Lucky for us—and all of you—our friends Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton at The Canal House have shared their recipe for chocolate gingerbread. As if that weren’t enough of a prize, check out the giveaway below, where you can enter to win two seats at their November 1 class at the Short Hills location of Kings Food Markets.
CHOCOLATE GINGERBREAD
(serves 12)
We aren’t gooey cake fans so this cake is perfect for us—more about flavor than sweetness. The gooiest part is pouring on the melted chocolate icing. We smooth it out and just let it run over the sides of the cake. Who can resist warm gingerbread on a cold fall afternoon?
For the gingerbread:
2½ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup molasses or sorghum
8 ounces chocolate chips, melted
1 cup espresso or strong coffee, cooled
For the chocolate icing:
8 ounces chocolate chips
½ cup heavy cream
For the gingerbread, preheat the oven to 375°. Grease a 9-inch spring form cake pan, then dust it with flour, tapping out any excess. Sift or whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, mustard, and pepper together in a large bowl then set aside. Put the butter into a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the brown sugar, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the molasses and the chocolate until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and the espresso alternately while you continue to beat the mixture. Use a rubber spatula to help incorporate any batter on the bottom or sides of the bowl. Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake until the top springs back when you lightly press it in the middle, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool.
For the chocolate icing, while the cake cools, heat the chocolate and the cream together in a small heavy pot over low heat. Stir with a whisk as it melts. Transfer the cooled gingerbread onto to a plate. Arrange strips of waxed paper under the edges of the cake to keep the plate clean. Smooth the icing on top of the gingerbread, allowing it to drip over the sides. Remove the paper.
ENTER TO WIN! CANAL HOUSE COOKING FOR THE HOLIDAYS CLASS AT KINGS IN SHORT HILLS!
Get up-close-and-personal instruction from the creators of this recipe. On Saturday, November 1, Kings Food Markets presents an exclusive cooking class taught by chefs Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton of The Canal House: Canal House Cooking for the Holidays. Seats are priced at $65 per person. The James Beard Award-winning, cookbook-writing duo (former editors of Saveur Magazine) will share their favorite holiday recipes at Kings Cooking Studio in Short Hills. They’ll also share the ins and outs of some of their most notable dishes from their popular Fall & Holiday cookbook, including their specialty cranberry sauce and sourdough sage stuffing! Follow the instructions below to enter. Winner receives two seats in this class.
