My first recipe for the Whip it Up challenge comes from my very favorite baking cookbook – How to Be a Domestic Goddess by the fabulous Nigella Lawson.  If you are a baker, you need to get yourself this book.  Every single time I open it I start drooling over something tasty to bake up.  That’s exactly how I came to choose this recipe to bake and share with you!

I realize that gingerbread is more of a holiday choice for most, but I absolutely love gingerbread.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I love my chocolate desserts too, but I really love a dessert that gets you away from the same old thing.  This dessert does exactly that.  The way the fresh, lemony icing pairs with the rich, sweet gingerbread is to die for.

Overall, I really loved this recipe.  I’d never made gingerbread from scratch before and it was definitely a different process.  Plus, talk about a runny batter.  No, you aren’t crazy…it’s really supposed to be that liquidy!

Pros to this recipe:

• Fairly easy
• Extremely tasty
• Something different

Cons:

• Grating ginger was a pain
• Had to quadruple the icing ingredients to get enough to cover the cake

And now for the pictures, of course:

Visit the Whip It Up photo pool for more yummy photos!

And now for the recipe…

For the gingerbread:

• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon molasses
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 large eggs, beaten to mix
• 1 teaspoon baking soda, dissolved in 2 tablespoons warm water
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 12x8x2 pan, greased and lined with foil or parchment (I used a 9/13 pan)

For the icing:

• 1 tablespoon lemon juic
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar, sifted
• 1 tablespoon warm water (I never once used the water)
• Remember, make a quadruple batch!

Preheat the oven to 325.

In a saucepan, melt the butter along with the sugar, syrup, molasses, giner, and cinnamon.  Remove from heat and att the eggs, milk, and baking soda in its water.

Measure flour out into a bowl and add pour in the liquid ingrediants.  Beat until well mixed.  You will have a very liquidy batter.  Pour batter into your pan and bake for 45 min — 1 hour.  My gingerbread took just about 45 minutes.  Be careful not to overcook it.  Gingerbread it supposed to be a little sticky.

For the icing, whisk the lemon juice in the confectioners sugar.  You should have a nice, thick icing.  If you need more liquid (I didn’t) add some of the water.  Spread over cooled gingerbread and let the icing set.

Eat and enjoy!