Shaking It Up a Bit…..

Don’t you just love to surprise someone by shaking it up a bit?

Still cookin’ and bakin’ my dear readers….Still lovin’ the cooler temps and falling Oleander leaves! Oh and the Plumaria leaves too. Boy, does this tree get ugly in the winter!  It is sooo beautiful in the spring, summer and fall with it’s tropical waxy Hawaiian Lei type flowers… but all the leaves fall off and the tree is left with just a bunch of stumpy looking branches.  But that is for another time and post.

Today, we are talking about gingerbread!

Perhaps you associate gingerbread more with Christmas, but I like it anytime of the year and I like it in the Autumn!

I also like mixing it up or shaking it up …..yep, that is a good thing I believe.

This gingerbread is more like a marble cake in that it has a marbling effect.

I used cocoa powder because everyone loves chocolate and at first you might think that cocoa and gingerbread are not a good combination…..but trust me, it is yummy!  Top your gingerbread with a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle on a bit of  nutmeg and Wha-Lah! …a wonderful dessert.

As I have said many times before…. I love to curl up beside a cozy fire and read a good book and nibble on a wonderful dessert!

True, I have the fireplace and the book and the dessert….Florida just does not provide the freezing weather! 

But this gingerbread with a swirl is a perfect way to start.

Enjoy your week-end! 

Gingerbread with a Swirl

2015-11-07 09:40:59

I love gingerbread and this gingerbread is special because it is swirled with chocolate.

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Ingredients

1. 1/2 cup of shortening (I use Crisco)
2. 1 cup sugar
3. 1 cup molasses
4. 2 eggs
5. 1 teaspoon baking soda
6. 1 cup boiling water
7. 2 cups flour
8. 1/2 teaspoon salt
9. 1/4 cup of cocoa powder
10. 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
11. 1/4 teaspoon cloves
12. 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
13. cool whip topping (optional)

Instructions

1. Cream together the sugar, shortening and molasses
2. Add in the eggs one at a time mixing well
3. Add the baking soda to the water that has reached the boiling point and stir until dissolved before stirring into the creamed mixture
4. Add the flour and salt and mix well
5. Remove 2 cups of the batter into a small bowl
6. Add the cocoa powder to the 2 cups of batter, blending well and set aside, this becomes the cocoa batter
7. To the main cake batter, add the cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, this becomes the gingerbread batter
8. Pour the gingerbread batter into a greased and floured 13X9 baking dish or pan
9. Using a very large spoon, spoon cocoa batter sporadically on the top of the gingerbread batter (I ended up with 6 large dollops of cocoa batter)
10. Next take a case knife and swirl the cocoa batter around the gingerbread batter reaching to the bottom of the baking dish. Use your own design if you like
11. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean
12. Cut into large squares and serve warm with a spoon-full of cool whip topping
13. Sprinkle with nutmeg for a pretty effect.

Notes

1. I love the smell of gingerbread baking in the oven....add the chocolate swirl and whipped cream and it is more than delicious. 😉

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