Gingerbread Baby Cakes with Candied Orange Peel
Gingerbread Baby Cakes with Candied Orange Peel: Tasty, seasonal Mini Bundt Cakes with the classic gingerbread flavors that are perfect for the holidays!! With a dollop of whipped cream and homemade candied orange peel, they are a terrific Christmas dessert!
Gingerbread Baby Cakes
I probably should have studied my bottle of molasses before beginning this recipe. The ingredient list called for unsulfured molasses. I quickly ran into Whole Foods and snatched some Blackstrap molasses off the shelves along with some fresh ginger.
Little did I know the flavor was much stronger, bitter and less sweet than the Brer Rabbit Mild Molasses in my cupboard which was ALSO unsulfured. Thank goodness I made just half a batch…I know I would love these made with ordinary molasses, but I just didn’t have time for a re-do.
I did manage to eat half Mini Gingerbread Bundt Cake below. It didn’t taste half bad with a big dollop of sweetened whip cream, but I bet I’ll sing another, more positive tune, with my next attempt. If you love ginger, you’ll also enjoy my favorite Chewy Ginger Cookies!
Candied Orange Peel
I altered the recipe only by leaving out the black pepper (and using the wrong molasses!)…I was planning to send these back to the dorms with my youngest and I knew the college crowd’s palates wouldn’t appreciate the bite of pepper in their dessert. Brownies and chocolate chip cookies were more their speed.
I did whip up some candied orange peel to garnish these mini cakes. I remember my mom making her candied citrus each Christmas, but my sisters and I were not impressed. We, like my son and his friends, were holding out for something less exotic. I guess it took a couple of decades for my palate to mature, as this candied peel was excellent and such a gorgeous garnish for these baby cakes.
Candied Orange Peel Recipe
A sweet citrus treat or garnish! Adapted from Epicurious.
Ingredients
- 1 large orange, top and bottom trimmed flat (about 1/4 inch removed)
- 2 cups sugar, divided
- 1 ½ cups water
Instructions
- Cut through peel from top to bottom to make 4 equal-sized segments. Remove peel, including pith, from each quadrant. Cut each piece into ¼-inch strips.
- Cook in a pot of boiling water for 15 minutes. Drain, rinse, then rinse again.
- Bring 1 ½ cups sugar and 1 ½ cups water to a boil, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves.
- Add peel and return to a boil. Simmer for about 45 minutes till peel is soft. Drain.
- Toss peel in the remaining ½ cup sugar, separating strips.
- Transfer strips to a sheet of foil and let them stand until the coating is dry, 1-2 days.
Notes
May freeze for up to 2 months.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 205Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 3mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 1gSugar: 52gProtein: 0g
Calorie count may be skewed as it takes all the sugar syrup into consideration.
One Comment on “Gingerbread Baby Cakes with Candied Orange Peel”
Hi Lizzy, they may not have had the expected taste, but you made a masterpiece out of them!
I love your pictures and thank you so much for sharing the candied orange peel recipe.