1/2 c Butter; softened 3 Eggs; well beaten
1/2 c Dark brown sugar 3 c Flour
1 c Dark molasses 1 ts Cream of tartar
1/2 c Warm milk 1 Orange; grated zest & juice
2 tb Ground ginger 1 ts Baking soda
1 1/2 ts Cinnamon 2 tb ;Warm water
1 ts Each mace and nutmeg 1 c Sultanas or seedless raisins
1/4 c Best brandy or sherry
Heat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9×13″ baking pan.
Using the electric mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar
until light. Add molasses, warm milk, spices and brandy.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs.
Sift together the flour and cream of tartar. Then add eggs and flour
alternately to the batter in the mixer bowl, with the mixer running on
appropriate speed. Add the juice and zest of the orange. Remove
beaters from batter.
Dissolve the baking soda in 2 tb. warm water and add to the batter,
stirring in by hand, making sure to blend thoroughly.
Toss the raisins in a small amount of flour and fold them into the
batter. Turn into greased pan and bake 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in
pan, then turn out on a rack to cool completely.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings.
Kluger writes: “I have adapted Mrs. Washington’s recipe to use the
electric mixer and tossed the raisins in flour to keep them from
sinking to the bottom of the pan. Obviously, other cooks have
adjusted the recipe here and there since 1784 – the leavenings are
modern, and where is the ‘wine glass of brandy’?
“When storing gingerbread, place a small piece of apple in the
container with it.”
From Mary Ball Washington, mother of George Washington. Martha
Washington also used the recipe at Mount Vernon. In Special Writer
Marilyn Kluger’s 10/21/92 “Gingerbread: When the Air is Nippy and the
Fire is Crackly, a Little Spice is Nice” article in “The (Louisville,
KY) Courier-Journal.” Pg. C8.
Yields
6 servings