Super Easy Chocolate Gingerbread

Several years ago,  2004 in fact,  I became obsessed with Nigella Lawson’s Chocolate Gingerbread from her cookbook Feast.  I made it once then another thirty times.  Why?  It’s a perfect foolproof cake with holiday flavor that is dead simple, not just to make but to serve.  At Angeli we ended up pairing it in a trifle with a luscious tart lemon curd and whipped cream. It’s easy to make for a crowd.  Now I serve it for tea plain or with a lemony glaze studded with candied ginger or with swirls of ginger-cinnamon enhanced cream cheese frosting.  The tweaks I make are adding ground pepper for more bite. Sometimes instead of adding chocolate chips I add chopped candied ginger.

Despite all the sugar, treacle or golden syrup is isn’t too sweet, a welcome attribute during a holiday season of overindulgence.  But best of all, you make the batter in one saucepan and pour it into a pan lined with parchment.  Clean up is a breeze!

Nigella’s Chocolate Gingerbread

CourseDessert, Snack, Tea Time
Cuisine: British
Servings: 12-20 slices
Prep Time:  20 minutes
Passive Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients
Into a Saucepan to Melt Butter and Stir
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup golden syrup or corn syrup
3/4 cup molasses or black treacle Nigella says
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon fresh fine ground pepper

ADD to the Saucepan in order and Beat after each addition
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda mixed with 2 tablespoons warm water
2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Stir in Chocolate Chips or broken chocolate
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or 6 oz any chocolate you like chopped coarse
1 cup chopped candied ginger instead of above or in addition (optional)

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 325F. Tear off a big piece of parchment paper and line the bottom and sides of a roasting pan of approximately 12″x8″x2″

2. Put all the ingredients in the first group in a 2 qt saucepan. Melt the butter over medium heat. Stir frequently. When butter is melted and all ingredients are incorporated remove pan from heat.

3. Add the ingredients in the second group to the saucepan in the order they’re listed beating after each addition.

4. Stir in chocolate chips or chopped chocolate. Pour batter into parchment lined pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until “risen and firm. It will be slightly damp underneath the set top and that’s the way you want it.” per Nigella Lawson