My Chocolate Season 2023: Cocoa Gingerbread

My latest chocolate adventure began with a recipe from Midwest Living. However, I decided not to make the frosting, early on. Chalk it up to my irrepressible tendency to tinker with even the best recipes and/or, perhaps, the fact that our family celebrated an early Christmas last weekend which incorporated loads of rich food. Either way, we were delighted with the flavor of this gingerbread (although I substituted a little ground nutmeg for clove, which I almost never use).

The texture? Not so much. Despite lining my 9 x 5 pan with (unbleached) parchment paper as requested, my loaf baked unevenly and even 'fell' in the middle as it cooled.

When I cut the loaf it began to break. Some portions of each slice had almost a thick pudding consistency while other areas more closely resembled cake. I refrigerated half of the loaf for several hours before cutting, in hopes it would solidify some and cut more easily, but I didn't notice much difference. 

V.O.E.: If I make this recipe in a loaf pan again, I might reduce the milk to 1/3 cup. I'm also tempted to bake this recipe in a 9 x 9 pan while obviously reducing the cooking time by keeping a close eye on it. And about the frosting? I'm sure it's delicious but I think we'll skip it in our house. 

Equipment:

​9 x 5 loaf pan
Two mixing bowls
Hand or stand mixer
Measuring cup
​Large mixing spoon
Measuring spoons
For melting butter: saucepan with water and small bowl
                   OR you may microwave the butter

Above & below: Combining wet and dry ingredients.

Above: Filling the pan was challenging because the parchment didn't lie flat against the sides. 

​Above: Fresh from the oven.