THE LATE MARY ENGELBREIT'S APPLE CIDER GINGERBREAD

As the title suggests, this is a recipe I got from a Mary Engelbreit book in 1998.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup apple cider (or apple juice)
1/3 cup oil
1/4 cup molasses
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp minced crystallized ginger

Lemon Sauce:
1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Into an 8-inch round cake pan, sift together the flour, sugar, ground ginger, and baking soda. Make a well in the center of the mixture and add the cider, oil, molasses, vinegar, and crystallized ginger. With a fork, stir just until the batter is smooth.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer cake to a wire rack.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla; refrigerate.

Cut the warm gingerbread into wedges and serve accompanied by the lemon sauce.

Yield: 8 servings