Fresh Ginger and Chocolate Gingerbread

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was selected by Heather of Sherry Trifle. This dessert lead to an argument between my coworkers and I over what defines a brownie versus a cake. We've now established the lines after much time spent scanning the internet, and came to the conclusion that this is a cake-brownie mix. Its fluffiness and gingerbread flavor definitely indicate cake, while the dense chocolate flavor favor brownie. Regardless, it's a delicious treat.

This was my first time buying stem ginger. I was worried it would end up overpowering the flavor of the chocolate, or that large chunks would turn up through different bites and ruin the effect, but the gingerbread evenly distributed everything. I tried mincing the ginger, but gave up on it after a few minutes and just ground it in a food processor. Much faster, and I just scooped out the tablespoons necessary.

I thought making gingerbread from scratch would be a much more daunting excursion for some reason, but this recipe turned out to be fairly easy. And now that I have a bunch of ginger stashed in the freezer, I'm sure I'll find some reason to make more gingerbread goodies in the coming months.

Recipe: Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan, p. 212