Amish Friendship Gingerbread

A little less sweet--a little more spicy! My Christmas use for Amish Friendship Bread starter! You can add a quarter to half cup of sugar with the dry ingredients if you have a sweet tooth, but I really prefer it with just the molasses.

• Ready In: 21 mins
• Serves: 6-8
• Yields: 1 loaf

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup  amish starter
• 1  egg
• 1⁄4 cup  oil
• 1⁄4 cup applesauce (I use natural unsweetened)
• 1⁄4 cup milk or 1⁄4 cup  cream
• 1⁄4 teaspoon vanilla
• 3  tablespoons molasses
• 1  cup flour
• 3⁄4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1  teaspoon cinnamon
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ginger
• 1⁄4 teaspoon clove
• 1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 (4 ounce) box instant butterscotch pudding mix
• 1⁄4-1⁄2 cup  candied orange peel (optional)
• 1⁄4 cup  fairly thin  cream cheese frosting

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Combine wet ingredients: starter, egg, oil, applesauce, milk or cream, vanilla, and molasses. Stir well.
3. Combine dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, spices, and pudding mix in a separate bowl. Whisk until well-combined.
4. Add dry mix gradually to wet mix, and stir until barely combined. Stir in candied peel if using.
5. Spread in greased loaf pan.
6. Bake (at 325 degrees) approximately one hour. Check it at fifty minutes to determine baking time for your oven!
7. Remove from oven and cool on a rack. When BARELY warm to the touch, spread cream cheese frosting over top of loaf. I like runny, glazey, drippy frosting--if you like it thicker, you'll need more frosting and a light hand to keep from tearing pieces off the top of this tender loaf!