Rich Gingerbread Cakes

Ingredients

• 3.5 cups All-purpose flour, sifted (1 pound dried and sifted flour)
• 1 cup Granulated sugar (Half pound pounded loaf sugar)
• 1.5 sticks Unsalted butter, softened (Three-quarters pound fresh butter, originally washed in rose-water)
• 1.5 cups Molasses or dark treacle (1 pound treacle)
• 1 whole nutmeg, grated Ground nutmeg (About 2-3 teaspoons freshly grated)
• 0.5 teaspoon Ground mace (Weight of a nutmeg of pounded mace)
• 0.5 teaspoon Ground cinnamon (Weight of a nutmeg of pounded cinnamon)
• 1 ounce Ground ginger (About 4 tablespoons)
• 0.75 ounce Candied orange peel, finely chopped (Half of 1.5 ounces total candied peel)
• 0.75 ounce Candied lemon peel, finely chopped (Half of 1.5 ounces total candied peel)
• 0.5 ounce Blanched sweet almonds, cut into thin slivers (About 2 tablespoons)
• 2 whole Large eggs, well beaten

Instructions

1. 1Sift the flour into a large bowl. Grate the nutmeg. Finely chop the candied orange and lemon peel. Cut the blanched almonds into long thin slivers. Beat the eggs well in a small bowl.
2. 2In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter with the molasses, stirring occasionally until fully combined and smooth. Remove from heat and let cool until just warm to the touch, not hot.
3. 3Once the butter-molasses mixture is nearly cold (just warm), stir in the well-beaten eggs until fully incorporated.
4. 4To the sifted flour, add the sugar, grated nutmeg, ground mace, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, chopped candied orange peel, chopped candied lemon peel, and slivered almonds. Mix well to distribute all ingredients evenly.
5. 5Pour the butter-molasses-egg mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are well combined and form a thick, sticky dough.
6. 6Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or grease them lightly.
7. 7Using your hands or two spoons, form the dough into round cakes about 2-3 inches in diameter and place them on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
8. 8Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until the edges are set and the tops are slightly firm to the touch. The cakes should be dark brown but not burnt.
9. 9Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.