Nicely spiced, this moist, lightened gingerbread cake is great for lunch box treats or perfectly paired with a cup of green tea.
Most of my baked goods of late have been pumpkin based and my kids are so over pumpkin! So next in line .. gingerbread! This snacking cake is mild but brings enough flavor through molasses, spices and lemon zest. My kids prefer a slight dusting of powdered sugar on top but it is delicious plain as well. Like most baked good with spices, the flavor deepens a day after you bake it.
Some gingerbread cake recipes have up to 1 cup of oil and 1 cup of sugar. We modified a typical gingerbread cake recipe to include whole-wheat pastry flour, reduced the amount of sugar and used yogurt to reduce the fat.
Yield: Makes 16 Squares
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
1-1/2 Cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cloves
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup Plain Nonfat Yogurt
1/4 Cup Canola Oil
1/2 Cup Unsulphured Molasses
Zest of 1 Lemon
2 Eggs
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and lightly coat an 8x8 inch baking pan with cooking spray.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices, then set aside.
In a medium bowl, add the yogurt, oil, molasses, eggs and lemon zest.
Beat well with an electric mixer until creamy.
Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and beat until just combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes.
Allow to cool before cutting.