My mother was on a quest to solve a mystery and rediscover the perfect gingerbread cake recipe she was served as a new bride. The story goes that Dad's family was gathered at Grandmother Ellingson's home. For dessert, Grandmother made a spicy little ginger cake with burnt sugar frosting. The gathering was rather large and the cake was rather small, so everyone was allotted only a sliver of cake.
Mysteriously, Grandmother never made the recipe again nor would she ever share the recipe with mom. Maybe she wasn't "wowed" by the cake, or maybe she simply lost the recipe. Maybe, and this was always the question, she didn't want to share this little gem with the new interloper. What ever the reason for its absence, Mom and Dad always spoke longingly of the cake. At least once a year CeCe and I would hear the story of the little pan of cake with a great big flavor.
The Ginger Cake became mythic, and Mom was always asking friends and family if they'd encountered the recipe. Leave it to dear, Great Aunt Helen to take up the challenge. In Mom's recipe collection, Aunt Helen supplied 3 Ginger Cake recipes.
This one is the best.
I topped the cake with Browned-Butter Frosting.
1 Cup butter
1 (16oz) Package powdered sugar
1/4 Cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract.
1)Cook butter is small heavy saucepan over med. heat until butter begins to turn golden. 6-8 minutes. Stir constantly or it will burn. Chill one hour until it is cool and begins to solidify.
2) Beat butter until fluffy; gradually add powdered sugar alternately with milk beginning and ending with sugar. Stir in Vanilla.
3)Frost top of cooled cake.
The final mystery is this. Mom never made any of the ginger cake recipes nor did she ever ask me to "tweak" any of the recipes. Aunt Helen brought this cake to Green Bay on one of her visits. Apparently the recipe didn't match up with the myth.
We loved it! The recipe was easy, and the result was rich and filled our home with the perfume of gingerbread.
Spicy and not too sweet, this recipe makes a delightful little pan of cake. . . just the right amount to serve my family and leave them wanting more. Maybe the myth continues.
Love to you all,
Patti
