Gingerbread

So lets talk Gingerbread. Not something I've ever really craved before, but at the weekend my goodness I suddenly craved it sooooooo badly I felt like my world might cave in if I didn't have it. If I didn't know better, I would've thought I was pregnant as the craving was so strong. Just like the time I HAD to eat a whole packet of Fruit Sherbets when I was in my first trimester carrying Little B. But no no no, definitely not preggers and no more Little People in the Attic thank you, three's quite enough.

These pages I'm showing you are from last months Country Homes and Interiors (December Issue), so you can see quite clearly how I've been subliminally brainwashed inspired into desiring the whole gingerbread thing.

Doesn't it all look completely beautiful? Festive and homely, gently spiced and delicious. So on Saturday morning, full of gingerbread excitement, I scribbled down a list of ingredients and practically ran to the shops to purchase them.

Saturday jigged along and the ingredients sat in a sweet pile in my kitchen. Golden syrup and black treacle, eggs, flour, sugar and spices. But there was no time! I could not manage to shimmy the gingerbread-making into Saturday no matter how much I wanted to.

Sunday morning though, and nothing was going to stop me. I love love love to bake on a Sunday morning, I put my apron on over my pyjamas and it makes me feel incredibly homely and content. I had Little Lady helping me do gingerbread on Sunday, she even put on her sweet little apron that I made her out of an old tea towel when she was three years old.

I settled for making the Iced Gingerbread recipe, described as a "festive tray bake". It involved putting all the runny ingredients in a pan and bubbling it up a bit, stirring in the dry ingredients, pouring the resulting gloopy mixture into a tray and baking it. The resulting tray bake then had to cool, be sliced in half horizontally (a harder-than-it-looks procedure), then sandwiched back together with a butter cream/orange filling and smothered in a melted chocolate/sugar/butter concoction.

Oh boy. The smell of all this happening in my kitchen was incredible. I could not stop sniffing it all in. Ginger and orange zest and chocolate, sniff-sniff-sniff....mmmmmm-mmmmm.

I loved every bit of the mixing, whisking, bubbling, pouring, baking, beating, sandwiching, melting, smothering and decorating. It was such fun! A bit lengthy, but definitely heaps of satisfying, beautifully scented fun.

And here is the finished article, well a little part of it. I chose to add some little milk and white chocolate shapes to the top of my ginger tray bake, just to provide a final flurry of pretty sweetness.

So how did this gingerbread actually turn out?? It certainly looks great, and oh it smells divine. Taste wise, yes, it hit the spot beautifully. Just enough spice, not too sweet. Truthfully, I think I over baked it slightly as the texture is a wee bit dry. I forget that my oven is a hot one, and that I maybe should've reduced the suggested baking time a little.

But overall, this makes for a yummy, scrummy, seasonal bit of Sweet Stuff to accompany morning coffee or afternoon tea. Definitely one to try again, next time the Gingerbread Craving hits.

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ps sorry I'm not able to provide the actual recipe as it was published in the magazine and I have to respect their copyright.

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Alison Owen]

I have just been introduced to your Blog site, and I am smitten! I absolutely love the storm photos in your area. We live in Victoria, Australia, and I so love the English countryside.

I have made a promise to make a ripple rug just as soon as I have finished knitting what we call a stained-glass window rug, as I will have lots of different coloured wool left over.

Then I happened across your pictures and description of the iced gingerbread cake.........and I'm drooling. It is winter here - cold and dreary, and I would dearly love to make this cake. I have spent the afternoon on the computer, trying to find a recipe containing some of the ingredients you mentioned, but have been unsuccessful. Is there anyone who has the recipe who could share it with me? I do appreciate that you, Lucy, could not publish it, but I'm sure the magazine wouldn't mind a reader sharing it with someone from Australia!

Thank you for publishing such a lovely Blog. Best wishes from

Alison

PS I have asked a relative in England to see if she can find a copy of the magazine. I do hope I can get on to it somewhere!

[Linda]

Have been searching for a copy of this issue of the magazine for that recipe but can't find it here in Australia. Will keep looking but being February now I am running out of time. Not to worry will just drool over the picture of Lucy's. mmm

[The Undercover Granny]

I can see why you were craving it after looking at the magazine! Looks like your efforts turned out wonderfully, looks delicious.

[Wendy]

Oh no, I've tried to get a hold of the magazine for that ginger cake recipe and the next issue is out. Contacted Country Homes...SOLD OUT!!! I am sooo gutted tried to find the recipe online but failed miserably, oh well maybe next year someone will sell it on ebay. Even asked on facebook if anyone could copy it for me but none of my friends read it..tut tut!
Merry Christmas to you and yours
Wend x

[Daisy]

You said that you had trouble slicing the cake through the middle... The way that I was shown, possibly by a nan - I really can't remember - was to use a long length of thread and just wiggle it towards you. It gives a nice smooth cut and is fun too with heart-stopping moments when you think it is all going too well...

