Twenty-Three

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by Hannah (BitterSweet)
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In the most minimal fashion, much like the twenty-second year preceding it, my twenty third birthday came and went. There was ice skating with my dad, a shared lunch, a black and white movie at home, and cake; no party, and no candles. Not so much a day of celebration as a day of rest, which sounds just about right to me.

Birthdays of mine have been historically bad days in the past.

Taking into consideration both apocalyptic winter weather and borderline psychotic meltdowns, this quieter, uneventful rendition was a merciful change of pace. Less a marker of having arrived at some milestone, I found the date reassuring, a small checkpoint within the greater journey. I’m still here, twenty three years later, and it’s beginning to look like I may just be here in another twenty three as well. Imagine that.

Corresponding with my laid back non-celebration, the cake at hand was simple, unfussy.

Homely by some estimations. All I wanted was a dark, moist, spicy gingerbread cake, one that reminded me of The One That Got Away. Ten years ago, scouting out a location for my Bat Mitzvah, I chose the final restaurant based solely on the gingerbread cake served for dessert. Dripping with caramel and finished with a fluffy halo towering over the plate, it’s now all I remember about that meal. In my youth and excitement, it never occurred to me that the event would be catered, and I would never see that beauty of a cake again. In fact, the restaurant has since gone out of business, just to close that book entirely.

So I made it for myself, ten years later.

Ten years. 10. It bears repeating because it seems wildly impossible that so much time could have passed. Even if there were no candles and no fanfare, it was the perfect ending to my non-celebration.

Yield: Makes 16 – 20 Servings

Gingerbread Blackout Cake

Gingerbread Blackout Cake

This dark, moist, spicy gingerbread cake, served dripping with sticky caramel sauce, is the pinnacle of wintertime desserts.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

Gingerbread Cake:

  • 2 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
  • 3 Tablespoons Black Cocoa Powder
  • 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 6 – 7 Teaspoons (2 Heaping Tablespoons) Ground Ginger
  • 2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cloves
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
  • 1/8 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
  • 1 Cup Brewed and Cooled Coffee
  • 3/4 Cup Molasses
  • 3/4 Cup No Sugar Added Pumpkin Butter or Apple Butter
  • 1 1/2 Cups Granulated Sugar
  • 3/4 Cup Olive Oil

To Serve:

  • Vegan Caramel Sauce (Optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9 x 9-inch square baking pan; Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and soda, and spices. Whisk well to distribute all of the dry goods throughout, and double-check that there are no clumps.
  3. Separately, mix the coffee, molasses, pumpkin butter, sugar, and oil until smooth.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry, and stir with a wide spatula to bring the two together. Being careful not to over-mix, stir just until the batter is smooth and not a second longer. Transfer the batter into your prepared baking pan, smooth out the top, and pop it in the oven. Immediately turn down the heat to 325 degrees, even before you close the oven door.
  5. Bake for 45 – 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean- Perhaps with a few moist crumbs sticking to it but certainly not wet. Let cool completely before slicing and serving with butterscotch sauce and whipped creme.
    If time allows, this cake does get better with age, so try to make it a day or two in advance for the flavor profile to become more nuanced and balanced.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

20

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 265Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 69mgCarbohydrates: 47gFiber: 1gSugar: 34gProtein: 2g

All nutritional information presented within this site are intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on BitterSweetBlog.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. Even though I try to provide accurate nutritional information to the best of my ability, these figures should still be considered estimations.

© Hannah Kaminsky
Cuisine: American / Category: Cakes & Cupcakes

 

55 thoughts on “Twenty-Three”

  1. Happy birthday, Hannah! This cake sounds so wonderful. I’m also very excited about your ice cream book! The attachment for my standing mixer is arriving this afternoon, so I can’t wait to try out all your frozen treats.

  4. Oh, Happy Birthday, Hannah! Your birthday day sounds perfect to me…I’m also a lover of a special quiet day spent with loved ones. The cake is beautiful and the perfect way to celebrate the occasion.

  5. You’re only 23? I think you should celebrate like a fiend. Look at all you’ve accomplished and shared at only 23. That much contribution to the world is worthy of a big celebration.

  6. Happiest (belated) birthday, Hannah. You’re day sounds absolutely wonderful to me as well. I too have been known to suffer from some not so great birthdays :) May this year bring you much joy and growth; being young and yet already insanely talented, you have so much to look forward to in your years to come!

    And, on a more selfish note, I am terribly excited for Vegan À La Mode!

