Spongy Gingerbread

My gingerbread is spongy and pudding like, and spicy, maybe too spicy for someone with a sweet tooth, but you can do what the NZ'er does and put multiple dollops of ice-cream, or cardamom cream on top. We like to serve it with poached fruit too. I have mentioned on many occasions my preference for savory foods, here is another example where I have made a dessert, well, savory. 

It's fun to make and exciting for the olfactory system as well as the gustatory, and mixing the wet ingredients with the dry is a very delicious stirring experience, hubble, bubble, toil and trouble...............


Dry ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon expresso coffee
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
a pinch of ground cloves
a pinch of five spice powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons crystallized ginger, minced


Wet ingredients
1 cup molasses
1/2 cup applesauce
8 ounces plain nonfat yogurt
1/3 cup of olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons grated ginger


Preheat oven to 325f, line the bottom of a 2 inch deep x 9 inch square baking pan (you can also make it in a regular loaf pan) with parchment paper and spray it with non stick cooking spray, and lightly flour it.


Combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl.


Whisk together the wet ingredients until smooth, add this mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until blended.


Pour the batter in to the prepared pan and bake for 60 to 70 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.