Run, Run as fast as you can . . .

You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread . . . Girl!!!

Welcome to Tuesdays With Dorie, that delicious baking group that bakes once a week together, a delicious recipe from that splendiferous baking book, Baking, from my home to yours, by the equally as splendiferous cookbook author, Ms Dorie Greenspan! Yes, each week, we all bake the same recipe and then report our delicious results here on the web for people to oggle and drool over. I can hold this baking group singularly responsible for at least two inches of my double axe handle wide hips, but that's ok, tis a delicious way to go . . .



This week's recipe was Fresh Ginger and Chocolate Gingerbread on page 212, as chosen by Heather of Sherry Trifle. Oh Heather, Heather . . . Heather . . . I was thrilled with your choice. I am a Gingerbread Nut!! I love gingerbread. I could eat gingerbread until it comes out of my ears, and still go back for more! I have a house full of Gingerbread dolls . . . big and small, not to mention gingerbread candles, gingerbread fairies, gingerbread cookie cutters . . . well . . . I am sure you all get the picture. It has always been my dream to have a gingerbread cottage, and if I ever have enough money to . . . I shall! (And y'all can come and nibble on my door anytime!)



This gingerbread was a bit unusual as it had melted chocolate stirred into the batter along with chunks of chocolate and a chocolate icing on the top. What's that you say??? It's quite right, you are not imagining things. That is not chocolate icing on top of my cake. It's a vanilla butter cream. My todd is not fond of chocolate cakes and such and so I thought . . . . hmmm . . . . mustn't overdo the chocolate, and so whilst I did use the chocolate in the batter, I chose not to use a chocolate icing and well . . . mostly because this is a large cake and I didn't want to have to eat it all by myself. Not that I couldn't manage that, but because my hips darest not get any larger!



The batter for this cake not only holds powdered ginger, cinnamon and cloves, but also a glorious mixture of sugared grated ginger and chopped oriental preserved ginger. This is something that I always have in my cupboard. I love the stuff, no surprise there! The syrup in the jar of preserved ginger is sooo lovely. I added a teaspoon of it to the cake batter as well. You should try a teaspoon of it stirred into your hot chocolate or tea next time you have a cuppa. It's delicious! But . . . I digress . . . as I often do.

This cake smelled heavenly from the get-go. When I was stirring it up, when it was baking, when it was cooling . . . it's just wonderful! I reckon every house should smell like gingerbread! It has to be the most homey, comforting smell around!



The only problem I had with this cake was that the chocolate chunks sunk to the bottom. I'm not sure if that's the way it's supposed to happen, but never mind, it is delicious anyways, chocolate chunks on the bottom or not! Every bite brings you a glorious taste sensation of gingery spice, sweet ginger chunks and chocolate chunks. Can you say M-O-R-E-I-S-H???? This gingerbread is wonderfully to die for and if anything it seems to taste better and better as the days pass!



Run, run as fast as you can to bake this!!! You can find the recipe on Heather's page here, where it will be posted at some point today. In the meantime why not check out the Dorie Blog Roll, where you can see what all the other ladies have created.

Next week's recipe will be World Peace Cookies, page 138-139 as chosen by Jessica of Cookbook Habit. Yummo!! I'm all for world peace and I'm all for cookies, this is bound to be great! I can't wait . . . but in the meantime . . . there's a lovely gingerbread on the counter to keep me company!