Nothing smells better than the aroma from this cake baking in the oven.
The recipe goes back aways. Grandma Gracie was a wonderful cook; her daughter, Mary Grace, is, too. The latter shared it with us when we were just out of college, which was, well, a while ago. It’s simple to make, the most labor-intensive step is creaming the butter and sugar, which incorporates air into the mix and helps make the cake light in texture. With a hand or stand mixer (starting on low speed), that step is easy, but it’s not much harder by hand. Bring the butter to room temperature, cut it into smallish bits or grate it, and whip the sugar into the butter with a wooden spoon.
Ingredients
1 c. brown sugar
5 tbsp. butter, sliced into pieces or grated
? c. molasses
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1½ c. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
½ tsp. cloves
1 c. boiling water
1 tsp. baking soda
Confectioners’ sugar or whipped cream (optional)
To make:
Heat over to 350 degrees. Cream brown sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses, egg, and vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl, mix flour and spices. Add to butter mixture.
Combine boiling water and baking soda, stir, and add to batter.
Pour batter (it will be very thin) into an 8″-square cake pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until it springs back when pressed with a finger.
Sprinkle confectioners’ sugar on top or serve with whipped cream.
