Who says gingerbread is only for Christmas? Apparently, we’ve got our dates mixed up, because there’s a Gingerbread Day in June! As early as 1793,
Europeans were adding ginger to cakes, breads, and desserts because it acted as a preservative. Once they discovered the yummy, though, variations began to flourish just for the yum of it. (I know it’s a silly sentence – I just couldn’t help it.) It was available in some shops in the 1640s, but didn’t become widely available until the 1700s. Apparently, the preservative properties of ginger is what helped establish this holiday. In New England before the Civil War, all men 18-45 had to go to military training on the first Tuesday of every June. “Muster Day” became a festive occasion involving the sweet that would keep as families traveled to training grounds to rally the troops.
So is it gingerbread cake or gingerbread cookies? Both! German gingerbread is most traditionally dark, spicy cake, while French gingerbread is most often found in cookie form. English gingerbread tends to be the sweet, shaped cookies or circular “snaps” that most of us think of when we think of gingerbread. Having a strong German ancestry is, I suppose, what leads to my preference for gingerbread cake. I make it on a fairly regular basis. I like my recipe because it doesn’t require molasses, like most gingerbread recipes. When you don’t use it for anything else, molasses is a very expensive pantry staple. My gingerbread cake is a dense, moist cake that can be picked up and eaten, which makes it great for breakfast on the go. Hey – it’s got milk, eggs, flour, natural applesauce, and raisins in it – dairy, grains, and fruit. Sounds like health food to me! (Just don’t tell the kids!)
Crystal’s Gingerbread-Raisin Cake
Ingredients
1¼ cups granulated sugar
½ cup (1 stick) butter
2 eggs
1¼ cups unbleached flour
1¼ cups whole wheat flour
2½ teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cloves
1 cup milk
1 cup natural applesauce (unsweetened applesauce)
1 cup raisins
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Grease a 9×13 baking pan.
Beat sugar and butter in a large bowl on medium speed until light and fluffy; about 5 minutes.
Beat in eggs, one at a time, until combined.
Add flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, salt and cloves to butter mixture; pour milk over mixture and beat just until smooth.
Add applesauce and raisins, mixing until raisins are well-distributed in batter.
Transfer batter to prepared pan.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Powdered sugar can be sprinkled on top before serving if desired.
So go find your favorite gingerbread recipe and mix it up! Then read the ultimate dessert story to your kids while it bakes, and have a gloriously delish Gingerbread Day!
For more great recipe ideas check out Nibbledish!
