Warm Gingerbread Pudding Cake - by Lisa

"Best yet!" declared my husband upon devouring his dessert. And I have to agree! This was a delicious cake! Adding whipped cream was the perfect topping, yet it would still be divine without it.

There were several steps involved in making the cake, but overall it isn't a complicated recipe. I think I was overdoing things a little by trying to simultaneously make dinner and prepare dessert. I should know better than attempting such a feat when following a brand new recipe! :)

One special thing the recipe calls for is crystallized ginger. I had a bit of an adventure with this item. I have never used this ingredient before, so when I spotted it on the shelves of spice section, I nearly had a heart attack when I saw the price tag registered $13.99 for a 2.7oz jar. Fortunately, I have a nice little money saving trick up my sleeve - the bulk food department! I have utilized this option countless times. Not only does it save me a ton of $$, but I am also able to buy in the quantity I need and therefore always have fresh (dried) spices and herbs in my cabinet. I was able to get the crystallized ginger for a fraction of the price - $1.22. I also did the same with the clove and spent only $0.22.

Overall, I followed the recipe nearly to the letter. The only change I made was omitting the nutmeg. My system can't tolerate the spice, so I have to make sure I don't consume any of it. Here is a "before" shot of the cake.

As Beth mentioned in the recipe, it was the "weird" stage of making the cake. The final step before putting it in the oven is pouring a butter/water mixture over the batter. It definitely looked weird, but the cake came out beautifully!

My husband and I both loved the sweet/spicy flavor of the cake. Eating it while still warm is definitely the way to go. It was quite moist on the bottom, cake like in the middle and just barely crisp on the top. A perfect combination in each bite! We are both looking forward to having this for dessert all week!!!