic and buy the pans. Oh darn.... (well, not really).  Aren't they adorable?

These gingerbread baby cakes are loaded with gingery spiciness.


This recipe is from Baking with Julia, by Dorie Greenspan, and is based on the PBS series of the same name. The recipe was contributed by Johanne Killeen.

Gingerbread Baby Cakes

Ingredients

2 C (10 oz according to the book) unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 C espresso powder
3 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1 T ground ginger
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
8 ounces (2 sticks) of room temperature unsalted butter
1 C packed dark brown sugar
4 large room temperature eggs
2 1/2 T peeled and finely minced fresh ginger (I used a mini food processor)
2 C unsulphured molasses

Garnish the cakes with sweetened whipped cream, sweetened or coffee scented mascarpone, and/or chocolate or other flavored syrup. Ice cream would be good too. 

Instructions

  1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees F. 
  2. Grease and flour eight 4x8 inch cake pans. I used parchment and spray oil (no flour) and it worked out well.
  3. Whisk the flour, espresso, cocoa, ground ginger, baking powder, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl.
  4. Place the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Double the time if you are using a hand mixer. 
  5. Add the eggs one at a time, and beat on high speed for about half a minute between additions. 
  6. Add the fresh ginger and the molasses and mix on medium for about two minutes. 
  7. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just incorporated.
  8. Evenly divide the batter among the mini cake pans. 
  9. Place the cake pans on a baking sheet and place them in the oven. 
  10. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (mine took about 27 minutes), rotating the sheet pan halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out pretty clean. The middle should be springy, and the cake should have just cracked. 
  11. Place the cake pans on a cooling rack for 10 minutes to cool. Run a knife to loosen the cakes from the pans and turn them out onto the racks. Remove the parchment if you have used it, and allow the cakes to continue to cool. These cakes can be served warm or at room temperature.
  12. The cakes can be stored in an air tight container for 3 or 4 days, or individually wrapped and frozen for about 30 days. 
This recipe can also be baked in one 10-inch cake pan and baked for 50 to 60 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 


Would you like to comment?

  1. Your cakes look gorgeous. I should've used this as an excuse to buy the baby pans. Oh well.

    Gingerbread crusted sushi? Ew.

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  2. Those cakes look absolutely picture perfect. Thanks for hosting!

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  3. What a beautiful post! Your pictures are lovely and it is an added bonus that the kids liked the cakes! Thank you so much for hosting. Merry Christmas!
    Catherine from www.praycookblog.com

    P.S. I'm giving away one of Dorie's cookbooks this week, please stop by and enter to win it!

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  4. Beautifully done! I avoided buying new pans for this one, but man you make it tempting.
    Thanks for hosting this week.

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    1. You're going to need them for the upside down rhubarb cakes... just sayin'

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  5. Your baby cake looks perfect. The baby pans are so cute and I think if I had gone to the store I wouldn't have been able to resist them either. Thank you for hosting!

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    1. Amazon. I have harder time resisting online shopping.

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  6. Thanks for hosting! Your pictures are gorgeous!

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  7. Oh, what cute little baby cakes! They look so good, especially with that nice dollop of whipped cream on top. Lovely job, and thank you for hosting!

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  8. Your photos are beautiful! I never knew mini pans like these existed - adorable!!

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  9. Yours look beautiful. I wanted to buy pans, but where would I put them. Thanks for hosting.

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    Replies
    1. I'm doing my best not to end up on hoarders. =)

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  10. Lovely, Karen! I longed for some sweetened cream to give these spicy lil things a bit more sweetness on my tongue. :)

    Thank you for hosting!! Beautiful post!

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  11. Your cakes turned out beautifully Karen! Thanks for hosting!

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  12. Glad they were a hit. Your photos are beautiful!

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  13. I thought the same thing about the gingerbread sushi. But Michael Symon's gingerbread and sweet potato pierogies, however? Swoon.... Beautifully photographed Karen. Thanks for hosting!

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    Replies
    1. Oh I'm so glad someone else saw that. Yes, I agree on the gingerbread and sweet potato. Thanks Renee.

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  14. Those are gorgeous! Of course you had to buy the pans! Thanks for hosting.

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  15. Your photos are wonderful. I love your pans!!!
    Thanks for hosting.

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  16. Thank you for hosting. Your cakes look yummy!

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  17. I should have bought new pans- had them in my hot little hands till I saw the paper ones and switched. I figured I more than likely would not be using them again. Oh to have such lovely perfect cakes as yours! Thanks for hosting!! :)

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  18. Your cakes are beautiful. Thanks for making the sacrafice and buying the appropriate little cake pans. ;) Your description of them as having adult taste is right on.

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  19. I splurged and bought the pans, too. Your cakes look gorgeous! Love that your grandsons requested them in their lunch boxes. Smart boys!

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    Replies
    1. We'll get to use the pans again when we do one of the other Johanne Killeen recipes. Score!

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  20. Your cake pans are adorable and I think you did NEED them! Thanks for hosting and posting the recipe. Nice photos!

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  21. Your cakes look great. The pics are really good. Glad you liked the cakes. And I like your idea of caramel, butterscotch or chocolate sauce!

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  22. Karen, thanks for hosting this week. Your cakes look beautiful. Love your photography.

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  23. Gorgeous photos! I didn't get a chance to make them but they sound delicious. Thanks for hosting this week.

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  24. I love your cakes! So pretty!!!! I'm a big fan of fat daddios. I'm going to have to invest in some of those baby cake pans. Just toooooo cute! Thanks for hosting!

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    Replies
    1. You'll have to get them! Love them or Magic Line. Both are fabulous.

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    2. If it matters to you, Magic Line are made in the US, and not particularly expensive, around $4 each for the 4" if I recall correctly.

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    3. I definitely have a collection of them. I think they are based here in California.

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  25. Looks fabulous! I agree, they had some big flavors- definitely needed that cream. Gingerbread on sushi?

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  26. Thanks for hosting this week. You are blessed to have grandchildren with willing palates. My nieces (3 and 6) would likely not even try a bite of these, though they may get a chance come Christmas.

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  27. Karen, thank you so much for being this weeks´ hostess - you did a wonderful job with your picture perfect presentation of your Gingerbread Baby Cakes!

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  28. Wonderful job hosting this week! You pictures are beautiful and your cake scrumptious looking. Glad you and your grandsons enjoyed them!

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  29. wow--you got the real pans! they certainly did make for lovely little cakes. thanks for hosting, nad glad to hear the recipe was a winner.

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  30. Karen, Thanks for hosting this week…sorry I’m a bit late! I also loved these little gems! So glad your grandsons enjoyed them! Your cakes look beautiful…absolutely perfect!

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  31. I was convinced that kids would just not liek them.. but yours boys have proven us all wrong!! yours came out just like the book's photographs.. awesome!!

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  32. Sushi covered in gingerbread? Weird. These cakes were seriously strong flavored. I did have one kid who liked it, but the rest of us couldn't take the heat.

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  33. Tried this in a cake pan. Took forever to bake, and burnt on the outside. Not crazy about the flavor, and very dense. Needed more sweetness. Very heavy cake. Would not make again

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    Replies
    1. That's why I'm so glad I got the mini pans =)

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