Tuesdays with Dorie: Chocolate Gingerbread

I almost didn't make this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe. Heather of Sherry Trifle chose the Chocolate Gingerbread, and while it looked like a delicious dessert, I thought I was still gingered-out from the holidays.

But then, I didn't want to miss this week since I didn't make the last two recipes (Corn & Pepper Muffins and Berry Surprise Cake). I really like being in the TWD group, and I don't want to be kicked out.

You see, I've already been kicked out of one group...not a blogging or baking group, but a group a people I used to be a part of who have quite obviously not included me lately. No more invitations to happy hours or dinners for me. I was hurt as I began noticing my exclusion a couple months ago, and I even apologized for having been cranky over the holidays (they are not really a happy time for me). That didn't seem to matter; I have, apparently, been voted off the island. It's okay, though...really. I've learned to appreciate my true friends even more...the friends who don't dump me because my stress or unhappiness might ruin their good time, the friends who might even go out of their way to cheer me up.

Anyway...

I finally decided to make the gingerbread on Sunday afternoon (it made my house smell yummy!) and took it to school yesterday for my fellow teachers with hopes of brightening a cold, gloomy Monday.

NOTES:

• I used jarred minced ginger instead of fresh ginger, and I omitted the sugared ginger or Asian "stem ginger in syrup".
• The original recipe calls for a chocolate mocha icing, which I also omitted. Instead, I dusted some powdered sugar on top.