Gingerbread--two ways.

So my mom made this fantastic gingerbread last night, and I had to ask where she got the recipe. She told me JOY of Cooking! I love that book! They have simple stuff, all the way up to totally complicated things no one would ever know you could pull off! Grandma has a copy, Mom does, and now the tradition goes on with me and my sister having it in our homes too. Now that I have pitched a commercial for their book... thanks to them, I have a couple of gingerbread recipes. Because we're in Utah, Mom made the high altitude version, but I also have some readers in California so I am including the regular version too.

This is not like gingerbread cookies, it's more like a cake, and sooooo good. you can glaze it or frost it if you like, but its perfectly fine with a sprinkling of powdered sugar

Source: Joy of Cooking, by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, and Ethan Becker. (go buy it, its worth the cost!)

Gingerbread, pg 724

2 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 c hot water
1/2 c light molasses
1/2 c honey
1/2 c (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg
1/2 c sugar (or 1/4 c sugar and 1/4 c splenda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 inch square baking pan, or line with wax paper or parchment. Whisk together dry ingredients. In separate bowl, whisk together water, molasses, and honey. In another large bowl, whisk together the butter, egg, and sugar. Alternately, add dry ingredients and molasses honey mixture to the butter egg and sugar, whisking after each addition. If desired, you can add 3 tablespoons of crystallized ginger after everything is combined. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, or til a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.

High Altitude Gingerbread, pg 752
for 5000 feet

2 1/2 c all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp black or white pepper
1/2 c (1 stick) butter
1/2 c plus 2 tbsp sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 c unsulphured molasses
1 c very hot water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare 9 inch baking pan with waxed paper, or grease and flour. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients in a bowl. Dissolve molasses in hot water in a separate bowl. In separate large bowl, beat together butter and sugar and then eggs, one at a time; and then add sour cream. Add dry ingredients in 4 parts, alternating with the mixture of hot water and molasses mixture, beating well to combine, and scraping bowl each time you add water or flour mixture. The batter will be runny. Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 38 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.