Lafayette Gingerbread Food

GENERAL LAFAYETTE GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• 1/4 lb. butter, softened 1/2 cup dark brown sugar 1 cup unsulphured molasses 3 eggs 3 cups all-purpose flour 2 tbsp. ground ginger 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1 tsp. ground mace 1 tsp. ground nutmeg 1 tsp. baking soda 3/4 cup buttermilk 1/3 cup fresh orange juice 1 tbsp. grated orange zest 1 cup raisins
• 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Cream butter and sugar together in a large bowl. Stir in molasses, then beat in eggs one at a time. Sift flour, ginger, cinnamon, mace, nutmeg, and baking soda into a medium bowl. Combine buttermilk, orange juice and zest, and raisins in another bowl. Beat flour mixture into creamed mixture one-third at a time, alternating with buttermilk mixture. 2. Pour batter into a greased, floured 9" × 13" baking pan. Bake 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

LAFAYETTE GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch-square cake pan. In the bowl of an electric mixer, or in a large bowl beating by hand, combine the butter and brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the molasses, and continue to beat until well combined. Sift the flour with the ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. Alternately add the eggs and flour to the butter mixture, beating very well after each addition. Add the orange juice and zest, and continue beating for several minutes until the batter is smooth and light. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Set the cake on a rack to cool completely in the pan before slicing. Serve squares of the cake spread with Fairy Butter, if desired.

LOUISIANA GINGERBREAD (STAGE PLANKS OR MULE BELLIES)

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a rimmed sheet pan and line it with buttered parchment paper. In a small pan, melt molasses, shortening and ginger together over low heat. Transfer to mixer and mix at medium speed until well blended and slightly cooled, about 3 minutes. Mix in sugar.
• Dissolve baking soda in a tablespoon of hot water and mix into molasses mixture. Working in alternating batches and mixing well after each addition, mix in buttermilk and flour; batter should be quite stiff, not runny. Add more flour a tablespoon at a time, if needed.
• Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake in lower third of oven 10 to 12 minutes, until risen and firm. Cool in pan on rack. Cut into rectangles or use cookie cutters to make shapes.