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Whole Wheat Gingerbread from New Orleans

Whole Wheat Gingerbread from New Orleans
(Source: Maida Heatter's New Book of Great Desserts (Alfred A. Knopf, 1982, pg. 280).

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving and some delicious food. Now it is time to think about the next holiday around the corner and begin baking Christmas-y desserts. Gingerbread always comes to mind and I do like it this time of year. I love it with my coffee in the mornings. 

I've tried several of Maida's gingerbread recipes and they have all been excellent. This one is no exception. Very robust flavor and wonderful texture. I used crystallized ginger that I had purchased at Costco and it is very strong. It was too strong to eat alone (ginger is good for upset stomach) and as not as tasty as the ginger I usually get from Penzey's. I was afraid it might overpower the gingerbread but I used the amount called for and it was fine.

I made a goof and forgot to add my molasses to the melted butter. I didn't realize it until I had everything mixed. So I just added it at the end and mixed it in with a large spoon. It worked! 

1/4 lb. (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons dry powdered instant coffee
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 cup light molasses
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1 cup sifted whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons powdered ginger
1/2 teaspoon mace
4 oz. (1 cup) walnut, cut into small pieces
1 cup raisins
1/3 cup candied or preserved ginger, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

Adjust the oven rack to the center position and preheat to 350. Line an 8"x8" pan with foil and brush with melted butter.

In a 4-6 cup saucepan, melt the butter. Remove from the heat, add the coffee and sugar and stir to dissolve. Stir in the molasses and set aside to cool slightly.




Beat the eggs just to mix and add the milk. Set aside.



Sift both flours, salt, baking soda, ginger and mace in a large bowl. Add the nuts, raisins and candied ginger and stir well.



Add the melted butter/molasses mixture and the egg/milk mixture and stir until mixed.




Transfer to the pan and smooth the top. 


Bake for 40-45 minutes until the top springs back when lightly pressed. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely. Keep airtight and do not allow it to dry out.




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Comments

Laurel said…
WOW! That looks delicious!!! I also love gingerbread and am always looking for ‘the one’ absolute best recipe for it. My question to you is - which of her gingerbread recipes is your favorite? How does this one compare (is this in the top 2?) Thank you Philip!
December 8, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Anonymous said…
Hi Laurel, I would probably saw the Moosehead Gingerbread is my favorite.
December 8, 2025 at 9:00 PM
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