Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Tuesdays with Dorie - Gingerbread Baby Cakes


Today´s recipe for the Tuesdays with Julia group are Gingerbread Baby Cakes.




This is a delicious quick gingerbread batter that will fill your kitchen with spicy holiday scents while baking. The ingredients can easily be found in your pantry. They are plain flour, espresso as well as cocoa powder, ground and freshly grated ginger, dark brown sugar, eggs, unsalted butter, freshly ground black pepper and molasses - I used the sugar beet molasses from a local producer – it is perfect for baking, it is dark brown but has a mild flavor and does nor overpower the other ingredients of these Gingerbread Baby Cakes. The ginger and pepper give these cakes a very interesting, distinctive flavor.

I decided to bake these Gingerbread Baby Cakes in my small Weck jars and bring them along for a “photo session” at my favorite indoor Christmas market.

Personally, I would not top the Gingerbread with anything but a sprinkling of powdered sugar and maybe serve some crème fraîche on the side but I do not think that these flavorful cakes really need too much of an adornment as they are quite delicious on their own.

Spicy gingerbread is the ultimate Christmas treat. Try this recipe for Gingerbread Baby Cakes by contributing baker Johanne Killeen and you will not regret it.

To see all the other Gingerbread Baby Cakes by the talented members of the Tuesday with Dorie group, please do click here.

The recipe can be found at Karen´s delightful blog Karen´s Kitchen Stories - "Thank you" so much for being such a gracious host, Karen !





40 comments:

  1. So adorable in the little jar! Love the staging.

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    1. Thanks so much, Eileen - I always love baking things in these little Weck jars - besides, they are easy to take along, even to a totally crowded Christmas market.

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  2. My parents went to a few Christmas Markets last December and they loved it. I can't count how many times we've visited Germany, but we'd never planned a trip during the holiday season. Love your little jar cakes - I bet they were wonderful! :)

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    1. Thanks so much, Jessica - these Christmas Markets are irrestible and magical and nobody even noticed that I brought "my own dessert", visitors are always quite distracted while shopping for Christmas gifts there.

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  3. Beautiful! And I like the idea of using the sugar beet molasses, that sounds like it would meld really well without overpowering. Lovely baking job!

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    1. Thanks, Sara, the sugar beet molasses is delicious even when eaten "all by itself" and it is quite traditional to eat the molasses with potato pancakes around here.

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  4. What a creative idea to bake the cakes in your Weck jars! It looks absolutely delicious!

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  5. Oh my, I'm enjoying your blog. The Christmas Market, etc...so beautiful and contributes to my Christmas spirit. I'm going to now read through several of your wonderful posts...very well done!

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    1. Krisssy, thanks so much for the lovely comment - it makes me happy to read that you enjoy my blog! At this time of year, it is even more fun to blog!

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  6. I´m yet to make these baby cakes. Baking them in jars makes them seem so much more festive and attractive Andrea! Nice touch!

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    1. Thanks Paula, when I baked the Gingerbread, I was thinking of that wonderful Ginger Cake that you baked a while ago, maybe I should give that a try as well. It sounded delicious.

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  7. Interesting substitution of the sweet beet molasses. Love the staging of the photo - it is really festive!

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    1. Thank you, the beet molasses really has a lovely warm flavor that is not overpowering, I love to use it for baking.

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  8. Lovely pic of your cake. I have never baked in jars before. What a great idea. And it sure makes for a stunning presentation. Well done!!!

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    1. Baking in these little Weck jars is fun and it makes it easy to bring along dessert to parties (or Christmas markets).

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  9. Such a cute idea to bake them in Weck jars, Andrea, especially when you are taking them 'to go.' Your presentation is just lovely.

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    1. Thanks, Elaine, with all the other pictures that I took at home this week, I felt that I needed "to take my food on the road again", so Weck jars where the way to go.

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  10. What a beautiful photo shoot! Baking the cakes in the jars was such a nice idea

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    1. Cher, thank you, I was just looking for a festive backround that did not include my Christmas decorations at home.

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  11. What a great idea to use jars. I need to find my little 1/2 pint jars.

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    1. Margaret, you can use any type of canning jar for baking, actually but I just happen to have bought quite a few of these Weck jars this year and I love to use them for baking.

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  12. Beautiful presentation and photo Andrea! I recently got some Weck jars. I've made jelly in them but it didn't quite set. I think I needed to process it a little longer.

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    1. Thanks, Guyla, jelly can be a bit fickle and I have had my share of experiences with jelly that just did not want to set properly!

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  13. This is a really beautiful photo; I love the idea of putting them in jars - very Christmassy!

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    1. Thank you so much - jars are just a bit different from the usual cake pans and they are easy to take along.

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  14. I have never heard of sugar beet molasses but certainly have seen sugar beets growing all over in Europe. The Weck jars - again I am envious. I recall that you wrote about these jars before and Candy Wong waxes euphoric about them also. I will have to hunt them down next year. This was a lovely Post, Andrea, and I enjoyed this gingerbread as much as you did. Do your little girls like version of gingerbread - perhaps a little too "gingerbready" for them? You really seem to be enjoying the holidays.

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    1. Mary, you are absolutely right, the girls were not too taken by the strong taste of this Gingerbread, it does have a pronounced "grown-up" taste but I did not expect them to rave about this dessert. Although I must say that the sugar beet molasses is rather mild and mellow tasting but I believe the other ingredients are not really meant to please a child´s palate.

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  15. How cute to take your gingerbread to the Christmas market. I love the idea of the jars. Beautiful.

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    1. Karen, thank you so much for the nice comment - I just needed a different "environment" for taking pictures and I thought what better place to take Gingerbread than to a Christmas market.

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  16. Beautiful post, Andrea. Loved the idea of baking the gingerbread cake in jars. Your beautiful photo brought back some beautiful memories of going to the German 'Weihnachtsmarkt.'

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    1. Inge and Gillian: thanks so much for your comment - it is hard to not be in a festive mood these days with all the Christmas markets around us, it is certainly a wonderful time of the year and we are enjoying it quite a bit.

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  17. I agree.. fifteen minutes into baking.. and the kitchen really was filled up with this beautiful aroma.. that one associates with Christmas!!! I like the sound of the sugar beet molasses.. lovely post!1

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    1. Sarwani, gingerbread spices are just the best at this time of year.

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  18. Oh Andrea, You are just so creative…love your little Weck jar gingerbreads! They are just so cute! These were a hit in my house…I will definitely be making them again! Love that you go out on photo shoots. As always, gorgeous photos!

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    1. Kathy, thanks so much - taking dessert "on the road" is always fun!

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  19. Love the jars! I have been on the hunt for some little baking jars -- haven't found them yet. I really want the 8 oz. mason jars! Please stop by my blog and register for the cookbook giveaway going on through Sunday! Blessings, Catherine www.praycookblog.com

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    1. Katherine, thanks so much - I headed over to your blog and commented and your giveaway is a wonderful idea - that book by Dorie Greenspan has recived much love in our house, it is a fabulous book!

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