Baking Gingerbread

I have a random memory of kid-dom that has been lingering with me for years. It had to have been the spring or summer entering my 6th grade year because I think the mix in the memory was from one of my mom's students. In it, my mom baked warm and delicious gingerbread on a rainy day. The memory has stayed with me in the way that memories do when they are movie like. Dark clouds, thunder rolling, sweet spices lingering in the air, and your mom making a special treat for you to share, what else could a director ask for? My mom baked, but this was different, random, and without a purpose. In that, it became all the more special. We didn't often have gingerbread (usually only at Souper Salad), so it was a special treat too.

This was the summer bucket list memory I wanted with my kids so I jumped at the chance to bake some gingerbread cake from scratch this afternoon as a light rain shower pushed through our area. The girls had a blast, helping me measure out and dump things into the mixing bowl, and smelling all the different spices that went into the cake. MacKenzie took one teeny lick of the batter and Keegan had to be peeled away from it, she enjoyed it so much. The cake was good and I would use the recipe again with some minor tweaks (a little less molasses, a touch more salt or butter). I love baking with my girls and the fact that it was waited for, but still rather spontaneous (lucky to have the ingredients on hand though) made it fun. I enjoyed sitting with them, watching the rain, and eating our cake together too.

It also helped get me further into my anticipation for fall and think a gingerbread and pumpkin cake would be amazing, as would a gingerbread and dark chocolate chip cake!