Gingerbread

Recipe No. 61 from the U.S. Army’s WWII cookbook — Cakes and Cookies. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Ingredients

• Shortening — 1 pound (½ No. 56 dipper)
• Sugar, granulated — 1½ pounds (¾ No. 56 dipper)
• Eggs — 5 eggs (¼ No. 56 dipper)
• Molasses — 1¾ quarts (1¾ No. 56 dippers)
• Flour, sifted — 4½ pounds (4½ No. 56 dippers)
• Baking powder — ¾ ounce (2 mess kit spoons)
• Baking soda — 1½ ounces (2½ mess kit spoons)
• Salt — ½ ounce (1 mess kit spoon)
• Ginger — 1¼ ounces (5 mess kit spoons)
• Cinnamon — ½ ounce (2 mess kit spoons)
• Water — 1½ quarts (1½ No. 56 dippers)

Directions

Key ingredients

Baking Soda & Baking Powder · Cinnamon · Molasses

1. Stir shortening until soft and smooth.
2. Add sugar gradually; mix thoroughly.
3. Add unbeaten eggs a few at a time, beating after each addition until well mixed. Beat thoroughly at this stage to insure a light tender cake.
4. Add molasses and beat well.
5. Sift flour, baking powder, soda, salt, ginger, and cinnamon together twice.
6. Add dry ingredients and water alternately to egg and sugar mixture, first adding about ⅓ dry ingredients, then ½ water, then another ⅓ dry ingredients and remaining water and dry ingredients.
7. Mix thoroughly but avoid overmixing.
8. Place in greased sheet pans. Bake in moderate oven (350° F.) 30 to 35 minutes or until done.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Shortening — 1¼ oz Sugar, granulated — 2 oz Eggs — ⅓ eggs Molasses — 9 tbsp Flour, sifted — 5¾ oz Baking powder — about ⅓ tsp Baking soda — about ¾ tsp Salt — a pinch Ginger — about ⅔ tsp Cinnamon — a pinch Water — 7⅔ tbsp

This recipe makes two sheet pans (18 by 26 by 1 inches) or seven loaf pans (9⅞ by 4¼ by 2¾ inches) or 200 individual cakes each 3 inches in diameter.

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 61, Cakes and Cookies. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints.