WARM Gingerbread for a cold winter’s day

We finally have gotten a little cool weather here in south Florida.  Firewood has started to appear in grocery stores and I’ve been able to COMFORTABLY wear a jcrew puffy vest I recently bought.  It’s winter!  Seeing that we have so few cold, even cool days, this family spends every chilly evening alongside a roaring fire.  We read our books listening to the crackling wood; while Jimmy responds to his never-ending emails I might do a bit of needlepoint, work on a recipe or troll Pinterest just to see what I can see.  Our dog, Pericles, always joins us.  A creature of habit, he trots into the living room and scopes out his spot.  Lying down on a worn Persian rug, with paws crossed (he’s SUCH a noble dog!), a long, deep sigh is let out as he closes his eyes for a peaceful nap with his favorite people.  Our 1940 house is old, by Florida’s standards, with hardwood floors, beamed ceilings and floor to ceiling bookcases.  It’s been described as a “charming Key West cottage”.  But cottages can feel damp inside when it rains.  And chilly when the temperature drops.  All those chinks, gaps and little holes you can’t even see behind walls….or somewhere, somehow let in cold and dampness.  So in spite of electric heat, a toasty fire hissing and popping is most welcome during those brisk, drizzly evenings.  James and Jimmy enjoy the fires too, I think.  I mean, tell me the man who doesn’t like to set something on fire?  I rewarded my men with a fresh-out-of-the-oven, sweet slab of gingerbread.   Earlier in the week I set out to find the tastiest version and after quite a few fails I finally found perfection.  Fails so mediocre I threw them in the trash.  I was surprised to find the majority of blog recipes and even the British, Two Fat Ladies, renditions produced dry, flat-tasting cakes.  Guess who knocked it out of the park?  Our very own Mattie.  Yup.  Martha Stewart’s recipe threw the old school, powdered ginger out the window and called for fresh ginger…and not a small amount either.  1/2 cup PACKED yielded a moist, warmly spiced cake fresh from the oven that had me leaning against the kitchen counter, eyes closed savoring the soft bite of ginger alongside the chocolaty taste of molasses.  It was heaven!  I had planned on a spicy cream cheese icing but, honestly, I didn’t want anything to mask the flavor or texture of this unpretentious, simple cake. It isn’t even in need of a dusting of confectioners’ sugar but I gave it a light coat only to dress it up a bit.   And, unlike so many other gingerbreads, this cake didn’t need to age…not one moment.  It was everything you hope it will be straight out of the oven.  The only thing I changed in the recipe was I used dark molasses instead of light.  I love molasses and the quarter cup called for in the receipt would not have changed the gingerbread all that much.  As with other quick breads and cakes try to resist the urge to over mix and you will be awarded a rich cake with a tender crumb guaranteed to warm all!