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

[Kate]

Ginger in all forms is divine.Next week is gingerbread week -though after looking at this post I may weaken and do some this week too,especially if the weather continues grim- but next week is officially gingerbread house week.I love making anything gingery, the smell as it cooks is heaven.

[pascale]

what I like about your articles is that they completely wrap you in the homy and cosy spirit that is an essential part of your home... as usual, a sweet and nice good reading article. thanks

[PinkCatJo]

I now have to rush out and get that magazine! x

[Sara]

I was just thinking that I wasn't sure that I would like chocolate with gingerbread when I remembered a most fantastic chocolate and ginger cake I had eaten in a cafe. It was gorgeous. I have a hot oven too. It's tricky to get it just right isn't it?

Over the last few years I have made the traditional sticky gingerbread (the kind you keep in a tin for a few days). I make it several days before Christmas Eve so it is ready for eating then. My daughter doesn't much like mince pies but she does like gingerbread and it somehow seems festive. It has become a nice way, along with mincepies and mulled wine, to herald in Christmas.

[Helen]

Yum, I plan to make some gingerbread biscuits soon, but I can't blame subliminal advertising! I did make a very yummy banana cake yesterday, I even had the ingredients to make some frosting. The hardest part was convincing Little Miss B to wait until the cake had cooled down before we frosted it and THEN wait until the frosting had set before we ate it! She is at the age where she loves to "Help". So I let her fetch and pour and stir when it is not going to be detrimental to my kitchen or my sanity! Give her a few years and she won't want to come near the kitchen or help me!
xXx Helen

[sue]

Nigella was just on NPR in Ameica this morning talking abouth e sticky gongerbread she makes every year--same method as Lucy describes. THAT must be online SOMEwhere.

I too made gingerbread last week, it too came out a bit dry, so I made a trifle out of it with mascarpone and whipped cream and a boiled custard flavored with orange zest strips from the Clove/Orange pomanders I made. Has anybody made these?? So simple, take a fresh orange, use a zester to scribe some festive designs out of the peel, and insert cloves in the grooves. Place in a shallow bowl and the house smells like heaven. They slowly dehydrate and you can use them for years to scent closets.

[Rachel]

Thank You Lucy- now I'm also craving gingerbread!!!

[Vicky]

Oooh, oooh, I've got that magazine in my 'to read' pile (ever so slightly behind on Christmas reading due to pregnancy zzzzz-ness!) - hopefully mine will look as yummy as yours!
x

[Annie]

Ooh, that looks delicious! I'm currently in pursuit of the best ever gingerbread cookie recipe, I'll let you know when I find it ;D

[Pattygloria]

Your ginger cake looks delicious, Amiga Lucy! Last year I baked some ginger heart cookies, but I placed them to close together in the baking tray. At the end, the taste was great but not the shape, too much baking soda, I think! Love the apron too, so cute!
TaKe care. hasta pronto,
Gloria x

[Nicky @ PriddyPriddy.blogspot.com]

Oh we live on Gingerbread men come frosty mornings! They warm you from all angles...from the cooking, to the good all over feeling, to the warm spiceiness of it all.
Sounds like the perfect Sunday morning
xx

[Jill]

What memories you're making for your kids! For the rest of their lives whenever they smell gingerbread, your little ones will think of you in that kitchen baking up a fresh batch of love :)

[Kerstin]

Fun! I bought that number today at Stockholm railway station

[Lisa G.]

Boy, does that.look.good. Wow!
As an American, when I hear of treacle (not often, I assure you) I think of the Mad Tea Party. But now you make me think it's just molasses - is that what it is? The gingerbread I make has molasses in it.

[Ruthsdatter(Mariann)]

Wonderful Gingerbread and so festive and delicat.To day i have linked to you in my blog.I wish you a good 12 days for Christmas.
Hug

[Archie the wonder dog]

Looks delicious!

[Steph @woolythyme]

I have that page dog-eared, but "translating" from metric just isn't my thing. (WHY in the world didn't the US teach us all the metric system? and I'm now such an old dog--don't want to learn that trick! I convert only when I HAVE to!!!)
But I did dig out an old tried and true gingerbread cookie recipe--and you're so totally right--there is NO BETTER SMELL than gingerbread baking for the holidays!!! YUM YUM
(Wish I had seen the tea towel apron trick before making a dozen little girl aprons for my granddaughter's birthday party last year!!!!!!!--very cute!)

[Lynda M Otvos]

Lucy bursts with fab ideas for her home and family. I too think the tea towel is great. I babysit for families long-term and am lucky enough to watch kids grow up learning how to cook with me so apron is a great gift. Some of my fondest memories include little fingers plucking egg shells out of the "Whack a Chicken" dipping mixture.

[Rachael Iddon]

Oh how I love to read your posts. I've been looking for one all day, I needed cheering up. Thank you. Maybe I can get busy with some gingerbread soon. I was thinking it might be a good activity for that long week after school closes on Friday. Hope your boy is better, mine is but babykins has had a shocking temperature for a couple of days. I think I'm next :-(

[louise]

it looks delicious! I'd love to find a gluten free version so my man could have some too!

[Eva Zallmann]

That apron - Lucy are you genius or what? It is JUST PERFECT! Out of a tea towel! What a Super Clever Idea! I was just wondering which fabric I shall use for my boys' aprons and bingo - here we go: a tea towel! Don't I have plenty of them? isn't the size just perfect for a kid's apron? Thank you Lucy for just another great inspiration, I ought to buy you a coffee straight away :D
Eva

[Kezia]

I so want to make some gingerbread now! And I love little lady's apron!