High Altitude Baking - Gingerbread
As I prepare to teach agriculture and livelihood classes, I've been practicing baking cakes at an elevation of 7000 feet. I want to make sure that the recipes I share with people will work at this altitude. Also, I want to make sure I can bake for myself and make other people happy by sharing the things I bake with them (I like being able to make a cake and share it with other people so it is gone in one day and then I can make something else the next day!)
Check out my fancy oven! I appreciate the oven thermometer; having to adjust the temperature to bake at a different elevation makes me care more about baking at an accurate temperature.
Also, I used this cool silicone pan that my parents let me bring to Kenya from the US.
I got the book "High Altitude Baking" before coming to Kenya in preparation for living in this new place. The recipe comes from that book. It had allspice in the recipe, but I don't have that spice, so I left it out and increased the amount of cinnamon. As far as I could tell, it didn't make the cake any less enjoyable to eat. Here's the recipe adjusted for 6,500-8,500 feet.
2 1/3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. vegetable oil
2 eggs
3/4 c. molasses
2/3 c. water
Mix together all the dry ingredients. Then, beat in the wet ingredients until everything is well combined. Bake at 375F for 45-48 minutes in a 9x9 inch pan or a 9 inch round pan.
Look how pretty it is! I know it's a little overdone there on the bottom, but the people I shared it with didn't mind. It wasn't noticeable to me when I tasted it either.
Check out my fancy oven! I appreciate the oven thermometer; having to adjust the temperature to bake at a different elevation makes me care more about baking at an accurate temperature.
Also, I used this cool silicone pan that my parents let me bring to Kenya from the US.
I got the book "High Altitude Baking" before coming to Kenya in preparation for living in this new place. The recipe comes from that book. It had allspice in the recipe, but I don't have that spice, so I left it out and increased the amount of cinnamon. As far as I could tell, it didn't make the cake any less enjoyable to eat. Here's the recipe adjusted for 6,500-8,500 feet.
2 1/3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. vegetable oil
2 eggs
3/4 c. molasses
2/3 c. water
Mix together all the dry ingredients. Then, beat in the wet ingredients until everything is well combined. Bake at 375F for 45-48 minutes in a 9x9 inch pan or a 9 inch round pan.
Look how pretty it is! I know it's a little overdone there on the bottom, but the people I shared it with didn't mind. It wasn't noticeable to me when I tasted it either.
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