Karen De La Vega

“The molasses flood was such a sad story. But I wanted to end this book with some sweetness — a recipe for gingerbread cake. This is a delicious treat made with molasses. Kids like Carmen would have eaten gingerbread back in 1919. My four kids love it — and I think you might, too. Ingredients Butter or oil and flour for dusting the cake pan ½ cup unsalted butter ½ cup light brown sugar 1 cup molasses 1 large egg 2½ cups all-purpose flour 1½ teaspoons baking soda 2 teaspoons ground ginger 1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground cloves 1 cup boiling water* Directions Ask an adult to help you preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9x9-inch cake pan: Grease the inside with butter or oil. Sprinkle on some flour. Tilt the pan so the flour sticks to the grease. Shake out any extra flour. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until light and creamy. Add the molasses and egg and mix until smooth. Add the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves and mix until smooth. Ask an adult to help you carefully add the boiling water and mix until smooth. Pour the batter into your prepared pan. Ask an adult to help you put the pan in the oven. Bake 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out without any crumbs on it. Ask an adult to help you take the cake out of the oven. Allow the cake to cool before cutting it into squares.”
― Karen De La Vega, I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919: The Graphic Novel