Mount Vernon Gingerbread - Family Recipe Friday

I won't be offended if you chuckle or laugh at my snapshot of our gingerbread.  It's not cut very evenly and, truly, it disappeared too quickly to get a better photo.  We invited a friend for dinner, ate a third of it while she was here, and sent another third home with her.  The rest was, little by little, cut into rectangles or slim slices or had its corners lopped off and was eaten.  This was the best "squarish" piece I was able to photograph.  (And, at that, it's not much of a photo.)

This is the moistest gingerbread I have ever eaten and has a rich molasses flavor (made richer by using blackstrap molasses).

There is how we came to have this recipe.  When my daughter was in grade school, c. 1990, one of her assignments was to find a recipe in the newspaper and double the ingredients.  In The Columbus Dispatch she found Mount Vernon Gingerbread and did a fine job doubling the recipe.  It sounded good so I copied the recipe onto a recipe card.  When I made it I was amazed at what a very large gingerbread it made.  I forgot that it was a double recipe.  Thank goodness it was delicious.

The recipe came without details about pan size and I neglected to add the information to my recipe card based on my experiences.  This time I used an 8" square pan, hence it's height of about 3 or 4 inches.  There were a few moments while baking this that I was on the edge of my seat wondering if it was going to overflow the pan.  It didn't but it was a little browner around the edges than I would have liked.  If you make it, I would recommend a 9" square pan. 

Mount Vernon Gingerbread

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix:
1/2 c. butter or margarine
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1 c. molasses

Mix separately:
2 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
2 1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Mix and add alternately with the flour/spices mix:
3/4 c. buttermilk or sour milk
1/2 c. orange juice

Fold in:
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Bake in greased and floured (9" square) pan or cupcake tins.  (No info was given for time but I would begin with 20-30 minutes.)  Use toothpick to test whether it's done.  (Stick toothpick into center of gingerbread.  It will come out clean if done).

Eat warm or let cool.  Serve with or without whipped topping.  It's delicious all ways.

--Nancy.

P.S.  Yes, the above is a single recipe.

Copyright © 2016 Nancy Messier. All Rights Reserved.

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