Chocolate Gingerbread

For the Cake:

♥1 tablespoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger
♥1 tablespoon sugar
♥2 cups all-purpose flour
♥1 teaspoon baking soda
♥2 teaspoons ground ginger
♥3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
♥1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
♥1 stick plus 3 tablespoons (11 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
♥3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
♥3 large eggs
♥1/2 cup molasses (not blackstrap)
♥2 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled
♥1 cup buttermilk

To Make the Cake:
Butter a 9" square baking pan. Pyrex is perfect for this.

Put the fresh ginger and sugar in a small bowl, stir and set aside.

Whisk the flour, baking soda and spices together.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment,or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar and butter together at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each egg goes in. Don't worry if the mixture looks curdled at this stage. Pour in the molasses and beat until smooth. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the melted chocolate, along with the sugared ginger. Still on low speed, add the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the buttermilk in 2(begin and end with the dry ingredients),mixing the batter only as much as needed to blend the ingredients. Fold in the chopped chocolate and the ginger in syrup. Pour the batter into the pan.

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the cake starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Don't be concerned if the cake has domed and cracked-it will settle down as it cools. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 10 minutes, then unmold the cake. Turn right side up to cool to room temperature before slicing into 12 pieces.
Yum! ♥

~Kaitlyn