Cholly's World-Famous Gingerbread Cake
Ingredients
* 1 cup dark molasses
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1/2 cup (1/4 lb.) butter, at room temperature
* 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
* 2 large eggs
* Crème anglaise
* Unsweetened cocoa and/or powdered sugar (optional)
* Fresh mint sprigs (optional), rinsed
Preparation
1. In a 2- to 3-quart pan over high heat, bring 1 cup water to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in molasses and baking soda. After mixture stops foaming, stir in 1/2 cup cold water; let cool to room temperature, stirring often, about 10 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and cloves.
3. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter and brown sugar until well blended. Beat in eggs until blended. Reduce speed to medium-low. Add flour and molasses mixtures alternately until incorporated, then beat on high speed until well blended. Pour into a buttered and floured 9-inch square pan.
4. Bake in a 325° regular or convection oven until a toothpick inserted in center of thickest part comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool in pan on a rack at least 1 1/4 hours.
5. Pour about 1/4 cup crème anglaise onto each plate. Cut cake into pieces (see notes) and set them in sauce on plates. If desired, lightly sift cocoa and/or powdered sugar over each plate and garnish with a mint sprig. Offer remaining crème anglaise to add to taste.
Crème Anglaise
Ingredients
* 1 quart milk
* 2/3 cup sugar
* 8 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
* 2 teaspoons vanilla
Preparation
1. In a 3- to 4-quart pan over medium heat, stir milk and sugar often until mixture begins to bubble around edges of pan, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. Whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture into egg yolks, then pour mixture into pan and whisk to blend. Stir with a flexible spatula over medium-low heat until custard coats the spatula in a smooth, velvety layer, 10 to 14 minutes. Remove from heat and pour through a fine strainer set over a bowl. Set bowl in a container of ice water and stir often until cool. Stir in vanilla. Serve cool or cold.
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