Cakey Gingerbread Squares

---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05

Title: CAKEY GINGERBREAD SQUARES
Categories: Cakes, Holiday
Yield: 12 Servings

-Dottie Cross TMPJ72B
8 tb Unsalted butter; at room
-temperature
1/2 c Sugar
2 Large eggs
Grated zest of 1 orange
2 1/2 c Sifted all-purpose flour
2 ts Baking soda
2 ts Ground ginger
1 ts Ground cinnamon
1/2 ts Ground allspice
1/2 ts Ground nutmeg
1/2 ts Salt
1/4 ts Ground cloves
1 c Unsulfured molasses
1 c Boiling water
Confectioners' sugar;
-for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch square baking
pan. Using a hand-held electric mixer set at high speed, beat the butter
until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat until light in color
and texture, about 2 additional minutes. Beat in the eggs and orange zest.
Sift the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, salt, and
cloves onto a piece of waxed paper. In a 2-cup glass measuring cup, combine
the molasses and boiling water. Alternately in thirds, beat in the flour
and molasses mixtures. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake until
a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, and the
cake is shrinking from the sides of the pan, 40 to 50 minutes. Let stand on
a wire cake rack for 5 minutes. Place the confectioners' sugar in a sieve
and dust over the top of the cake. Serve the cake warm or completely
cooled. Makes 12 to 16 servings. Source: "An Edible Christmas" (A Treasury
of Recipes for the Holiday) by Irena Chalmers. Reformatted by: CYGNUS,
HCPM52C

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