Having been addicted to your blog for so long, I thought it was time to post a comment! Thank you for all the joy and colour you bring into my life and those of my friends...

[Lesley]

I too have a hot oven which leaves things a bit frizzled round the edges... I like to reduce the temperature a bit, and cook for slightly longer. Love the little shapes on top.

[Heather]

Just love your daughters apron, so pretty and Im delighted to see you sew too :) You have me reaching for my CH&I to bake but cant find it was it the Dec issue Lucy?
Heather x

[Hannah from Plumbs]

I just love gingerbread at Christmas time. It's my favourite thing to do on Christmas Eve to get the house smelling wonderful.

[Roobeedoo]

I am SURE I bought that magazine but I don't remember the gingerbread! MUST FIND IT!

[Shannon]

Yum! I love chocolate with gingerbread... adding orange can only make it more delicious! The chocolate stars look beautiful.

[Yvonne]

Hi Lucy,
I saw these patterns and thought they were just your sort of thing.
http://www.caron.com/projects/ss/ss_mini_orament.html
best wishes
Yvonne

[Sally]

Okay Lucy, now you've done it. I had to stop reading and mix up gingerbread and put it in the oven before I sat down to finish reading your entry. A few weeks ago I really had a craving for gingerbread but wasn't able to make it so this sparked the hankering for it again. Next I really need to make Susan Branch's recipe for "Grandma's Frosted Molasses Cookies." Oh so tasty. It's in her Christmas Joy book but you can also find it on her web site susanbranch.com and click on home cooking. Well thanks for a great idea. Time to have gingerbread and a cup of tea.

[Fi]

Hi Lucy,

How lovely to read about your gingerbread success.

I made a sourdough gingerbread cake yesterday, and I have to say - it is the most delicious gingerbread I have ever made, and you could never tell it was made with healthy ingredients (it had wholemeal flour and a natural sweetner, plus the sourdough starter).

It was light as a feather - you, of course, inspired me to make it after I read your post.

Cheers

Fi

[Tracie]

That sounds absolutely delicious! (I could almost smell it when reading your description)

[Colleen]

YUM!!! I can smell it now! I have a craving for fruitcake!! Yes, I know...NOBODY likes fruitcake...but DH and I do, so I'll be making sugar cookies and fruitcake next week :)

[Emma (silverpebble)]

This looks so tasty and warming. So perfect for winter (which I'm not always so keen on). I may take a leaf out of your book and bake up some gingerbread for our Making Winter project. Thankyou!

[Catriona]

Managed to get the magazine,Lucy. Have spent the morning reading it but will now get out the ingredients and make it!! Thanks so mucch for writing about it

[naomi]

I made my first ever Gingerbread house with my boys on Sunday - it was great fun and although it's a little lopsided (must use thicker icing next time!), it made me feel like I was doing something that created a memory, rather than running round like a headless chicken like I usually do this time of year. It was good to spend the afternoon in Christmassy bliss with my lovey children and they loved it too!

[muffetly]

Have you tried using dental floss to slice a cake horizontally? You just wrap it around and pull! So simple... That cake looks divine. I might have to dig out a recipe instead of buying my own body weight in M&S lebkuchen this year!

[Bari Jo]

Oh it looks wonderful! Now I'm craving! :O) I love the picture of it sitting with your mug and your tea light in the background! Loved the inspiration for decorating tea lights, too! I am making crochet red poinsettias to put on several little cloches I've made and I am busy making holly like crazy - your pattern and tutorial has been so much fun for me the last few days! Thanks again! :O)

[Lizzie]

I am in Vienna at the moment visiting our son.The shops are very festive here but I cannot wait to get home to have a go at baking some gingerbread.Funny as I posted on my blog a few ays before we came about making a Gingerbread house.A favourite pastime when the boys were little too.Hope they are better soon.x

[Samantha]

Mmmmmmmmmm looks scrummy. I myself have been wanting to whip up some gingerbread men - I think it is partly to do with all the gingerbread house kits in ALL the shops over here! I have never seen so many!

I have already been indulging in some Mince Pie baking as the US don't do Mince Pies - they just don't know what they are missing!

[Sarah]

Scrummy. Just added golden syrup and treacle to my shopping list. X

[KayElleC]

Gingerbread is what my daughter (12 & 2) are settling down to make on our Baking Day (22 Dec) ready to give as pressies....can't wait!

Also doing choccie traybakes and something else...not sure what (rocky road, flapjack, cookies?) can't decide!

Mmmmmm all this talk of baking is making me hungry :) Yours looks fabulous Lucy, thanks for sharing.

By the way how are Little Ladys knitty projects doing?

K x

[Carolyn]

Oh my gosh, this looks absolutely delicious! I can almost smell it from here... : )