1850s gingerbread spice cake is the taste of Christmas nostalgia

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This gingerbread spice cake is one for the books. Or the history books, shall we say.

"Of all the recipes found hidden in my great-grandmother’s cookbook, this one is the oldest, dating back more than 170 years. It was the first of her recipes that made it into my oven, and when the door opened, Christmas morning danced out in a cloud of nostalgia," writes Sarah Gonzalez, author of "Baking with the Bread Lady" in her recently released cookbook of 100 recipes. "It was a molasses cookie in cake form. I created a mascarpone buttercream to add a bit of tart sweetness."

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1850’s Gingerbread Spice Cake with Mascarpone Buttercream by Sarah Gonzalez (Credit: Sarah Gonzalez) 

1850’s Gingerbread Spice Cake with Mascarpone Buttercream by Sarah Gonzalez

Yield: 9 x 9-inch cake

Prep time: 10 minutes

Bake time: 45 minutes

Cake Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened 

1/2 cup white sugar 

1 large egg 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1 teaspoon ground ginger 

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 

1 teaspoon kosher salt 

1 cup molasses 

1 cup buttermilk

1850’s Gingerbread Spice Cake with Mascarpone Buttercream by Sarah Gonzalez (Credit: Sarah Gonzalez)

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Cake Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a 9 x 9-inch pan with parchment paper, and grease with nonstick spray. 

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Add egg and vanilla extract, and beat until fluffy. 

3. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, and salt. 

4. In another bowl, whisk together molasses and buttermilk. 

5. Add flour and buttermilk mixture to the mixer in three parts, alternating between the two and mixing well after each addition. 

6. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top. 

7. Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for 30 minutes in the pan, then move to a cooling rack to cool completely. 

8. Prepare the mascarpone buttercream (recipe follows), and spread over completely cooled cake. 

9. Lightly dust the cake with cinnamon or other preferred spice and serve.

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Buttercream Ingredients:

10 tablespoons salted butter, softened 

8 ounces mascarpone, softened 

4 cups powdered sugar, sifted 

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

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Buttercream Directions:

1. Cream together butter and mascarpone in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, occasionally scraping down the sides to ensure even mixing. 

2. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing on low and then whipping on high. 

3. Add vanilla extract and give a final whip. Don’t overmix as it will cause the frosting to separate.

Taken from Baking with the Bread Lady: 100 Delicious Recipes You Can Master at Home by Sarah Gonzalez. Copyright ©2021 by Sarah Gonzalez Used by permission of Zondervan. www.zondervan.com

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