Warm Gingerbread Pudding Cake

Hello everyone!  You are probably wondering, where did Slow Cooker Thursday go?!  Well, hockey is on hiatus until after Christmas, so we have our Thursdays back, and I've decided to take a break from Slow Cooker Thursday until the new year.  Instead...today you get this FABULOUS cake recipe...please read on, and enjoy!

It's hard to believe that Christmas is almost here.  Are you ready?  I'm nearly there.  My gingerbread kick continues, which is strange because as I've mentioned before, I am not a fan of molasses, which is in every gingerbread recipe I've seen.  However, when I found this recipe for "Warm Gingerbread Pudding Cake" I knew that I needed to try it.  The recipe had me at "Warm" :-)  I found the recipe in one of my favourite cookbooks, "Whitewater Cooks with Friends".  Here is the recipe:

1 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg, room temperature, slightly beaten
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup warm water
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups hot water
5 tablespoons butter, room temperature

Preheat your oven to 350F.

Grease an 8 x 8 glass baking dish with cooking spray or butter.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and salt.  Mix well.

With your mixer, beat butter and sugar together until well combined.  Add in beaten egg, mix until just blended.

In a glass measuring cup or glass bowl, combine the molasses and warm water.  Stir to combine.

Slowly add the flour mixture, alternating with the molasses mixture, into the butter mixture.  Mix well.

Pour the batter into your greased dish.  Sprinkle (cover) with brown sugar.

Mix the 1 1/2 cups of hot water with the 5 tablespoons of butter.  Stir to melt the butter.  Very slowly, very carefully pour the water mixture over the cake batter.  Do not be afraid, you dish will look like a whole lot of water...but have faith!

Very carefully, place your dish in the oven.  Bake for 35-40 minutes.  When the top is cracked, the cake is done.

Serve warm with ice cream or whipping cream.

VERDICT:
We really enjoyed this cake.  Even me, the not-really-a-fan of molasses, I liked it too!  I loved the harder top layer and the ooey-gooey inside too.  It was quite comforting, and with the melted ice cream all over it...oh yes...very tasty!