Gingerbread with Praline Topping – A Molasses Treat

According to foodies, February 8 was designated Molasses Bar Day.  In honor of that special day, I’ll talk about all things molasses and share with you a best baking recipe for Gingerbread with Praline Topping.

What is Molasses?

 

Molasses is the syrup which results when the juice of the sugar cane plant is boiled down and the sugar crystals removed. Actually there are 3 boilings. After the first, the syrup has the highest sugar content and is light in color. After the second boiling, more sugar has been extracted and the syrup is darker and more bitter in flavor (fancy molasses). The third boiling results in blackstrap molasses, very thick and strongly flavored. Blackstrap molasses is what we use to add that wonderful richness to gingerbread and baked beans.

The advantage to using molasses over refined sugar ( it has all the nutrition boiled out of it) is that molasses is a healthy sweetener. Molasses retains many of its vitamins and minerals – manganese, copper, iron, calcium, vitamin B6 – to name a few. Molasses is actually considered an iron supplement in healthy meal planning.

If you’ve run out of molasses for your baking, one of the following can be substituted: black treacle, honey, sweet sorghum syrup, barley malt syrup, maple syrup, brown sugar, dark corn syrup.

Many old favorite recipes use molasses as their base; such as shoo-fly pie from the southern United States. This pie is a traditional Pennsylvania Dutch recipe and very similar to the traditional English treacle tart of the Harry Potter series (Harry’s favorite pie at Hogwart’s). Today I am going to feature my favorite gingerbread dessert with praline topping. Serve it warm with a scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream or softly whipped heavy cream.

Gingerbread with Praline Topping:

1 ¼ cups sifted all-purpose flour

¼ cup sugar

¾ teaspoon soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ginger

¼ teaspoon cloves

¼ cup shortening

½ cup water

½ cup molasses

1 egg unbeaten

Preparation:

Preheat oven 350°F.

Grease or spray with no-stick baking spray an 8 inch square cake pan.

1. Sift dry ingredients into a mixing bowl.
2. Add shortening, ¼ cup water, molasses.
3. Beat on slow speed of mixer till smooth or by hand for 2 minutes.    
4. Add remaining water and egg.
5. Beat again until well mixed and batter is smooth.
6. Scrape into prepared baking pan. Smooth top.
7. Bake in preheated oven for about 40 minutes.

Top with Praline Topping:

Praline Topping:

¼ cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans

1. Combine sugar, cinnamon, and flour.
2. Cut in butter using a pastry blender or two knives.
3. After gingerbread has baked for 35 minutes, remove from oven, sprinkle with topping mixture.
4. Return to oven and bake 10 minutes longer.
5. Serve warm with your favorite ice cream or whipping cream.

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Tags: gingerbread, healthy gingerbread, healthy sweetener, molasses, pecans, praline topping, treacle

Category: Cookies & Squares