We’re figuring that the gentlemen at the top of this post must have lost a bet. We spotted them in Dublin on one of Ireland’s drinking holidays. Perhaps we should have spent St. Patrick’s Day this year in a similar vein, but instead we turned some of our extra Guinness into a powerful gingerbread.

We got the recipe from David Leibovitz, the Parisian blogger and all-around great pastry chef. In turn, he got it from Claudia Fleming, formerly of Gramercy Tavern in New York. It’s also in her classic cookbook, The Last Course.

This might be one of the stickiest, most effusive cake batters we’ve ever worked with. It has a tendency to climb the sides of the pan and collapse in the middle. (Be sure to put a pan beneath it to catch spills.) Yet once it’s turned out of the pan (we almost want to say ‶out of the mold″) and trimmed, it’s a beautiful, dark, slightly chewy and very spicy treat. Be sure to let the pan cool before turning it out. It’s great with a fruit compote, a little vanilla scented whipped cream, or just a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

CLAUDIA FLEMING’S STOUT GINGERBREAD

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup stout, such as Guinness
  1 cup light molasses
  1/2 tablespoon baking soda
• 280g (2 cups) flour
  2 tablespoons ground ginger
  1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, preferably aluminum free
  3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  1/8 teaspoon cardamom seeds freshly ground in mortar and pestle
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
  100g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
  90g (1/2 cup) packed dark brown sugar
  180ml (3/4 cup) neutral-flavored vegetable or grapeseed oil
• 1 tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
  
  

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan, then line bottom and sides with parchment paper or wax paper. Grease lining well.

Add stout and molasses to large saucepan (we use a high-sided 10 inch skillet). Bring to a boil and turn off heat. Stir in baking soda. Set pan aside to cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, ground ginger, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cardamom.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the granulated and brown sugars until smooth. Whisk in the oil.Whisk the cooled molasses/stout mixture into the eggs. Then gradually whisk in the dry ingredients. Stir in one direction to avoid lumps. Stir in the grated fresh ginger.

Pour batter in the prepared pan, filling it three-quarters full. (Some batter will be left. Put it in cupcake tins for an extra treat.) Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out relatively clean, 50 minutes to 1 hour.