Chocolate Gingerbread

From the book The Basic Gourmet by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, Kathleen Taggart, and Georgia Vareldzis

Introduction

Try not to eat all of this at one sitting! It is wonderfully moist and spicy and full of the dark flavors of molasses and brown sugar. This gingerbread tastes terrific unadorned, but becomes positively illegal when topped with whipped cream sweetened with a liqueur such as Grand Marnier or Kahlua.

Ingredients

	~	Nonstick cooking spray
	¼	cup all-purpose flour, for coating baking pan
	1½	cups strong coffee (see Cook’s Note)
	2	oz. unsweetened baking chocolate
	¼	lb. (1 stick) unsalted butter
	1	cup dark molasses
	1	cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
	2	large eggs, beaten
	2½	cups all-purpose flour
	1	tsp. baking soda
	1	tsp. baking powder
	½	tsp. salt
	2	tsp. ground ginger
	1½	tsp. ground cinnamon

Steps

Preheat oven to 350°F, positioning rack ⅓ up from the bottom. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray. Shake the ¼ cup flour all over the bottom and sides of pan, then turn pan over and rap it firmly on the counter to knock out excess flour.
In a 1½- or 2-quart saucepan over medium-low heat, combine coffee, chocolate, and butter, stirring until chocolate and butter are melted. Remove pan from heat and stir in molasses, brown sugar, and eggs. Pour mixture into a large mixing bowl.
Sift the 2½ cups flour with the remaining ingredients into a medium bowl. With a large rubber spatula stir the flour mixture into the liquids, mixing only until most of the flour mixture has been absorbed by the liquid (overmixing toughens cakes). Use a whisk to break up lumps of flour. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting into pieces.

Notes

This is a snap to make using a food processor. See the Whole Grain Nut Bread for the technique.
Dark molasses and brown sugar have more flavor, but using a light variety of each is acceptable.
Coffee used in baking may be freshly brewed or made using instant powder or granules stirred into hot water.

This content is from the book The Basic Gourmet by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, Kathleen Taggart, and Georgia Vareldzis.