On Nov 10, 7:50*am, "jmcquown" > wrote:
> My mom's recipe for gingerbread:
>
> 2-1/3 c. all-purpose flour
> 1/3 c. sugar
> 1 c. molasses
> 3/4 c. very warm water
> 1/2 c. vegetable shortening
> 1 large egg
> 1 tsp. baking soda
> 1 tsp. ground ginger
> 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
> 3/4 tsp. salt
>
> Preheat oven to 325F. *Grease and flour a 9X9 baking pan. Beat all
> ingredients together in a large bowl using a mixer on low speed for 30
> seconds, scraping sides of the bowl constantly. *Beat on medium speed for 3
> minutes. *Pour batter into pan. *Bake about 50 minutes or until a toothpick
> inserted in the center comes out clean. *Allow to cool before serving.
>
> My addition for whipped topping:
>
> 2 c. chilled whipping cream
> 1/4 c. clover honey
> 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
>
> Beat all ingredients together in a well chilled bowl until stiff peaks form.
> Refrigerate 1 hour before
> serving.
>
> Jill

How about a Cranberry Upside Down Cake?
Makes one 9 or 10 " single layer cake- serves about 8
Cranberry Topping
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2/3 cups sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups, about 1/2 pound fresh or frozen (unthawed) cranberries,
rinsed
& picked over

Spongecake
3/4 cup A.P. flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch o'salt
4 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
Grated zest of 1 small lemon
1TBLS unsalted butter, melted & cooled
1/2 tsp vanilla extract


Cranberry topping: Preheat the oven to 350. Melt the butter in a
saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the cinnamon and sugar and cook
until the sugar begins to dissolve. Pour the mixture in a 9" square
cake pan or a 9-10" ovenproof skillet and tilt to coat well. Add the
cranberries in an even layer and set aside.
Spongecake: Sift the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt onto
a
sheet of wax or parchment paper, set aside. Place the eggs, sugar, &
zest in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer at medium-high
speed until the mixture is very pale & thick, and almost tripled in
volume, about 10 minutes- turn off the mixer. Spoon a large dollop of
the egg mixture into a small bowl. Add the melter butter and the
vanilla and fold together until blended- set aside. Working fairly
quickly, sprinkle the flour mixture, a few tablespoons at a time,
over
the large bowl of beaten eggs, and lightly fold in thouroughly.
Quickly fold in the butter /egg mixture. Pour the batter over the
cranberries in the pan, gently spread to even top. Bake until the is
puffed & lightly golden and the center springs back when pressed
lightly, about 35 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven, run a knife
around edges to loosen it, and immediately invert the cake onto a
serving plate. Leave the pan on top of the cake. After a few minutes,
carefully remove the pan. Serve the cake lukewarm or at room
temperature with whipped cream if you like.


This recipe is from Classic Home Desserts by Richard Sax- this is one
of my top 5 favorite cookbooks- I highly recommend it if you are a
dessert fan. I've made this for the past few holidays, and will
probably make it again this year. It's not too sweet, so it is a nice
finish to a fabulous dinner. Enjoy