Gingerbread Snack Cake...so full of aromatic spice!

I love this gingerbread cake.  It's so easy to make, tastes great at room temp or warmed...great for breakfast, coffee or as dessert. My son is a gingerbread fanatic and will try to eat the entire cake by himself.

2 cups all-purpose flour (spoon into a dry-measure cup and level off)

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

2/3 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

1/4 cup molasses

1 cup water

1 teaspoon baking soda

1. Butter a 9-inch-by-2-inch round pan and line the bottom with parchment paper or buttered wax paper. Set aside.

2. Set a rack in the middle level of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

3. Stir the flour and spices together in a large bowl.

4. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat, then (still on low heat) stir in the brown sugar, molasses and most of the water, leaving a couple of tablespoons in the measuring cup. Stir together to combine and increase the heat to medium. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.

5. Stir the baking soda into the remaining water.

6. Remove the butter mixture from the heat and pour the baking soda mixture into it. Add the liquid to the bowl of dry ingredients and use a large rubber spatula to quickly fold everything together. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake the gingerbread until it is well-risen and feels firm in the center and the point of a paring knife inserted in the center emerges clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes, then loosen the gingerbread from the side of the pan with a small paring knife if necessary, and invert it onto another rack. Peel off the paper and replace it with a rack, then invert the stack and remove the top rack. Cool completely before serving.

This recipe appeared in the local newspaper last year.