American Gingerbread

Ingredients

• 1 pound Wheat flour (all-purpose) (Approx. 3 1/3 cups.)
• 1 pound Butter (Approx. 2 cups.)
• 1 pound Sugar (Quantity estimated based on standard pound cake ratios (text lists 'Sugar' without specific weight).)
• 1/2 cup Jaggery or Molasses (Originally 'a little jaggery' (seje gol). Used for color and flavor.)
• 1/4 pound Dried currants (Approx. 3/4 cup.)
• 1/4 pound Black raisins (Approx. 3/4 cup. Seedless.)
• 1/4 pound Candied orange peel (Originally 'Vilati orange murabba pieces'. Approx. 1/2 cup.)
• 2 tablespoons Dry ginger powder (Originally '2 tolas'.)
• 2 teaspoons Nutmeg (Freshly ground. Originally '2 tolas' (likely meant 2 whole nutmegs or a smaller weight, adjusted for modern palate).)
• 1 teaspoon Baking soda (Originally 'soda bi-carb'.)
• 9 large Eggs
• 1 cup Milk (Originally 'paser' (approx 250ml).)
• 2 lemons Lemon zest (Finely chopped peel.)
• 1 tablespoon Butter (for greasing) (As needed.)

Instructions

1. 1Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C). Grease a large cake tin or mold with butter. Clean and wash the currants and dry them thoroughly. Wash, wipe, and dry the black raisins, remove any seeds, and chop them finely. Pound the nutmeg. Finely chop the candied orange peel.
2. 2Crush the jaggery (or molasses) and remove any impurities. Place it in a saucepan and melt it over low heat. Once melted, remove from heat and stir in the butter until fully combined and melted. Let it cool slightly.
3. 3In a large bowl, break the eggs and beat them thoroughly with a fork or whisk. Add the cooled jaggery-butter mixture to the eggs and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, sugar, ginger powder, nutmeg, prepared fruits, and lemon zest. Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until well combined.
4. 4Dissolve the baking soda in the milk, then stir this into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin, leaving about one finger's width of space at the top for rising. Bake in the preheated slow oven (325°F/165°C) for about 1.5 hours, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.