My great-grandmother Jessie Allen Herren had this recipe for “The Best Gingerbread You Ever Tasted.” This makes more of a cake than a cookie. We’ve tried and failed to make it into a bouche de noel cake (it doesn’t roll well at all), but if you double the recipe and bake it into 2 9″ x 13″ pans for 30 minutes and slice them in half horizontally, you can make a 4-tiered rectangular cake. Or, cut down the middle lengthwise to piece together a three-tiered mailbox-shaped cake as seen in the photo above.

Combine with ginger buttercream frosting and you get the version that has won two different dessert competitions in two years. We’ve also added a little more ginger and cinnamon than Jessie’s original. Credit goes to my amazing spouse, Kari Little-McKinney, for making it pretty, as getting frosting to look presentable on a cake isn’t one of my strong suits.

Version adapted for the 2020s (this makes 1 batch or half of a 4-tiered cake):

1/2 c. shortening (or softened unsalted butter)
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg
2 1/2 c. sifted all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. sorghum molasses
1 c. hot water

Cream together shortening and sugar; add egg and beat well. sift dry ingredients together.

Combine molasses and water. Add alternately with flour mixture to the creamed mixture.

Line an 8 x 8 x 2-inch (or 9 x 13″) greased pan with waxed paper. Pour in batter.

Bake in moderate oven, 350 F degrees, about 60 minutes and serve from pan. 

To Decorate:

Let it cool completely — it’s not a bad idea to freeze it overnight and decorate with buttercream frosting the next day.

Make a double batch of buttercream frosting and apply to the cake, ideally using skills that surpass my own. You can add food coloring to the frosting, or add colorful sprinkles on top of the frosting later.

Add any other decorative elements: candied ginger is great if you want to make the cake even more ginger-y, or add candies typically associated with gingerbread houses like gumdrops or peppermint.