½ cup melted unrefined coconut oil or unsalted butter
2 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour*
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
3 teaspoons (1 Tablespoon) ground ginger
3 teaspoons (1 Tablespoon) ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup hot water
1 teaspoon powdered sugar for dusting (optional)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners or grease and flour an 8-inch square baking dish.
In a blender, combine the molasses, maple syrup, applesauce and coconut oil. Blend until smooth.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, sea salt and spices.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just combined. Stir in the hot water. Pour into the prepared pan.
Bake 20-25 minutes for muffins or 35-50 minutes (ovens vary wildly) for an 8-inch cake, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before serving. Sift powdered sugar over cake, if desired.
Notes
*Gluten-free version, substitute the following for the 2 ½ cups of wheat flour:
1⅞ cups brown rice flour (measure 2 cups, then take out 2 Tablespoons)
7 Tablespoons potato starch (measure ½ cup, then take out 1 Tablespoon)
2 ½ Tablespoons tapioca flour
1 ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
Recipe by Pamela Salzman at https://pamelasalzman.com/gingerbread/