Editor’s Note: This is a very heavy, gummy gingerbread recipe, but is historically interesting. If you’ve heard rave reviews about an “1800’s Housewife gingerbread recipe”, I promise it’s not this one. You want the 1856 Gingerbread Recipe from Practical American Cookery. Do try that one, it’s a real winner!
Yesterday, one of my little ones asked me to make gingerbread. What a lovely idea for a cold and blustery February day!
The only problem was, I had let us run clean out of sugar. Not one granule of white or brown sugar was there, in this whole house. And my usual recipe uses both molasses and sugar.
Thankfully, I am very blessed to have a number of excellent cookery books on my shelves. For the next 20 minutes, my little ones and I took them all down and combed through each one, looking for gingerbread recipes that called for only molasses, and no sugar.
I should have known that dear Miss Parloa would be our salvation. In her wonderful Appledore Cook Book, she shares not one but two soft gingerbread recipes that require only molasses for sweetening.
I have come to notice in Miss Parloa’s cook books that when she lists multiple recipes for a certain dish, they seem to be listed in order of her own preference for the finished product. So we opted to make her Soft Molasses Gingerbread, No. 2., rather than No. 3, which also relies only on molasses for its sweetness.
The instructions are very easy to follow, and we were delighted with the results. This is an excellent frugal recipe for soft molasses gingerbread, which requires only six ingredients. It puts a delicious gingerbread well within reach of anyone, even if sugar, eggs, and butter are not available, or are too expensive for common baking.
If I ever had occasion to serve gingerbread to the President, I would still likely opt for a “Rich Molasses Gingerbread” recipe, with eggs and additional spices. This is not perhaps what you might call a “company gingerbread” recipe.
But for family cookery, it is affordable, easy, and very nice. My little ones were delighted with it, and could have gobbled down the whole pan at once, if I let them!
The recipe below has been adapted only to allow for modern leavening, and ovens. For the exact original recipe using saleratus, please reference “Soft Molasses Gingerbread, No. 2.” in the photo above.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1 tablespoon butter or lard
- ½ cup boiling water
- 2 cups flour
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375
- To a mixing bowl, add molasses, baking powder, ginger, and butter or lard.
- Stir this together, and then pour on one half a cup of boiling water, and the flour. Beat well.
- Spread in a well-greased 8×8 pan.
- Bake until set in the center, about 18 minutes.
Jenn says
Could you suggest the best way to make them GF?
Anna says
HI Jenn! I’d use either a 1-1 Gluten Free flour blend, in place of the flour, OR half cassava flour, and half almond flour. In addition, a reader has offered great tips in the recipe 1856 recipe for Soft Gingerbread (my favorite 1800’s gingerbread recipe that I’ve tried so far), for how to make that one grain-free. Hope this helps!
kristi says
What kind of ginger? Dried, fresh, powder? Does it make a difference?
Anna says
Hi Kristi! This would have been dried, powdered ginger. Great question!
Em says
You left out baking powder which what the s word in the book is no wonder it didn’t set up right when I made it it needs baking powder
Anna says
Hi there! If you look at the recipe, I think you’ll find that baking powder actually is listed. I’m so sorry you missed it. This is already a fairly dense recipe so I can imagine that without it, the result must have been heavy indeed!
Please let me recommend the gingerbread recipe I love most, it’s much lighter. It’s this one, an 1856 recipe for “soft gingerbread”, and I’ll bet it would be exactly what you’re looking for!
MN says
Looks delicious
Anna says
It’s heavy, but tasty!
Candy says
It is the MOST delicious 😋 I’ve ever had.
Candy says
This ginger 🍞 recipe is the the very best I have ever made or had from any where.
So easy.Made 2 batches and added cinnamon and a little allspice. Just had some warm. I can’t say enough about this recipe!
Jyoti says
I question your picture on this recipe, the light Golden Brown color of your cake? that’s not the color of molasses. I made this cake and one cup of molasses with 2 cups of flour produces a very dark molasses cake. didn’t particularly enjoy the cake. a bit too heavy, stays a bit gummy. I prefer a recipe with sugar eggs and milk. won’t be making this again.
Anna says
Hi Sherri! This is my own photo of the cake I made from this recipe. I will say, it’s a photo that was taken with a camera not nearly as professional as what I now use, and does look light and washed out. Thank goodness, my photography has come a long way since then! 🙈 That said…YES, this is a a heavy, gummy cake, isn’t it? It’s not my favorite either! My goal with this project is to share the recipes I re-create, exactly as they’re written in the old 1800’s cookbooks…and some are much more enjoyable than others!
If you’re looking for an absolute winner of a gingerbread recipe, THIS is the one personally enjoy the most, and make whenever I’m craving gingerbread. I get this comment often enough about the gummy and heavy nature of this recipe from Miss Parloa’s cookbook, that I probably should put a disclaimer at the top pointing people to the recipe everyone actually LOVES, the 1856 recipe from Practical American Cookery. I’d definitely encourage you to try that one next time–it’s as wonderful as this one is underwhelming.
Hannah says
This is exactly how I found your site! My favorite gingerbread recipe is a buttermilk one that calls for both sugar and molasses. I’ve always wanted to figure out how to do one with just molasses, and still get enough of a rise. i am completely out of white and brown sugar at the moment so I was forced to go hunting! I’m so excited that I found your site! I opted for the 1856 recipe (currently in the oven – so simple!), but will try Miss Parloa’s next time!
Thank you so much!
Mariella Ribeiro says
This cake is a unique flavour, my family didn’t like it but I did. I love the he chewy texture accompanied with a nice cup of coffee
Samantha M. says
I tried this recipe last night after dinner and I liked it! I was fully prepared for the gummy, dense texture and that’s actually part of the reason I made this, because I love that kind of texture. The only thing that I wasn’t a huge fan of was how strong the taste of the molasses was, but that’s fine. I also added a teaspoon of ground cinnamon for more flavor. It didn’t really remind me of gingerbread, to be honest, but it was still good! I will make this again sometime!
Leo says
Followed the recipe and it did not come out good. Dry and raw in the middle. Cooked it longer too. Lacked flavor too.
Francine Doan says
very interesting
Eleanor Diehl says
Ok mine did not raise very much only about an inch and half ??
Marcia Maricelli Holmes says
I accidentally put a whole cup of boiling water 💧 in it. Omg. I’m cooking it anyway.🤞🏻
Anna says
It’s so easy to do! Did it come out a bit more like a pudding?
Laura C says
Excited to try this. Love the frugal simplicity. Thank you for sharing
Libby says
Good morning, I made this for breakfast with gluten free flour. So rich & delicious!
Gena Cook-Jones says
Delicious. Wasn’t very sweet but nice and chewy. Will make again. Thank you
A B says
Hello!
I attempted to make this, but was curious about molasses types. I used dark molasses, but that was the only taste that came out. I followed the recipe to the letter, and the taste was only the molasses. Do you have any recommendations for type?
Thank you!
LT says
Just made this recipe- and, it is not only simple to make- but, is very soft and good! Not too soft, not too sweet, perfectly chewy cake. Yum!
I don’t know how to put a picture here, but will on the Pinterest post that I found this on.
We will be enjoying this at Christmastime, from now on.
Thank you!
Anna says
Oh I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I’ll be honest, I don’t know how to include photos in comments from the user side, but if you want to email me your picture I can put it with your comment from this side! Thanks again for the lovely comment, and I’m wishing you a wonderful Christmas!