Gingerbread Snacking Cake

I've been trying to figure some stuff out.

What are my post-graduation plans?  What does it mean to be friends with somebody?  How does one find a good, God-focused church? What is behind the mysterious bonding process that allows some people to just "click" and others to merely nod and walk away?

What does "peace" on the Korean peninsula look like? Will peplum still be a trend next year? Is it an obdurate effort that keeps you in love with someone for many years after you've fallen in love with them? How do I get my mom to stop freaking out about my (lack of a) love life? Which brand sells a good BB cream? Do I even need BB cream? Should I set aside a year to travel, learning Spanish and taking pictures of baguettes in Paris and drinking tea in Hong Kong...get away from everything here?

....and on and on and on and on. You get the gist.

As I'm baking I tend to shut out the outside world. I retreat into my mental space where I pull and twist and tug on all these ideas inside my head...or sometimes I don't think about anything at all.

My 20s is turning out to be topsy-turvy and all of crazy and complicated and messy and unpredictable. Just like everyone else's 20s, I suppose.

I'm just mixing cake batter and sprinkling powdered sugar and seeing where it all goes.

I'll put up with few sticky cakes...and this one's one of them.

This cake clings to your fingers and it's messy trying to eat these with fine white sugar falling everywhere. But you likely won't mind at all. These cakes are also some of the moistest cakes ever, with a deep ginger flavor and the sweetness of brown sugar and molasses and honey combined.

As for the heart design, you just cut out a template and use the two papers alternatively over the cakes. A handheld strainer works wonders for sprinkling confectioners' sugar on top.

I brought these to a small gathering and they were an absolute hit.

Overall, a very good cake for eating and for overthinking about things in life.

Gingerbread Snacking Cake

Ingredients:

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar
• 1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
• 1/4 cup dark corn syrup
• 1/2 cup clover honey
• 2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch cake pan with a cooking spray; set aside. 
2. In a bowl, combine boiling water and baking soda; set aside. 
3. In a large bowl, sift together the flours, ground spices, salt, and baking powder; set aside.
4. In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter until light. Beat in brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in molasses, corn syrup, honey, baking-soda mixture, and lastly, the flour mixture. Beat in eggs.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan; bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Cut into squares; dust with confectioners' sugar.

Adapted from Martha Stewart