There’s Canada Dry ginger ale and there’s Jamaican ginger beer that blasts your sinuses and makes you splutter and smile. They’re both gingery, but Jamaican ginger beer’s as far from Canada Dry as, well, as Jamaica is from Canada. And so it is with gingerbread.
Gingerbread is a Christmas tradition the world over, but if all you know are Czech Christmas gingerbread angels and Germany’s candy-crusted gingerbread houses, have I got a gingerbread for you. It’ll take you away from winter and warm you with a taste of the tropics. Ginger is a tropical rhizome, after all, and it’s in my gingerbread three different ways — fresh, powdered and crystallized. Tender, golden, magically light in texture and bright in taste, it’s perfect for Christmas, but swings more island, less Brothers Grimm.
Jump to the recipe or stick around for all you ever wanted to know about ginger and gingerbread.
How to Make
- Oil a 10-cup bundt pan, making sure all the crannies get lubed. Give it a light dusting of flour and knock out any excess.
- In a large bowl, sift together unbleached flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda and dried spices.
- In a separate bowl, whisk oil, sugar, molasses, coffee and applesauce until thick and well-combined.
- Add wet ingredients to dry and stir just until you have a thick, dark and fragrant batter. Then gently add the fresh and crystallized ginger and give one more stir.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes, or until gingerbread puffs, smells like a fairytale fantasy, and springs back when gently prodded with a finger.
- Allow cake to cool completely, then gently unmold.
- Give it a simple dusting of powdered sugar, or for something more festive, decorate with powdered sugar glaze and chopped crystallized ginger,. For an over-the-top finish with an island feel, serve with a dollop of coconut whipped cream.
Gingerbread and Ginger Intel
- Early English gingerbread recipes contained no ginger at all.
- Gingerbread has long been what Christmas tastes like. Ginger and other spices once cost a fortune, so serving or gifting gingerbread at Christmas was a sign of graciousness, generosity and true hospitality.
- Ginger is a tropical rhizome (not a root, a rhizome) so fuss-free and hearty, even I can grow it. So can you.
- The proper name for a harvested clump or cluster of ginger is a hand.
- Ginger was first cultivated in China.
- Now India is the major grower and exporter of ginger.
- Fresh ginger should be firm— not woody, not mushy — fragrant and a little juicy. Older ginger dries out and gets fibrous.
- The same holds true for crystallized or candied ginger. It should be golden and be slightly al dente, not dried out and crumbly.
- Take a deep sniff of your powdered ginger. It should have a sweet but peppery aroma that hits not just your nasal passages but something at the back of your throat. If what you smell is dust, it’s time for a new jar.
- I do not peel fresh ginger, but if you want to fuss, peel the brown skin away with a paring knife. Some people swear using the edge of a spoon works well, too. Good on them.
- Some chefs recommend freezing fresh ginger, but I find it changes the texture, making it too chewy and watery. I prefer to keep fresh ginger in the fridge. It keeps almost indefinitely and hardly takes up any room.
- Ginger does more than just taste good, It also has therapeutic properties that’ll come in handy during the holidays.
- It’s an age-old remedy for gastric distress, soothing the stomach and aiding digestion stomach soother, aiding digestion when we’re tempted to overindulge.
- It’s also anti-inflammatory warding off viruses, a plus during flu season.
- It has warming properties, providing comfort against a winter chill.
- It’s a natural breath sweetener, too.
Christmas Gingerbread | Caribbean Gingerbread
Ginger’s no bit player in my gingerbread. My recipe features it three ways — fresh, powdered and crystallized, for a gingerbread to warm body and spirit.
Ingredients
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon clove
- 1/2 cup grape seed or other neutral oil
- 1/2 cup evaporated cane sugar
- 1 cup molasses
- 1 cup coffee hot
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger minced
- 1/3 cup crystallized ginger chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Oil a 10-cup bundt pan, making sure all the crannies get lubed. Give it a light dusting of flour and knock out any excess.
- In a large bowl, sift together unbleached flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda and dried spices.
- In a separate bowl, whisk oil, sugar, molasses, coffee and applesauce until thick and well-combined.
- Add wet ingredients to dry and stir just until you have a thick, dark and fragrant batter. Then gently add the fresh and crystallized ginger and give one more stir.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes, or until gingerbread puffs, smells like a fairytale fantasy, and springs back when gently prodded with a finger.
- Allow cake to cool completely, then gently unmold.
Notes
Dust with powdered sugar or finish with a powdered sugar glaze — 2 cup sifted powdered sugar mixed with 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice or plant-based milk of your choice and stirred until smooth and satiny. Drizzle all over cake. Or play up the Caribbean accent with a dollop of coconut cream.
Serves 8 to 10.
How to keep: Gingerbread keeps refrigerated and tightly wrapped for several days.
More ginger for the holidays:
- Caribbean rum cake
- Panforte, an Italian confection literally meaning strong bread
- Pain d’Epices – The French have their own gingerbread tradition, a rustic loaf called pain d’epices , literally spice bread. Households often make it in early December to give as Christmas gifts.
- Nigella Lawson’s vegan gingerbread has fresh and ground dried
- ginger and — wait for it — prunes.
- The Minimalist Baker shares a recipe for gingerbread men that’s not only vegan, it’s gluten-free.
- Caribbean ginger beer, a Christmas tradition, starts with a ginger bug. Don’t panic, it’s the fermented starter of ginger, sugar and water.
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