While I was in college and for a couple years after while I was working, I lived at home with my parents. Often on Saturdays, my mom and older brother and I would meet up for lunch, a lot of times at a nearby soup-and-salad buffet (all-you-can-eat is less evil when it's salad, right?). The restaurant had this gingerbread sheet cake that I loved. Granted, it was probably made from a mix, but it was moist, only slightly spicy and always warm like it was straight from the oven. Paired with non-fat vanilla frozen yogurt and a drizzle of chocolate sauce, it was my favorite treat.
When I saw Sherry Trifle's TWD pick this week, I was excited. The picture in the book looked similar to my beloved treat, with chocolate chunks and chocolate frosting (which makes everything even better). I loaned my 9" square baking dish out and haven't gotten it back yet, so I halved the recipe and made muffins.
I'm embarassed to admit that I had to leave out the fresh ginger. I bought a small piece at the store last weekend, but it must've been too small because after reminding the bagger to put it in my grocery bags, I think I must've accidentally thrown it away with the bags because it was no where to be found. I increased the amount of ground ginger to compensate. I used dark chocolate chunks in the muffins and for the frosting.
While I did think these were tasty, they needed the frosting. I tried a piece plain and it was way too spicy for me. I liked how the chocolate mellows the spice out; it's a good combination. I may have overbaked them a little. As she says in the recipe, Dorie recommends trimming the crunchy portions. Since I had muffins, if I trimmed the crunchy portions, I would've been left with muffin holes. But they were still good, I would make them again. Head to Sherry Trifle for the recipe!
