Lafayette Gingerbread
A tender cake rich in molasses flavor and warm spices. Serve with whipped cream for a nice holiday dessert.
Last month I had the pleasure of attending the winter menu tasting at Pallet, a relatively new restaurant in Salt Lake City (instagram photos can be seen here and here). The food was great and the entire evening was lovely, but one particular dessert stood apart from everything else.
It was a slice of heavily spiced gingerbread slice served with poached pears. The table got a single serving to sample along with other plates of tasty treats, so I only had a few bites, and I wish I could have kept the gingerbread all to myself.
They called it Lafayette Gingerbread, a variation I hadn’t heard of before. I searched the internet for a recipe and this version comes pretty close to the one served at Pallet. Legend has it that this gingerbread recipe is named for General Lafayette who fell in love with it after George Washington’s mother served it to him in 1784.
So what makes this version of gingerbread different from others? I can’t say exactly, but it does get an extra boost of flavor from buttermilk and orange juice and zest, in addition to a heavy dose of molasses and spices like ginger and cinnamon. It’s gingerbread for gingerbread lovers, and perfect for this time of year.
baking tip:Alternating wet and dry ingredients
Many cake recipes (like this one) included instructions to alternate adding the wet and dry ingredients to the creamed butter and sugar. Believe it or not, this is for a good reason.
Adding the liquid all at once could saturate the creamed butter mixture and cause the batter to separate. Adding all of the dry ingredients will cause the batter to be thick and likely result in over mixing, which will yield a tougher cake. Instead, add them in two or three additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Stir ingredients after each addition, but only until just combined.
Lafayette Gingerbread
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter , at room temperature (113 grams)
- ½ cup packed light or dark brown sugar (110 grams)
- 1 cup molasses (225 ml)
- 3 large eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (375 grams)
- 2 tablespoons ground ginger
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup buttermilk (175 ml)
- ⅓ cup freshly squeezed orange juice (75 ml)
- Zest of 1 orange
- Whipped cream , for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium high speed until light and fluffy. Add the molasses and mix until incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and orange zest. In another small bowl, whisk together the orange juice and the buttermilk. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk mixture, and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
- Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.
that gingerbread was delicious!
Mmmm love this idea!
Gorgeous, Annalise! I love the plates 🙂
I love gingerbread but never make it at home and rarely eat it out….I need to change that. You sold me at the buttermilk and orange zest- it sounds so perfect!
I’ve never had gingerbread cake, only cookies. I guess the opportunity has never come up. I’m pinning this so I remember to try it.
This looks delicious and beautiful!!!
My family would go crazy for this. My mother-in-law makes a “molasses cake” that is similar to this, but is laden with shortening. This is the recipe I need to try! And it sounds as though I need to make a trip to Pallet.
This is delicious! I thought it was perfect—moist and richly flavored. Served it with whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce. Wouldn’t change a thing and will deifinitely make it again.