Sticky Cranberry Gingerbread Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees and line a 9-inch square or round baking pan with parchment.
• In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, stir together cranberries, granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon water. Stir the cranberries over medium heat until the sugar is completely dissolved and cranberries form a sauce that is syrupy and bubbling thickly, about 10 minutes. Aim to have about half the cranberries broken down, with the remainder more or less whole.
• In a separate saucepan, stir together the butter, brown sugar, milk, maple syrup and molasses over medium heat. Bring it to just barely a simmer and then remove it from the heat. Do not let it come to a boil, or the mixture may curdle.
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, baking soda and black pepper. Beat in the butter-maple syrup mixture and then beat in the eggs. Stir in the ginger.
• Scrape the batter into the pan. Drop fat dollops of cranberry sauce onto the surface of the cake batter. Drag a long, slender knife through the batter in a swirly design, as if you are marbling a cake. Transfer the cake to the oven and bake it until the top is firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire baking rack and let the cake cool completely before eating it.

Steps:

• For the dough: Lightly grease a large bowl and set aside.
• In a small pot, bring the milk just to a boil over medium heat. Watch closely to ensure that the milk doesn't boil over. Add it to a small bowl and let it cool to 105 to 110 degrees F. (It should be warm to the touch but not too hot.) Add the whole egg and yolks and stir to combine.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, cranberries, granulated sugar, yeast and salt. Add the warm milk mixture and mix just until combined.
• Switch to the dough hook and knead the dough on low speed until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes. Add the butter a piece at a time until completely incorporated. Form the dough into a ball, put it in the prepared bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Leave it in a warm, draft-free spot until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• For the topping: Meanwhile, butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• Add 3 tablespoons water to a small saucepan, then add the granulated sugar to the center of the pan. Cook the sugar mixture over medium-high heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until it is a deep amber, 6 to 8 minutes. Whisk in the butter, cream and salt until smooth (be careful, it will sputter). Pour the caramel into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the nuts evenly over the top. Set aside.
• For the filling: Mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
• When the dough has doubled, tip it out onto a very lightly floured work surface. Knead it once or twice to expel the air and then roll it into a 16-by-12-inch rectangle.
• Spread the butter evenly over the surface and sprinkle with the reserved filling and the ginger. Tightly roll up the dough and pinch the top seam closed. With a serrated knife, cut the roll crosswise into 12 equal pieces. Set them in the dish with the topping, spirals facing upward. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let them rest until the dough has almost doubled again, about 1 hour. They should look pillowy and all of the rolls will be touching.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Uncover the rolls, set a piece of aluminum foil on a lower oven rack to catch any caramel that may drip and bake until deep golden brown and puffed, 25 to 30 minutes. Give the center roll a wiggle--if it's set in place, the buns are ready to come out. If the middle of that center roll feels soft, give them another few minutes. Let cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then carefully cut around the edge with a paring knife and invert the rolls onto a serving plate. Let cool slightly before eating.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325. Lightly grease a 9 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan and line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper that has been cut to hang over two opposite edges by a couple of inches. This overhang will make removing the cake from the pan clean and simple.
• Combine the butter, water, molasses, honey and brown sugar in a medium non-reactive saucepan and place over low heat. Stir the mixture frequently until the butter is melted, and all of the ingredients are well blended. Remove from the heat, pour into a large bowl and set aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice and cloves, and set aside. When the molasses mixture feels just warm to the touch, add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the milk and stir to combine. Fold the dry ingredients into the batter in four additions, using big, long strokes. Don't be concerned if you can't get all the lumps out--settle for most of them! Stir in the grated ginger.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the center of the oven for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the top of the cake springs back when touched and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 15 minutes, then, using the overhang of parchment, lift the cake out of the pan and cool completely on a wire rack before cutting. Well-wrapped in plastic, this gingerbread actually improves with age. If stored at room temperature, it will have a sponge-cakey texture and will keep for about 4 days. Refrigerated, it becomes stickier, denser, and wonderfully chewy and will last at least a week. Allow the cake to return to room temperature before serving. This cake is fabulous warm, and the only adornment it needs is mounds of softly whipped cream.

Steps:

• Whisk together butter, eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, molasses, milk, fresh ginger, vanilla, cranberries and crystallized ginger in a large bowl. Set aside.
• In another bowl, sift together the flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture, stirring until just blended.
• Spoon the batter into a greased and floured loaf pan.
• Bake 60 to 75 minutes at 325 degrees, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
• Transfer to wire rack; let cool ~15 minutes.

Steps:

• Set oven to 160°C Grease a 11 x 9" tin with baking parchment.
• Sift the flour, ginger, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a bowl. Place the sugar, butter, syrup and treacle in a pan and heat until the butter has just melted. Don't allow it to get too hot.
• Stir in the milk then beat in the egg. Pour in the dry ingredients and beat together.
• Pour immediately into baking tin and bake for 1-1/4 hours until firm to the touch. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then turn out of tin and allow to cool completely.
• NB You can also add a few finely chopped pieces of stem ginger to the mix if you wish.