TWD: Gingerbread Baby Cakes

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie challenge featured a recipe for a spicy, robust gingerbread cake batter that is baked into tiny baby cakes.  I did not have the specified pan, so I just used a couple 1-cup ramekins to make small, thick cakes.  The recipe was a breeze to put together and featured a lot of ingredients that I normally do not add to my gingerbread batter, including chopped fresh ginger (in addition to ground) and a hefty dose of black pepper.  I loved the fact that the batter also had a fair amount of espresso powder to amp up the cocoa notes in the final cake.

Since I used a different pan then recommended  my cakes ended up baking for around 45 minutes before the tops were spongy enough to spring back when lightly touched.  I tested a little corner of the baby cake I chose to photograph (I could not resist and totally cut into it before prepping it for the photo shoot).  The cakes are wonderfully spicy with just the perfect amount of sweetness.  I honestly love the black pepper in the recipe - it really helps amp up the kick from the ginger!  For the pictures, I chose to make a quick glaze to pour over the top of a sample cake, partially to contrast the dark color but really just to cover up the spot where I bit into the cake. However, I definitely plan on serving these tonight with some cinnamon ice cream.  I can't wait for the hubby to try these since he's a fan of all things gingerbread.

If you would like to give this cake a whirl for one of your Christmas gatherings, please head over to Karen's Blog.  She is our host for this week and has the complete recipe posted!