Gingerbread Cupcakes with a Caramel Glaze

The recipe for these cupcakes was taken directly from "Baking From The Heart"(2004), a collection of baking recipes complied by Michael J. Rosen. The actual cupcake recipe was provided by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock, and more specifically, Lewis' mother. This gingerbread recipe was allegedly discovered inside of an old notebook, and is approximated to be about 100 years of age. How can somebody say that there is no historical aspect to cooking? Scott Peacock's quote about this recipe's lineage pretty much summarizes everything I believe about cooking:
"Cooking is a dialogue that takes place between a person and whatever he or she is making. Between the past and the present. Between one generation and another. So even is I make a dish that isn't exactly the way you remember it tasting in your family's version, tasting and smelling my version can reconnect you with those people and that special dish, because it turns out that what we're all looking for is not so much an ideal that's taste, but an ideal that's emotional: an echo of that time when you felt secure and loved and all things were still possible."



Now what about this recipe? What did I think? The cupcakes were very moist and had a robust molasses flavor. They were definitely not what I was expecting. These cupcakes were not airy and fluffy; dense and powerful would be better words to describe the consistency. They were more spicy and gingerbready than sweet. The caramel glaze is a must because it adds an unexpected sweetness and beauty to the finished piece. I really liked these cupcakes and had a lot of fun putting them together (the caramel glaze was especially exciting to prepare). However, I would not say that everyone at the party would love these cakes. I feel like they are a product of the Great Depression, or some time in history that only relied upon the necessities. The recipe is simple, but the end product makes a resonating culinary statement. You have to be ready for these cupcakes because they do not joke around.

Gingerbread Cheesecake

I try to make interesting desserts during the holidays. This year I was torn between making cranberry-upside down cake, cranberry swirl cheesecake, French chocolate bread with honey and spices, and gingerbread cheesecake. After taking a poll, I decided to make gingerbread cheesecake, a dessert that sounded fun to bake. Boy, was a wrong! It was an overly-complicated, extremely time-consuming Martha Stewart recipe. Most of my frustration concerned the gingerbread crust. Conventional cheesecakes have a Graham cracker crust, but this Christmas cheesecake called for a gingerbread crust. I thought this was a novel idea (it made the finished cake super special). In order to make the crust, however, fresh gingerbread dough had to be prepared and baked. This was extra work, and Martha's gingerbread recipe seemed very strange. I have made gingerbread cookies with my sister for the past two years, and the process is rather simple (dough is prepared, refrigerated, rolled, cut, and baked). Martha's recipe was unlike any that I have ever seen. Her recipe required the dough to be prepared, refrigerated, rolled, frozen for 15 minutes, cut, frozen for another 15 minutes, and baked. Her cheesecake even called for a water bath, which I have never prepared for a cheesecake. I later asked some of my family members (those who have experience baking) what they thought of the recipe. It was agreed that the gingerbread recipe was odd, but the water bath was not totally unheard of for a cheesecake recipe.

The entire gingerbread cheesecake recipe was composed of way too many steps. I would have chosen a time-consuming gourmet recipe I wanted one. Despite the lack of love that was put into the cheesecake's making, the end product was delicious! The cheesecake had an unconventional gingerbread crust, no superficial cracks (thanks to the water bath), an unbelievably creamy consistency, and a spicy gingerbread-type taste. The cheesecake was a huge hit with family! I would not bake this cake again, but I definitely would eat it again!

To any bakers interested in taking on the challenge, the link for Martha Stewart's Gingerbread Cheesecake Recipe is below:

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/gingerbread-cheesecake