Gingerbread Cake with Fresh Whipped Cream

I love Daily Candy and find a lot of fun, seasonal recipes on their website...including this one for "Grandmother's Soft Gingerbread Cake."  It's not too sweet and incredibly moist.  The fresh whipped cream and ground nutmeg give a light, airy and sharp flavor.  I made this for football and wings party and it was a big hit.  The leftovers are also great with a cup of coffee for brunch.

Ingredients:
For the Cake
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark molasses
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 cup boiling water

For the Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy cream
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Freshly grated nutmeg

Directions:

For the Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter and lightly flour a 9-inch-round springform pan.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cloves, ginger and cinnamon.

In a mixing bowl with electric beaters (or by hand with a whisk), beat together the sugar, molasses, oil, and eggs until well blended and smooth, 1-2 minutes.

Add the dry ingredients and mix until just blended, scraping the bowl once or twice.

Add the boiling water and beat until smooth.  The batter should be thin.  Don't overmix or the cake will be tough.

Pour batter into the prepared pan and place on a baking sheet to catch drips.

Bake in the center of the oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 50-55 minutes.

Let cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes before removing the pan sides.

For the Whipped Cream

In a mixing bowl, with electric beaters (or by hand with a whisk...if you really want to work on your arm strength), whip together the cream, sugar, and vanilla until soft peaks form.

Cut the cake into wedges.  Transfer to dessert plates and put a dollop of whipped cream and a few sprinkles of nutmeg on top.

Dig in!!