Three-Ginger Butternut Squash Gingerbread

Ingredients

• 12 oz frozen butternut squash (Either a 10-ounce or 12-ounce package may be used; the 12-ounce amount makes a slightly denser cake. If using fresh squash, substitute 10 ounces peeled and cubed.)
• 8 tbsp unsalted butter (Melted and cooled slightly)
• 1 cup dark brown sugar (Packed)
• 2 large eggs (At room temperature if possible)
• 0.5 cup unsulfured molasses
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger (Finely grated)
• 2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 0.5 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 0.5 tsp table salt
• 0.5 cup candied ginger (Finely chopped)

Steps

1. 1

   Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment, leaving an overhang to lift out the finished gingerbread.

2. 2

   Cook the frozen butternut squash according to the package directions until tender. Drain thoroughly, allow it to cool briefly, and mash or puree until smooth. If using fresh peeled and cubed squash, cook it until tender in the same amount of time, then puree.

3. 3

   In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, molasses, and grated fresh ginger until smooth and well combined.

4. 4

   Add the squash puree to the wet mixture and whisk until evenly incorporated.

5. 5

   In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice, baking soda, and salt.

6. 6

   Add the dry ingredients to the squash mixture and fold just until no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix; the batter should be thick and evenly moistened.

7. 7

   Fold in the chopped candied ginger, distributing it throughout the batter.

8. 8

   Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the surface. Bake until the loaf is deeply browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs, about 1¼ hours. Do not remove it while the center is still wet or spongy; slight overbaking is preferable to underbaking.

9. 9

   Cool the gingerbread in the pan for about 15 minutes, then use the parchment to transfer it to a wire rack. Cool completely before slicing so the plush crumb can set.

Notes

The source states that either a 10-ounce or 12-ounce package of frozen butternut squash works; the 12-ounce package produces a slightly denser cake. Fresh squash can be substituted by using 10 ounces of peeled and cubed squash. Baking cues are important because underbaking produces a heavy, spongy crumb. The source page provides only limited public recipe information and indicates that full access requires membership; ingredients and detailed method are therefore reconstructed estimates rather than a faithful full-text extraction.

Nutrition per serving

• dessert
• baked
• quick bread
• gingerbread
• vegetarian
• winter baking
• holiday