First Prize Gingerbread Cake

Gingerbread Cake with Hot Buttered Rum Sauce

Golden Raisin Gingerbread W/ Ginger Icing

Honeyed Gingerbread

Fairy Gingerbread Cake

Gingerbread Hearts

First Prize Gingerbread Cake

Cake Ingredients
     1/2  Cup           butter
     1/2  Cup           brown sugar
   1      Cup           molasses
     1/2  Cup           warm milk
   2      Tablespoons   ground ginger
   1      Teaspoon      cinnamon
   1      Teaspoon      nutmeg
60 grams  brandy 
   3                    eggs
   3      Cups    self raising      flour
   1      Teaspoon      cream of tartar
   1      Large         orange juice and rind grated
   1      Teaspoon      bicarbonate soda
     1/4  Cup           warm water
   1      Cup           raisins

Directions
  Preheat oven to 350F or 180C. Cream butter and brown sugar.
 Add molasses, warm milk, ginger, cinnamon, mace and nutmeg.
 Stir in brandy. Beat eggs until very light and thick. Sift flour and cream of tartar.
 Add flour mixture and eggs alternately to sugar mixture . Mix in orange juice and rind.
 Dissolve bicarbonate soda in 1/4 cup warm water.
Add soda to bread mixture and beat until very light.
 Add raisins. Bake in loaf pan or muffin tins for about 30 minutes.  

Gingerbread Cake with Hot Buttered Rum Sauce

Cake Ingredients
2/3 cup butter or margarine
   2      cups          Brown sugar
   2      cups   self raising       Flour
   1      teaspoon      Soda
   1      tablespoon    Ginger
   2      teaspoons     Cinnamon
   1      teaspoon      Nutmeg
   2                    Eggs
   1      cup           Buttermilk
     1/2  cup           Pecans -- chopped
                        -----HOT BUTTERED RUM SAUCE-----
   1      cup           Sugar
     1/2  cup           Evaporated milk
     1/2  cup           Margarine -- melted
   3      tablespoons   Rum

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F or 180C. Cream margarine and brown sugar. Add flour gradually.
Set aside one cup of this mixture. To remainder, mix in soda and spices. 
Add eggs and combine well. Stir in buttermilk. Pour into an ungreased 12 x 8 1/2" pan.
Sprinkle reserved mixture over top, then pecans. Bake for 30 to 40.

 HOT BUTTERED RUM SAUCE 
 Heat sugar and milk to boiling point.  Beat in melted margarine with mixer. 
Add rum. Cook until slightly thick. Top squares of gingerbread with sauce.

Golden Raisin Gingerbread W/ Ginger Icing

Cake Ingredients
     2/3  cup           packed dark brown sugar
     2/3  cup           molasses
     2/3  cup           boiling water
     1/4  cup   unsalted butter -- room temperature,   cut into chunks
   1      tsp.          bicarbonate soda
   1      large         egg -- beaten
     1/2  cup           raisins
   5 1/2  cups self raising flour
   1      tsp.          ground cinnamon
   1      tsp.          ground ginger
     1/2  tsp.          ground cloves
     1/4  cup           finely chopped candied ginger
Icing:
     1/4  cup    unsalted butter -- room temperature
  125 grams cream cheese -- room temperature
     5 1/2  cups  icing sugar -- sifted
   2      tsp.          vanilla extract
     1/4  cup           finely chopped candied ginger

Directions
Gingerbread: preheat oven to 350F or 180C. Butter & flour 9 inch square baking pan. 

In a large bowlcombine sugar, molasses, boiling water & butter. Blend w/mixer on low speed. 

Add bicarbonate soda, egg & raisins. Blend well. In a small bowl, sift together flour,  cinnamon, 

ginger & cloves. Stir into molassesmixture. Add candied ginger.  Mix gently. Pour batter into 

baking pan.   Cook till toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes. 

Cool completely.                                    
                                                            
Frosting: In a small bowl, beat together butter & cream cheese till smooth. Add sugar.
Beat till smooth. Mix in vanilla & candied ginger. Chill 15 minutes before icing the cake.

Honeyed Gingerbread

Cake Ingredients
   2 1/4  cups      self raising    Flour -- sifted
     1/3  cup           Sugar
   1      teaspoon      bicarbonate soda
   1      teaspoon      Ginger
   1      teaspoon      Ground cinnamon
     1/4  teaspoon      Salt
     1/2  cup           Light molasses
     1/2  cup           Honey
     3/4  cup           Hot water
     1/2  cup           Shortening
   1                    Egg

Directions

Sift together flour, sugar, bicarbonate soda, ginger, cinnamon,
 and salt into large mixer bowl. Add molasses, honey, hot water, shortening, and egg. 
Beat at low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. 

Beat at medium speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Turn into greased 9" square
pan. Bake in 325F or 160C oven 50 to 55 minutes or until cake tests done. Serve warm.

Fairy Gingerbread Cake

Cake Ingredients
   1      cup           Sugar
     1/2  cup           Butter
   2      each          Eggs
   1      cup           Milk
   1      cup           Molasses
   2 1/2  cups     self raising     Flour
     1/2  teaspoon      Soda
   1      tablespoon    Ginger

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F or 180C degrees.  Grease a shallow pan. Cream sugar and butter.
Add eggs, milk and molasses, mixing thoroughly. Sift flour, soda and ginger. 
 Sift again into creamed mixture.  Beat well. Pour into pan. Bake 45 mins.

Gingerbread Hearts

Ingredients
125 g soft butter
70 g brown sugar
Zest of 1 orange, finely chopped
1 medium egg
125 ml warm honey
450 g self-raising flour
4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
30 blanched almonds
1 medium egg, lightly beaten
Raw sugar

Method
Preheat oven to 170°C (340°F).
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add zest and egg and beat until smooth. Stir in honey. Sift together flour, ginger and cinnamon and stir into wet mixture. Wrap biscuit mixture in cling film and chill for 30 minutes. Roll biscuit mixture out onto a floured surface and cut out heart shapes. Lay biscuits on a lined baking tray. Push an almond into the centre of each. Brush each biscuit with beaten egg and sprinkle raw sugar over. Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. Allow biscuits to cool. Makes 30 biscuits.