If you leave Williamsburg without a ginger cake in your hand and crumbs on your shirt, did you even really visit? They truly are the undisputed heavyweights of the local snack scene.
As Williamsburg expert Sailor Dan from SpaceATravels.com said, “A Williamsburg ginger cake isn’t just a dessert; it’s one part history, two parts ginger, and a hundred percent delicious.”
Want to try them at home?
This Colonial Williamsburg ginger cakes recipe, adopted from Raleigh Tavern Bakery, is a great place to start. Besides being wonderfully fragrant – enough to make your house smell great for days – they were also young Thomas Jefferson’s favorite cookie.
Ingredients
2½ cups all-purpose flour
⅔ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup molasses
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Confectioners’ sugar, for garnish
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and spices.
3. Mix the butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter, or your fingers, until well incorporated.
4. In a small saucepan, warm the molasses and cream over low heat so that they blend together, stirring often. Add the molasses and cream mixture to the butter mixture and mix into a dough.
5. Remove the dough from the bowl and place onto a lightly floured work surface and roll out to a ¼-inch thickness. Cut into the desired shape and place on the baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes, until firm on the edges and slightly soft in the centers.
6. Let cool slightly, then dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve.
Yield: Twenty 2-inch cookies.
Colonial Williamsburg ginger cakes recipe reprint from Tasting Table.
Read more about Williamsburg Virginia: Williamsburg Named Among Top Destinations To Visit!
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