3/6/09

ginger & praline spice loaf



Recently one of my baker friends gave me a tub of pralines. A 5 pound tub! You can imagine how happy I was--oh the possibilities and non-stop munchies. HA!
Besides eat them non-stop, I have praline cookies on the list, but I wanted something a little more creative. Plus there have been a lot of homemade baked breads surfacing around food-bloggerland, has anyone else noticed this? My last bread creation was such a hit, I was inspired to try another creation. My latest creation is all about ginger cake with pralines mixed in. And ginger and pralines actually work together very nicely.


A slice of this loaf/bread the next morning with a good heaping of cream cheese on it is heavenly! Heavenly I tell you!

ginger & praline spice loaf
semi-adapted from Gale Gand
print recipe

For the cake:
8 TB (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
¾ cup sugar
½ cup dark molasses (not blackstrap)
1 cup hot water
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ts baking soda
½ ts salt
1 ts ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup finely chopped candied ginger
¼ cup ground of pralines

For the topping:
½ cup ground up pralines

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and lightly flour two 8 inch loaf pans or 1 9-inch loaf pan or a 10-inch cake pan.
In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), combine the melted butter, egg, and sugar. Add the molasses and water and mix. In another bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, and cinnamon together. Working in batches, mixing after each addition add the dry ingredients to the molasses mixture. Mix until smooth. Then fold in the chopped candied ginger and chopped up pralines.
Pour into the prepared pan and bake in the center of the oven for about 15 minutes, then sprinkle on the ground up pralines for the topping and bake another 15 – 20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to completely cool.

47 comments:

  1. Sounds really wonderful - I love the ginger flavor!

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  2. Score on all those pralines - perfect for the loaf!!

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  3. Wow Dawn! The first thing I thought about when I saw that loaf was your crumb cake, which is still on my long running to bake list. I think it's so cool that this loaf is made with water. I always love your creations!

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  4. Amazing, Dawn, just amazing! You are a genius! Pralines in a delicious homemade bread. Where can I sign up?! This sounds amazing. I'm so in love with pralines. The idea of adding them to other baked goods that I love is just out of this world.

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  5. Oh, how I adore pralines. This looks so damn good. Can you make us some praline & cream ice cream next? That's my fav. ;)

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  6. ooh...pralines!! love the combo of ginger and praline, that looks so good!!

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  7. I wish I was your neighbor and could get a piece. Looks so yummy.

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  8. I would have a slice with cream cheese definitely :) And the Cranberry website is beautiful!

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  9. Now that looks like it would be perfect with a cup of tea!

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  10. Gorgeous! Makes me wish I was a Southern girl...

    Cheers,

    *Heather*

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  11. Yummm, that's some good crumbly bread right there. Havr you thought about going into business with your friend?

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  12. That seriously sounds so delicious I am just floored by it. Picking up my jaw from the floor!

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  13. Dawn, what a wonderful creation!!! MMMMM......Can I have 1 or 2 pieces now???MMMM

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  14. Oh wow, I love this kind of thing! I can only imagine it is great with cream cheese, I totally need to make it.

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  15. Not a huge fan of ginger, but I'm fromt he south and pralines are a fave!

    You should make pralines n' cream ice cream!

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  16. What a deliciously paired combo. And I bet the coolness of the cream cheese is fantastic with the ginger flavor.

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  17. OH yum - that sounds fantastic!!!

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  18. Oh! The cream cheese! We're excited now. We were thinking, 'Yeah, this would be awesome with butter!'. But no. It's the cream cheese. Yum.

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  19. Wow, this looks amazing! What a great way to use pralines - not that I have any trouble eating them plain :)

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  20. mmmm. that sounds just amazingly delicious! i could definitely go for a slice (or a few) right now!

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  21. Sounds like a delicious combination - I love the addition of the crystalized ginger!

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  22. Mmm, this sounds perfect. I'm definitely saving this recipe!

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  23. Oh, awesome. That heavenly cake is a good start. Make praline truffles and coat 'em in chocolate-- total weakness of mine :)

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  24. Yum. I haven't baked with pralines but I love them. this spice loaf looks like my kind of treat - delicious.

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  25. Pralines and ginger sounds gorgeous Dawn.

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  26. you never cease to amaze me

    Kelly Turner
    www.everygymsnightmare.com

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  27. Oh wow, this sounds so delicious!

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  28. Love your idea of having it with cream cheese the morning after. Any chance of a recipe for a praline sauce?

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  29. Nice spice cake! I really like the use of the candied ginger!

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  30. yummy, dawn--it looks properly crumbly and yet still melt-in-your-mouth moist. very nice!

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  31. I also want a tun of pralines! I love it and paired with ginger, hooray dawn! And loafs are so good and conforting. I'm having a rope day, feeling so-so, I need a slice. Pleaseeeeeeeee. I'll trade it for some shortbread!

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  32. Being a ginger fanatic, I'm in love with this loaf.

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  33. Looking good as usual, Dawn! I would love a slice of this with some coffee!

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  34. This looks show stoppingly delicious. Really. I love ginger in cakes, I have got to try this. I do so enjoy your blog.

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  35. Awesome pictures! You always come up with the most delicious sounding combinations. Thanks for the recipe Dawn!

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  36. Yep..I am for real not your friend anymore. I want to come live in your creative brain for just 10 minutes!

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  37. Lucky you!! The loaf looks terrific! I can't wait to see what else you create with the pralines!

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  38. ok, you bring the warm yummy goodness to put under the buttermilk strawberry gelato, and we'll be in heaven :)

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  39. This looks so delicious! Ginger is my absolute favorite flavor, and I bet it's incredible with the pralines!

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  40. Oh my god, I just spent like 10 whole seconds just STARING at the first picture. The loaf is sooooo gorgeous!

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  41. I too live on cape cod--soooo nice to find a food blog from home! i want to make the sauerkraut relish--yum.

    thank you,
    leigh wt

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  42. I usually come here and see your blog which is really fantastic. the photos and the recipes are very good. Now i have a blog in english to show something more about portuguese cuisine which is very good but very unknown.
    cheers,
    Amélia

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  43. Your larger than life photos aren't making it any easier for me....yes I want a slab this size.

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  44. Dawn your are so lucky! The things you can make with the pralines. This is one piece of eye candy here too.

    I like the new pic!

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  45. Yum! I would lose an hour of my day making sure I got every last crumb of this. You should use some of the pralines to coat a ham or some white fish, or scallops. Seriously, I'd probably eat anything rolled in pralines.

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