"Needing a cake for a surprise 60th birthday party for my husband and a friend, I used my mother's favorite cake recipe," writes Doris Lindsay of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. "It turned out that most of the party guests had never had gingerbread cake. It was so well received that I was inspired to send the recipe to you."
Mrs. Lindsay sometimes mixes walnuts and raisins into the batter just before baking. It's also easy to double this recipe and have enough for a party; you'll just need 2 (9- by 2-inch) round pans or a 13- by 9- by 2-inch pan.
Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr
•Cake keeps, covered, in pan at room temperature 2 days.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes 12 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Step 2
Sift together flour, baking soda, spices, and salt.
Step 3
Beat together shortening, sugar, and egg in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. In 3 batches, alternately beat in flour mixture and molasses mixture at low speed until smooth. Pour batter into a greased 9- by 2-inch square metal baking pan and smooth top.
Step 4
Bake cake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack.
