12 servings

Hands on: 30 minutes Total time: 1 hour

Photo: Becky Stein/Special Styling: Meridith Ford/AJC (ENLARGE)
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This moist sheet cake can be sprinkled with confectioners' sugar for a simple treat or topped with butterscotch sauce and vanilla ice cream for something a bit more decadent.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1 1/4 cups (packed) light brown sugar

2 eggs

3/4 cup molasses

1 teaspoon instant regular or decaffeinated coffee granules

1 1/2 cups warm water

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Butterscotch Sauce (optional)

2/3 cup heavy cream

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar

1/3 cup light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan.

In a bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cloves together and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, eggs and molasses thoroughly with an electric mixer on low speed. Dissolve the instant coffee in the warm water. Gently stir the baking soda into the coffee. Add the flour mixture and the coffee alternately to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl after the last addition of flour to incorporate all the flour. The batter will be thin.

Pour the batter into the pan. Bake for 30 minutes. To test for doneness, gently press your fingers on the middle of the cake. It should feel firm. If so, insert a toothpick in the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done. Cool the cake in the baking pan on a wire cooling rack.

Prepare the butterscotch sauce: In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, butter, dark brown sugar and corn syrup. Cook over low heat until the butter and sugar are melted, stirring occasionally. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the sauce to a boil. Stirring constantly, boil the sauce for 1 minute. Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in vanilla. - Adapted by Jeanne Besser from "Bake and Freeze Desserts" by Elinor Klivans (Morrow ).

Per serving, without sauce: 287 calories (percent of calories from fat, 27), 4 grams protein, 49 grams carbohydrates, 247 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber, 9 grams total fat (5 grams saturated), 247 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber.

Per serving of sauce: 192 calories (percent of calories from fat, 48), trace protein, 25 grams carbohydrates, no fiber, 11 grams fat (7 grams saturated), 34 milligrams cholesterol, 24 milligrams sodium.