Gingerbread with Warm Orange Sauce

I love the smell of gingerbread baking; it makes the entire house smell so warm and inviting making this the perfect dessert to make if you have guests coming for dessert. They will be hungry for it the moment they step in the front door. I love to put the chopped candied ginger into the batter; they are such a wonderful little surprise sprinkled through the moist cake. I know that candied ginger or crystallized ginger as it is called sometimes can be very expensive, especially when you get it on the baking aisle. I try to always get mine at Cost Plus World Market; they carry bags of it in the candy aisle. I am sure other stores probably do too. I am also going to try making some of my own in the next couple of weeks, if I get a good recipe I will be sure to share it here.

The warm orange sauce is a wonderful team player with the gingerbread and would also be wonderful on pancakes or waffles too. I store it in the fridge and just reheat the amount we need as we need it in the microwave.

Gingerbread

2 1/3 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup finely chopped candied ginger

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¾ teaspoon salt

1 cup molasses

¾ cup hot water

½ cup vegetable oil

1 egg

Grease an 8”x8” baking dish well.

Heat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit

Combine the flour, sugar, candied ginger, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl and stir to mix well. Add the remaining ingredients and mix with a mixer on low for about 30 seconds to combine. Turn the mixer to medium and beat for an additional 3 minutes to thoroughly combine. Be sure to scrape the bowl several times during this process.

Pour batter into prepared baking dish and bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until it tests done with a toothpick in the center.

Serve warm with Warm Orange Sauce

Warm Orange Sauce

1 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1 Tablespoon flour

Pinch of salt

1 ¼ cup orange juice

½ cup water

¼ cup lemon juice

1 Tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon grated orange peel

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Combine dry ingredients in a medium size sauce pan and stir to combine.

Slowly whisk in the liquids.

Cook over medium heat whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. Continue to whisk constantly while boiling for 3 more minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in the butter and grated peels.

Serve warm, store any leftovers in the fridge in a covered container.