Spicy Gingerbread with Cinnamon Nutmeg Glaze

 

  Fall’s here, and it’s time for me to move into acceptance. We had an amazing summer here in Seattle – warm but not hot, clear glorious days with sunlight reflecting off the water, etc – it’s been fantastic. Apparently this summer was the driest since 1967.

 

Nonetheless, the cold, hard (and wet) slap of reality still stings. It started raining mid-October, and hasn’t stopped since. Despite such a great summer, I’ve still been whining. I just don’t understand why I continue to blow-dry my hair when all I do is walk outside and get wet again. I supposed that’s a personal problem, though.

 

Anyway, I figure the only way to wrap my mind around fall is to get into start ensconcing myself into seasonally appropriate foods.

 

To start: spicy loaf of gingerbread with a sweet and snappy glaze. It was so delicious that I ended up making it twice – we ate the first loaf before I was able to photograph it.

 

It’s a straightforward recipe, the only thing I’d suggest is really covering the gingerbread with the glaze, rather than drizzling it over. I found that the bites with the glaze had a the exact right amount of sweet/savory glaze.

 

Also, I did lay on the spices, so if you like a more mild cake, you might want to reduce them accordingly (but I love it as the recipe is written!)

 

And of course, if you’re not crazy about a sweet glaze, you can certainly serve it without – it’s delicious either way!

 

   

 

 

Spicy Gingerbread with Cinnamon Nutmeg Glaze

 

adapted from The Buttercup Bake Shop Cookbook

printer-friendly version

 

for the gingerbread:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 ½ tablespoons ginger

3 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon cloves

½ cup (1 stick) butter

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

½ cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon light unsulfured molasses

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 

for the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

 

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

 

Grease and lightly flour 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.

 

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.

 

In a large bowl, on the  medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar until fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the dry ingredients in two parts, alternating with the buttermilk. Stir in the molasses and vanilla.

 

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 20 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

 

After gingerbread is cool, whisk together the powdered sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Using a stand mixer or whisk, slowly add in the milk, adding more or less milk, depending on the consistency of your glaze. Pour or brush over gingerbread.

 

 

Enjoy!

Posted on November 7, 2012
This entry was posted in baking, desserts, quick and easy and tagged cinnamon, fall.