Sofra's Gingerbread and a Holiday Baking Round-up

sofra's gingerbread | apt 2b baking co
oh lady cakes vegan ginger folk | apt 2b baking co
holiday baking | apt 2b baking co
holiday baking | apt 2b baking co
holiday baking | apt 2b baking co
holiday baking | apt 2b baking co
pistachio and matcha snowballs (gluten free)-1731.jpg
red velvet cake-0717.jpg
holiday baking | apt 2b baking co

Hi dudes, I'm just popping in with a quick hello because I have a lot of holiday elfing left to do before this weekend, so - Hello! and here are some seriously fun and delicious links to peruse. 

December is such a fun month to bake, and people are seriously BRINGING IT this year with their holiday posts!  Scroll down to the bottom for Sofra's Gingerbread from the new book Soframiz too, which is killer. Happy Holidays, All!

There are still a few spots for the Paris! Food and Photography Retreat I am co-hosting with Olaiya Land.

Shab E Yalda to my Iranian friends!



Sofra's Gingerbread

adapted from Soframiz

makes one 9x13-inch cake, about 24 servings

Sofra's book is full of middle eastern sweet and savory treats, but since it's the holidays and all, I made the gorgeous deep-dark gingerbread first that uses a full (bold!) 1/4 cup of ground ginger, hello spice!

Cake

1 cup stout

1 1/2 cups molasses

1/4 cup plus one tablespoon brewed coffee

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 cup raw sugar

1 cup sugar

4 large eggs

1 cup canola oil

Glaze

1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup brewed coffee

In a large saucepan, combine the stout, molasses, and coffee. Bring to a boil, whisking to combine. Take the pan off of the heat and quickly whisk in the baking soda. The mixture will rise rapidly in the pot. Set aside until cooled and bubbles have subsided.

Preheat the oven to 350ªF. Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

Combine the sugars in a separate bowl.

Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whisk the eggs on medium, slowly adding the sugars. Increase to high and whisk until pale and tripled in volume, about 7 minutes. Lower the speed and slowly pour in the canola oil and whisk another minute. Add the cooled stout mixture and whip until fully combined. Add the flour, increase the speed to medium, and beat until smooth, about 1 minute.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes.

To make the glaze, combine the confectioner's sugar and cocoa powder in a bowl. Whisk the coffee until smooth.

Once the cake is cooled, spread an even layer of the glaze over the top of the cake. Cut into 2-inch pieces. The cake will keep at room temperature for 4 days.

Some Lovely Links

Happy Galentine's Day! Here are some fun links for your weekend!

I love listening to podcasts while I'm in the kitchen and I am newly obsessed with The Heart, thanks to The Sampler

I have mixed feelings about Valentine's day (restaurants are too busy, too much pressure, let's just love each other all the time, ok?), but I am going to make some morning buns for my Valentine. 

My latest for Food52 is this Naturally Dyed Red Velvet Cake, subbing beets for the red40. Don't worry, it is still slathered in cream cheese frosting.

I am an Olympics junkie and I CANNOT WAIT for Simone Biles to tear it up in Rio. 

There aren't enough heart eye emojis for this cake

A simple, Valentine's classic recipe - Coeur a la Creme

Misty Copeland as Degas' Dancers <3 <3 <3

TBH this is how I would react to that many puppies at once, under any circumstances.

These doughnuts are the Blood Orange Old Fashioneds from my book, all dressed up for Valentine's Day because even though I don't care about the day that much, I love heart shaped foods. 

Speaking of SPRINKLES