PA Baker

How are you PA??

Happy New Year

PaBaker, where are you? I miss seeing you on here....

Hi, I don't wish to run afoul of your rules so I am going to ask you how you would change this recipe, and yet still keep it true to what it is so that it can be posted. As a lawyer, I understand that there are educational exceptions to copyright law so I am a bit puzzled by the strictness of your rule. Further, I have properly identified the cookbook author and date of copyright. I point this out not to argue but to learn your procedures.

Thanks, Pie Susan

This is the cake that I made for my friend, Francois and his family. Francois is from Haiti and loves Gingerbread. I chose this recipe because it is so close to the election and spice cakes with liqueur were traditionally served around Election time and were given out to curry favor with voters. I also love to make historical recipes from time to time; it gives us a glimpse into how the early Americans ate so long ago. Mary Ball Washington was George Washington's mother and was known to be quite an hostess.

Mary Ball Washington's Gyngerbread recipe. (circa 1784)
From Maida Heatter's New Book of Great Desserts pages 276-77 copyright 1982 published in New York by Alfred A. Knopf.
"It is very spicy and equally delicious. Serve it as a coffee cake or a tea cake, or serveit with ice-cold buttermilk (a great combination). Or with vanilla ice cream as a desserts"
Serves 16 squares or 32 slices

Ingredients:
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons ginger
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1-1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1-1/2 teaspoons mace
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 ounces (1 cup) raisins (I used sultanas)
Boiling water
4 oz (1 stick sweet butter)
1/4 cup dark or light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup light molasses
1.2 cup dark molasses (or 1 cup of either dark or light molasses)
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup bourbon, dark rum, brandy or sherry
1.2 cup whole milk
3 eggs (graded large), beaten to mix
1/4 cup orange juice (grate the rind before squeezing to use below.
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 Tablespoons warm water
Finely grated rind of 1 orange

Directions:
Adjust a rack one-third up from the bottom of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan as follows: Turn the pan over, and cover it with a piece of foil 17 or 18 inches long. Fold down the sides and the corners of the foil to shape it, remove the foiil, turn the pan right side up and put the foil in the pan and carefully press it into place. To butter the foil, place a piece of butter in the pan, place the pan in the oven until the butter melts, then, wth a pastry brush or waxed paper, spread the butter all over the foil. Set aside.
Sift together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, cream of tartar and salt. Set aside.
Cover the raisins with boiling water, let stand for about 5 minutes, drain in a strainer, and then spread them on paper towels to dry.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter until soft, add the sugar, and beat to mix. Add the molasses and honey and beat well. Then add the sifted dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the bourbon and milk in one addition, and the eggs and the orange juice in another addition.
Dissolve the baking soda in the warm water and mix into the batter. (This is a very old-fashioned method that still works well.)
Remove the bowl from the mixerr and stir in the grated orange rind and the raisins.
Turn into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the top springs back when lightly pressed with a fingertip.
Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Then cover it with a cookie sheet or a large rack, turn overr the pan and the sheet or rack, remove the pan, peel off the foil, cover with a alrge rack, and turn to finish cooling right side up.
When the cake is cool, carefully slide it onto a board. Use a long, thin, sharp knife to cut it into squares or slices.

driving through your state wondering why I've not seen you on here in a while, hope things are going well for you

Hi PA! Haven't been on here for quite a long time but was looking at the pic section and saw the recent pic of Sofie....oh my gosh she's grown so much and so adorable I might add. Hope things are well on your end.

Tresa

So how are you PA?
Hows that little Sofie treating you?
its been way too long since we've touched base!
Hugs to all of you!

Where are youuuuuuuu ???? You vanished into thin air again !