Gingerbread Baby Cakes
from Johanne Killeen -- Baking with Julia

Makes 8 small cakes. This gingerbread is spicy, robust, and bursting with the heat of ginger and black pepper. Its texture is soft and moist, its color, dark and mysterious. It looks like a sweet chocolate cake, but it delivers a punch. Wonderful with lightly whipped cream and candied lemon peel, it's a good match with ice cream of various flavors. Although the cakes are adorable made in baby cake pans, the recipe can be made successfully as one large cake.

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup instant espresso powder
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt, preferably kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 sticks (8 ounces) butter, room temperature
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 1/2 tablespoons peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger
2 cups unsulphured molasses
Melted butter, for greasing the pans
Sweetened whipped cream, for serving
Candied lemon peel (optional)

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush the insides of 8 mini- or baby cake pans, each 4 inches across and 1 inch deep, with a light coating of melted butter, dust with flour, and tap out the excess.
In a small bowl, whisk the flour, espresso powder, cocoa, ground ginger, baking powder, salt, and black pepper together just to mix; reserve.
Put the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or use a hand-held mixer, and beat on medium-high speed until the mixture is smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. The butter and sugar must be beaten until they are very light and fluffy, so don't rush it-the process can take 6 to 8 minutes with a hand-held mixer, 3 to 4 minutes with a heavy-duty mixer. Reduce the speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time, beating on high speed for 30 seconds to a minute after each addition. The mixture may look curdled, but that's OK-it will smooth out as you continue to mix the batter. Beat in the fresh ginger and add the molasses, mixing on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes, until completely smooth.
With a rubber spatula, fold in the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated.

Baking the Cakes
Divide the batter among the prepared pans and rotate the pans a couple of times to level. Bake the cakes for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cakes are springy to the touch and the tops crack. Take care not to overbake these cakes; they should remain moist.
Transfer the cakes to a rack and cool for 10 minutes, then run a thin knife around the edges of the pans to loosen and unmold the cakes. Turn the cakes over so they cool right side up.
Serve the cakes warm or at room temperature with a generous dollop of lightly whipped cream and a shower of chopped candied lemon peel if desired.

Storing
These moist cakes will keep covered at room temperature for 3 days or, wrapped airtight, can be frozen for up to a month. Thaw, still wrapped, at room temperature.