  7. Happy belated birthday, Hannah! I’m glad to hear you had a nice, relaxing day with your family. You’ll find that birthdays come with less celebration/significance/hoopla as you get older, but a quiet day spent the way you want is just enough to start a new year. Mind you, at 23 I was still partying up a storm! ;)

    Looking forward to your new book!

  9. Hope your 23rd year is happiest of all! That cake looks seriously divine. And I know exactly what you mean at the thought that you could be alive and remember and have life experiences in the past 10 years. Haha, it’s crazy. Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

  12. Happy birthday Hannah! And all January babies have to worry about winter weather in the northern hemisphere. (I normally get a ton of snow for my birthday at the end of the month.)

    And that cake looks heavenly. I think I will have to make this for my birthday cake with the caramel sauce.

  13. Happy Birthday, Hannah! I’m sure I’m not the only one who had no idea you are that young. I wish I’d have accomplished as much as you in my 23+5 years! The cake sounds delicious and you inspire me to do more :)

  14. Happy birthday, Hannah! You’re not old at all… I’m old enough to be your mom, lol! I know what you mean about time going so quickly though. I remember being in elementary school, never imagining graduating from high school. In the blink of an eye, the years whirred past me. Now, I’ve been married for 23 years and have 2 children.

    Your birthday sounds like it was a lovely day. It’s actually my kind of day, quiet, simple, and spent with those I love. :)

    You are an amazing young lady, and I know you will be a blessing to our lives for many many years to come! (((hugs)))

  19. Oh boy the description of the cake you had to celebrate you Bat Mitzvah is mouth watering ! You know that I saw this picture of your so-nice-lookin-awesome-yummy chocolate cake, and I rarely reblog picture of vegan food – however I clicked to re-post it, and then I realize that it was from you. No doubt you make great recipes and take really amazing pictures :)

    I did not know that you were born on a 13th, maybe it will make me change my mind about 13, and even more so when these are Fridays.
    So merry unbirthday (because no celebration) to you !
    (actually I am not the kind of person who likes celebrating a birthday, and who makes a big deal of a day that is almost like every other day)

  20. Happy Birthday Hannah!
    Funny it’s you who gave us the bday present.
    Thanks for the cake recipe. Can’t wait to try it. Thanks for all you do!

  32. My birthdays are always dotted with psychotic meltdowns. It’s actually incredibly stressful, though I’m not quite sure why! I’m so glad yours was restful though and happy, just the way you wanted it. And that you got your cake. That’s the most important part!

  33. Happy birthday inspiring lady! Not-the-greatest birthdays must be yet another hallmark of being a Hannah. I spent my 21st alone in a hotel room and last year alone after an entire day at a work forum called “Let’s Chat About Dying”. So this birthday of yours, with rest and cake, sounds perfect to me :)

    *hugs hugs hugs*

  37. Hannah, I was looking for a chocolate cake for my wedding… and this will be it, I love the look of it.
    All the guests are omnivores, so they will be having a taste of my “food” as they call it! (Nobody will refuse the wedding cake)

    1. Wow, I would be honored if one of my recipes became your wedding cake! However, I don’t want to disappoint you- Even though it includes a bit of cocoa, it’s more for color than flavor and doesn’t taste of chocolate. Instead, I would highly recommend my Ultra-Moist Amazing Chocolate Cake if that’s what you’re after.

      Happy Baking, and Congratulations!

  39. Happy Birthday Hannah!! You’ve accomplished more in your 23 years than many people have in double that. Thank you for that gingerbread cake recipe! I had the most delicious gingerbread cake on Christmas that my aunt had brought – turned out she had made it from Trader Joe’s gingerbread mix! I’ve been hoping to create a comparable from-scratch recipe for that, and your photo looks exactly right. I can’t wait to try it.

  42. It’s like you read my mind! Just the other day my husband said “Remember that gingerbead cake you used to make?” … which meant I needed to find a vegan version. I’m totally going with yours because I know that it will be perfect!

  46. Happy birthday! Only 23 and already accomplished so much. Just imagine what you can do with the rest of your life–it can be most amazing!

  51. HOW DID I MISS THIS!!!!! Gingerbread…the salve of the common man or narf7 in this case. I ADORE gingerbread and ginger in all of its heated sweet and savoury forms. Ginger is to narf7 as chocolate is to other people. This recipe is so “Me” it could be called “Narf7’s Gingerbread” :). Kudos and overenthusiasm entirely directed at you ma’am :)

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