Gingerbread Cake Bars

Some flavors such as peppermint and gingerbread have a distinct Christmas-y mood. The holiday season is saturated in everything peppermint flavored that sometimes I feel like I am living inside a candy cane for the month of December  However, gingerbread is one of my personal favorites and even though it is the end of January I am not sick of it. Yet.

Gingerbread has a distinct spicy flavor that is perfectly heavy and comforting in the deep dark days of winter. Every year Trader Joe's brings back their gingerbread cake mix and every year I stock my shelves. It is very rare to see me succumb to the "rookie" realm of mix baked goods but living in a dorm kitchen and with a college student has caused me to abandon my pride. This does not mean that my creativity must suffer the same fate.

I have come to see mixes as more of a secret weapon, like having a dutiful baking intern to do the dirty work of measuring and mixing. They leave me more time to work on fillings and frostings, which are also easier for my current situation. And the time spent washing bowls and measuring spoons is significantly shorter. 

 For this recipe I was inspired by my favorite treat at the Christkrindlmarket in Chicago. I left the cake base alone, but added my own glaze for the filling/top. The glaze is super easy; simply mix powdered sugar, milk and BAM. Sugary goodness has been created. Normally I add vanilla extract for flavor but since oranges are deliciously in season right now and orange-ginger is a classic combo, I added fresh orange juice.

I followed the directions on the box, but placed the mix in a larger pan than they suggested and decreased the cooking time. This created a very thin, moist cake. If you wanted more bars, you could make two boxes this way, but I am trying to be somewhat healthy this year so I restrained. Once the cake has cooled cover the whole pan with a layer of glaze. Let the glaze harden a few minutes and cut into even squares. If you make two cakes, simply layer one on top of the other. Finish with another generous topping of glaze

These soft bars are perfect for an afternoon snack with a hot cup of coffee and travel well, so bring some for a friend ;)