Chocolate Swirled Gingerbread

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground clove

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup molasses

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and slightly cooled

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square pan. In a bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, ginger, baking powder, salt, pepper, and cloves

Melt the butter in the water in a small saucepan over medium heat, and stir mixture into the dry ingredients until smooth. Stir in molasses and egg

Pour 1 1/2 cups batter into separate bowl. Mix in melted chocolate. Pour half the ginger batter into prepared pan. Dollop with half the chocolate batter. Dollop remaining ginger batter on top, repeat with remaining chocolate batter. With a table knife or cake tester, gently swirl batter in a loose,  figure eight pattern

Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Mike’s Notes:  I reserved 1 1/2 cups of the gingerbread batter and mixed in  the melted chocolate, then “swirled” with the remaining batter. I also used a favorite bundt pan in place of a square pan.

Adapted from Everyday Food, March/April 2003