Frosted Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Loaf

Gingerbread — real gingerbread — is my absolute favorite holiday treat. I’ve loved it since I was a kid, and I chalk that up to the fact that it’s a rather old fashioned type of treat. Like something they would have eaten on the prairie. You know.

I haven’t done too much holiday baking this year, partly because Grayson has been keeping me so busy, but also because we are leaving in a few days to spend the holiday with my family on the East Coast and I don’t want to waste any treats. However, gingerbread has been an exception. I always bake gingerbread every year in December and enjoy every last crumb of it.

Yesterday we had an epic storm day here in the Bay Area. So much so that it made the front page of CNN! Lots of rain and very high winds made it almost impossible for us to leave the house. Rather than going crazy being home alone all day with an infant, I decided to make it a baking day. Grayson is now at the age where he is content (for, um, maybe ten minutes) playing at my feet with measuring cups and spoons. It’s the best. He was my little gingerbread sous chef yesterday and although he didn’t taste the outcome, I think he would have liked it. The kid likes to eat EVERYTHING.

I had never added chocolate to my gingerbread and wasn’t sure if that was weird. However, I texted my friend Audra, who was also busy making her own gingerbread, and she told me “everyone was doing it”. And guess what? It turned out delicious! The combination of spices, fresh minced ginger and semisweet chocolate chips was mind boggling good….especially when you top it with a buttercream frosting. 😉

This is a wonderful holiday treat that will keep a couple days when wrapped up with tin foil in the counter. If you can make it that long — we surely can’t in this house. It’s a classic revamped and I will definitely not hesitate to add chocolate to my gingerbread again in the future!

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend! Like I said, we are gearing up for our big trip back East so this weekend will be filled with lots of odds and ends getting ready for that. We have Adam’s holiday party this evening and, after being cooped up all day yesterday, I can’t wait to get dressed up, drink cocktails and  have some adult interaction. Hah.

Frosted Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Loaf

yields 1 loaf cake

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Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup molasses

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1 tbsp fresh minced ginger

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup boiling water

for frosting ~

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar

2 drops vanilla extract

fresh lemon zest to top

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick spray and set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix to combine. With the mixer running, slowly stream in the molasses. Continue to mix until well blended.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, powdered ginger and fresh ginger. Add to the butter mixture and, with the mixer running on low again, stream in the boiling water. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Scoop batter into your prepared loaf pan and bake for 45 – 50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool while you prepare the frosting.

To make the frosting, cream the butter and powdered sugar with the vanilla until very fluffy. This will take about 6-8 minutes on high speed. When your cake is completely cool, slather the cake with the frosting. Top the cake with the fresh lemon zest.

Time:

1.5 hours (includes time to cool)