Anna's Gingerbread



Anna's Gingerbread is a recipe from my great grandmother' collection.  Her name was Anna so when I found the recipe in one of her old cookbooks, I renamed it after her.  This recipe was featured in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution 13 years ago.


Jim Auchmutey did a great feature on heirloom cookbooks.  My name had been sent in to be considered for another article but it came out in the interview that I had some of my grandmother's and great grandmother's recipes and books.  They used the interview for this article instead.





Anna's Gingerbread

1/2 cup shortening
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
1 cup boiling water with 1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in it
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon gound cinnamon (I usually use less)
1/2 teaspoon ground clove
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease two loaf pans.  Mix together the shortening and butter then add sugar.  Beat in eggs, one at a time.  Stir in molasses.  In a separate bowl sift together the flour and spices.  Add flour mixture to butter and egg mixture.  Batter will be stiff.  Put baking soda into 1 cup boiling water.  Pour into batter and mix until incorporated.  Pour into two loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.   Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes on a rack.   Run a knife around the edges of the cake and turn out onto wire rack.  Serve warm with a sprinkle of powdered sugar.


Here are a few photos to get you started down Gingerbread Lane.


Assemble the lucky ingredients.



Mix the shortening and butter together.



Add the sugar.




Now add the eggs.



Next comes the molasses.




Sift the dry ingredients.  I wasn't very thorough with my sifting.  I pretty much just swirled it around a bit. Hey,  I just cleaned my floors yesterday and I didn't want any flying flour!




Add the flour to the egg mixture.  The batter will be like a thick cake batter. 




Add the boiling water and baking soda.  Now the batter will be very thin.




Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.  Let the cakes cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Run a knife around the edge of the pan and turn out.

Ooops!  Guess we'll just have to eat that one now!  (I did salvage it by pulling out the piece from the pan and tucking it back into place when I turned the loaf back over onto the serving plate.  The cake is moist enough to stay together if you have to do this like I did.)



This one came out out of the pan nicely.  I sprinkled it with powdered sugar and we ate it while it was warm.  It's a wonderful Christmas tradition around here.  Hope you enjoy it, too.


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