If you are looking for a good, make that great, gingerbread recipe for the holidays. I have it right here. This is a dense, moist, flavorful gingerbread. Not a fluffy cake like gingerbread. I’m not including a recipe for lemon sauce because you do not need it.
I got this from a teacher at George Washington’s Ferry Farm after my children took a class. It was supposedly a favorite of Mary Ball Washington - George Washington’s mother. I couldn’t wait to try it. I double the recipe and bake it in small loaf pans for gifts. There are a lot of ingredients but don’t leave any out. There is no reason to mess with perfection.
Mary Ball Washington’s Gingerbread
½ cup butter
½ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup molasses
½ cup honey
¼ cup of sherry
½ cup warm milk
3 cups flour
2 tsp ginger
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
1 ½ tsp mace
1 ½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cream of tarter
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp soda
2 tbsp warm water
2 tbsp orange rind, grated
¼ cup orange juice
1 cup raisins
Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9×13 inch pan. Cream butter; add sugar and next four ingredients; beat. Add dry ingredients to sugar mixture then add eggs. Dissolve soda in water. Add it with rind, juice, and raisins. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until firm in the center.
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