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In most farmhouse kitchens, the first cold morning of fall meant gingerbread, and nobody meant the cookies. They meant the cake. A square pan of something nearly black, made with molasses and hot water, that perfumed the whole house with ginger and cloves and was cut right in the pan while still warm.
The part that has nearly been forgotten is the sauce. In a great many houses the gingerbread went into a bowl under a thin, clear, yellow lemon sauce, warm from the saucepan and sharp enough to wake you up. There were always holdouts who took theirs with cold butter instead and said the sauce was for company.
This is that gingerbread, written down properly. One step alarms every first-time baker: a full cup of hot water goes in last, and the batter turns as thin as cream. That is where the soft crumb comes from.
Why this gingerbread with lemon sauce works
- Hot water, stirred in last. It loosens the molasses, wakes up the baking soda and makes a very thin batter that bakes into a soft, moist crumb.
- Dark molasses, not blackstrap. A full cup of regular dark molasses gives the color and the depth. Blackstrap is bitter enough to ruin the pan.
- Baking soda and molasses work together. Molasses is acidic, so the soda lifts a heavy batter and deepens the color to near black.
- A sharp sauce against a dark cake. The lemon sauce is thin, clear and only lightly sweet, so it cuts through the molasses.
Ingredients
Makes one 9 inch square pan, 9 generous squares, with about 1 1/4 cups of lemon sauce. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
For the gingerbread
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick, 115g), soft
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100g)
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 cup dark molasses (340g), not blackstrap
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (315g)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 cup hot water (240ml), just off the boil
- Butter or oil for the pan
For the warm lemon sauce
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100g)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 cup water (240ml)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (30g)
- Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons)
- A little finely grated lemon peel, about 1 teaspoon
Look for a jar labeled dark, robust or full flavor molasses, never blackstrap. Grease the measuring cup with a little butter first and the molasses slides right out.
How to make gingerbread with lemon sauce
The gingerbread
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9 inch square pan well, corners included, and put the kettle on.
- In a large bowl, cream the soft butter and the sugar until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the egg.
- Beat in the molasses until the mixture is one even dark color. It may look slightly curdled. The flour fixes that.
- In a second bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt together.
- Add the dry ingredients to the molasses mixture and stir just until no dry flour shows. The batter will be thick and stiff.
- Now stir in the hot water, last of all, a little at first, then the rest. The batter will be very thin, like cream. You have not ruined it. Pour it into the greased pan.
- Bake for 45 to 55 minutes on the middle rack. It is done when the top springs back, the edges just pull away from the pan and a toothpick in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool in the pan on a rack for about 15 minutes. Gingerbread is cut in the pan and served warm.
The warm lemon sauce
- Stir the sugar and cornstarch together in a small saucepan. Stir in the water and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring. Boil for 2 minutes, until the sauce turns clear. Off the heat, stir in the butter, the lemon juice and the grated peel. Pour it warm over squares of warm gingerbread in shallow bowls.
Tips that make the difference
- Mix the sugar and cornstarch dry before the water goes in. Cornstarch added to water alone clumps.
- The lemon juice goes in off the heat. Boiled lemon juice turns dull, and this sauce has to be bright.
- The batter sloshes. Set the pan on the pulled-out oven rack first and then pour, or carry it slowly with two hands.
- Do not open the oven before the 40 minute mark. The wet center sets last, and a draft can make it sink.
Variations
- With cold butter. The other old way: no sauce, just a slice of cold salted butter left to half melt on the hot square.
- With whipped cream. Softly whipped, barely sweetened cream is the third classic.
- More ginger. Raise the ground ginger to 2 teaspoons, or stir 1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger into the finished batter.
- Orange sauce. Use the juice of 1 small orange plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and orange peel in place of lemon. Softer and sweeter.
Storage and make-ahead
Keep the gingerbread in its pan, covered tightly, at room temperature for up to 4 days. It gets darker, stickier and better on the second day.
The lemon sauce keeps in a covered jar in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It sets to a soft jelly when cold. Warm it gently with a teaspoon of water until it pours again.
To freeze, wrap the cooled squares individually and bag them. They keep for 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and warm under foil for 10 minutes in a 300°F (150°C) oven. Make the sauce fresh. It takes five minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my gingerbread batter so thin?
Because it is supposed to be. The cup of hot water makes a batter that pours like cream, and that is what bakes into the soft, moist crumb. Do not add more flour.
Can I use blackstrap molasses?
No. Blackstrap is strongly bitter, and with a full cup in the recipe it takes over. Use regular dark molasses. Mild molasses also works and gives a paler, gentler cake.
Why did my gingerbread sink in the middle?
Usually it came out too soon or the oven door was opened early. Leave the door shut for the first 40 minutes and test the center, not the edge. Old baking soda can also be the cause.
Can I make the lemon sauce ahead?
Yes, up to 5 days ahead, in a jar in the refrigerator. Warm it slowly with a teaspoon of water, and add a fresh squeeze of lemon before serving.
If there was a square pan of something dark cooling on the counter on the first cold morning of fall, this is that gingerbread. Make the sauce once before you pick a camp, and let the table argue about the butter.
Old-Fashioned Gingerbread with Warm Lemon Sauce (Dark Molasses Cake)
Dark, soft old-fashioned molasses gingerbread baked in a 9 inch square pan and served the way it used to be, with a thin, sharp, warm lemon sauce poured over each square. Cups and grams, and the hot water step that makes the crumb.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick, 115g), soft
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 cup dark molasses (340g), not blackstrap
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 cup hot water (240ml), just off the boil
- Butter or oil for the pan
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Juice of 1 lemon
- A little finely grated lemon peel, about 1 teaspoon
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9 inch square pan well, corners included, and put the kettle on.
- In a large bowl, cream the soft butter and the sugar until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the egg.
- Beat in the molasses until the mixture is one even dark color. It may look slightly curdled. The flour fixes that.
- In a second bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt together.
- Add the dry ingredients to the molasses mixture and stir just until no dry flour shows. The batter will be thick and stiff.
- Now stir in the hot water, last of all, a little at first, then the rest. The batter will be very thin, like cream. You have not ruined it. Pour it into the greased pan.
- Bake for 45 to 55 minutes on the middle rack. It is done when the top springs back, the edges just pull away from the pan and a toothpick in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool in the pan on a rack for about 15 minutes. Gingerbread is cut in the pan and served warm.
- Stir the sugar and cornstarch together in a small saucepan. Stir in the water and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring. Boil for 2 minutes, until the sauce turns clear. Off the heat, stir in the butter, the lemon juice and the grated peel. Pour it warm over squares of warm gingerbread in shallow bowls.
