Sticky Cranberry Gingerbread

Sticky Cranberry Gingerbread

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Ingredients

• 2 C. fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1 C. granulated sugar
• 1 T. water
• 1 stick unsalted butter (4 ounces)
• 2/3 C. dark brown sugar
• 1/2 C. whole milk
• 1/2 C. maple syrup
• 1/4 C. molasses
• 1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
• 1 T. ground ginger
• 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. kosher salt
• 1/4 t. baking soda
• 1/4 t. black pepper
• 2 large eggs (lightly beaten)
• 1 T. (or more) grated fresh ginger (from a 1-inch piece)
• Powdered sugar and/or whipped cream for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. and prepare a 9-inch square baking pan by lining it with parchment paper.
2. Stir cranberries, sugar and 1 T. water together in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar is completely dissolved and the cranberries begin to burst. The juice from the cranberries should be thick and bubbling when your cranberries are properly cooked. Your aim should be for a cranberry sauce where about one half of the cranberries have burst. This will take about 10 minutes. Take off the heat and set aside.
3. Combine butter, brown sugar, milk, maple syrup and molasses in a separate saucepan over medium heat. Bring this mixture to a simmer and then remove it from the heat. You want to avoid having this mixture curdle, so do not let it boil.
4. Sift flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, baking soda and finely-ground black pepper into a large bowl. Using a hand-held mixer, beat in the butter-maple syrup mixture until you have a smooth batter. Next, beat in the eggs. Stir in the grated fresh ginger.
5. Using a spatula, scrape your batter into the prepared baking pan. Drop generous dollops of the cranberry sauce on top of the batter. Use a knife to swirl the cranberries into the batter in a nice design.
6. Bake until the top of the cake is firm and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. This will take between 40 and 50 minutes at 350 degrees F. My cakes have been ready in 40 minutes. When your cake is done, take it out of the oven and let it cool on a wire rack until it is completely cool. Dust with powdered sugar or serve with a dollop of whipped cream (or both!).