Gingerbread | fluffy, spicy, molasses-y Christmas loaf

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**RECIPE, MAKES ONE LOAF **

(Based on an old Joy of Cooking recipe)

1 cup (237 mL) milk or water
1/2 cup (118 mL) mollasses
1/2 cup (118 mL) honey
1/2 cup (one stick, 113g) butter
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
1 egg
2 1/2 cups (300g) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt (maybe 3/4 if using unsalted butter)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons ground ginger (use half if you don't want it very spicy)
a little finely-ground black pepper

Get your oven heating to 350ºF/180ºC. Prepare a 5x9 in (13x23 cm) loaf pan (or really any mid-size cake pan) by either greasing the inside or lining it with a parchment sling.

Pour the milk/water into a microwave-safe measuring jug, along with the molasses and honey. Drop in the butter in chunks. Microwave until the butter chunks are halfway melted, stir, and let them keep melting while you measure out the dry ingredients.

Put the flour in a mixing bowl along with the salt, baking powder and spices. Whisk to combine and fluff up the flour.

The butter should be melted now — put the sugar in with the wet ingredients along with the egg and stir until smooth. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and whisk until just smooth.

Pour into the cake pan and bake for about an hour until done inside. The top usually looks a hair raw when the inside is perfect.