• Recipes
• Pastry
• Bread
• Potted parkin (gingerbread with a creamy crème fraîche frosting)

One winter when my kids were small, I made gingerbread nearly every week. Come Thursday afternoon, I'd haul out the spices and Laurie Colwin's delightful book, Home Cooking, and whip up a batch. Although I'd never had gingerbread as a child, I had grown up with my mother's honey cake, with its mellow hints of orange and spice. Both treats are part of the same family of spiced and honeyed baked goods popular from Britain to Scandinavia to Germany. <br /> <br />This cake is partly based on Colwin's gingerbread, partly on my mother's orange-scented cake. I added crystallized ginger, and substituted an oatmeal stout for the liquids. The cake improves in flavor after a day, at which point it wants a rich and creamy finish. I recommend this tangy blend of cream cheese and crème fraîche. It's soft and flowy and contrasts nicely with the dark cake. Spread it on the entire cake or on individual portions, letting it billow gently over the edges. <br /> <br /> <br />

Oct. 1, 2021, 11:50 a.m.

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