
Gingerbread cake has been famous all over the world for hundreds of years. A form of soft gingerbread called Parkin is popular in northern England. It originated in Yorkshire and is made with oatmeal. In France, a tender gingerbread is called pain d’épices though initially this cake didn’t contain any ginger and used honey instead of molasses. In Belgium and the Netherlands, this cake is sliced in large chunks and topped with fresh butter. Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine also has a spiced gingerbread cake called honey cake. It is eaten at Rosh Hashanah (New Year). Many Jewish honey cakes closely resemble the Dutch peperkoek or the German Lebkuchen, even though there are wide regional variations.
In America, this soft gingerbread is called a gingerbread cake. The flavor profile of gingerbread cake is a classic. In this recipe we top this cake with a browned butter glaze that is loaded with crisp toasted pecans. It is a heavenly dessert combination. Garnish the finished cake with dried cranberries or fruit of your choice.
1 ¼ cups butter softened
2 cups packed brown sugar
½ cup molasses
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
3 cups Panhandle Milling Organic All-purpose Flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. ground black pepper
½ tsp. salt
1 cup sour cream
¼ cup butter
1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup half-and-half cream
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted