Yorkshire Gingerbread

This is one of my most favorite cakes to have with my afternoon tea. It is Yorkshire Gingerbread, and it is popular in the British Isles. It is not a cookie, which is what most Americans are familiar with during the holidays (gingerbread cookies). The taste has spices that gives a 'warmth" that one usually does not get eating a cake.

This recipe is adapted from the Two Fat Ladies, and I modified it slightly to my liking. the biggest difference is adding fresh ginger, which I think makes a significant difference. You may chop the fresh ginger till very fine, but I prefer to pound it in a mortal and pestle. This breaks down the fiber and allows for the ginger juice to come out.

1 2/3 cups flour
1 Tbsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, pounded till pulverized (you may also mince it into very fine pieces)
1 Tbsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 eggs, beaten
2/3 cup molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract

Sift the dry ingredients together .

Cream butter and brown sugar till soft and color become lighter.

Beat eggs and add one at a time to the butter mixture. The mix in the molasses and vanilla extract.

Fold in gently the dry ingredients. Do not overmix. Stop when you no longer see any flour streaks.

Pour mixture into a greased and parchment-lined 8-inch square pan. Place in preheated 325 F oven.

Bake for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes. Then take it out, remove the parchment paper, and let it cool on a cooling rack for at least 1 hour.

Cut into squares (I usually do 16 squares), and then lightly sprinkle with powdered sugar. You may serve it slightly warm, and it goes quite well with a shmear of salted butter and a nice hot cup of good tea.

This is preparing to pound fresh ginger in my mortar and pestle.

The gingerbread has just come out of the oven, and it is cooling in the pan.

It is now out of the pan and cooling on the rack. I will wait for at least an hour, or two, before I cut it into 16 squares (8x8) and then sprinkle it with powdered sugar.

It will make for a good dessert with coffee after Easter dinner today.

Zz.

Blueberry Pound Cake

OK, so I've promised several people to give the recipe for my blueberry pound cake, and I keep forgetting. Now that I have a food blog, I might as well put it on here so that I can refer to it and give the link to people if they ask for it again.

This is the recipe that I first found online many years ago, and have fiddled with it since to suit my taste (which you're welcome to do when you make this).

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups butter, softened
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk, room temperature
• 6 eggs
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon or orange zest
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups fresh blueberries

 DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan or a standard loaf pan. For added crunchiness, you may lightly coat the pan with granulated sugar instead of flour.
2. Take 1/4 cup of the flour, and mix it with the blueberries, making sure that all the fruits are well-coated with the flour.
3. Sift the flour with the baking powder.
4. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
5. Add one egg at a time and mix well in between the eggs.
6. Stir in the lemon zest, vanilla extract, and milk until well combined.
7. Combine the flour+baking powder into the batter and stir by hand to prevent over-mixing.
8. As soon as the flour is well-incorporated, fold in the blueberries until it is well-mixed and no trace of un-mixed flour can be seen.
9. Spoon the batter into the baking pan and bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
10. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then remove cake from the pan and let it cool completely on a cooling rack.

Best served with a dollop of lemon whipped cream. Enjoy!

Zz.