Gingerbread with Spiced Rum Buttercream

Recipe by The View From the Great Island

Gingerbread Cake is a wonderful old world dessert!

Ingredients

• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)
• ⅔ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup molasses
• 1½ cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup almond flour (or use more regular flour)
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp cloves
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs
• spiced buttercream
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 2 cups confectioner's sugar,
• 3 tbsp spiced rum
• milk or cream to thin

Method

1. Set oven to 350F
2. Combine the boiling water with the baking soda and set aside.
3. Beat the butter until fluffy, then add the sugar and cream them together well.
4. Add the molasses and water/baking soda mix.
5. Sift together dry ingredients and add them to the wet.
6. Beat in eggs.
7. Pour into a well greased pan. This recipe makes enough batter for a 9x12 rectangle baking pan, but I wanted to use my 9" round springform pan, so I had enough batter left for 6 cupcakes. Go either way, but be sure to grease up your pan well, this cake is sticky.
8. Bake for about 30-35 minutes for the rectangle, and a little longer for the springform, 40-45 minutes. Cupcakes will take about 14 minutes, till a toothpick comes out clean.
9. Cool on a rack before frosting.
10. To make the frosting, blend the soft butter and sugar with a wooden spoon.
11. Add the rum and then the milk or cream, a tablespoon at a time, beating well, until the frosting is smooth and of spreading consistency.

View the recipe instructions at The View From the Great Island