Want to serve your favorite restaurant's cake recipe during the holidays without having to leave the comfort of your own home? Secret Recipes reveals lots of your favorite top secret recipes from your local hangouts.

Old Fashioned Gingerbread

Christmas time brings the aroma of Old Fashioned Gingerbread to my kitchen. Whether its to make gingerbread houses, men or some other type of cookies. I can still smell gingerbread baking in my Mamaw Bernice's kitchen. It would drift upstairs early in the morning and I knew instantly that she was preparing one of my favorite recipes. My feet were in my slippers and on their way downstairs because I knew that I would be having a deliciously warm slice for breakfast. And the taste of warm Old Fashioned Gingerbread in the morning just made my day.

Line bottom of 9x9x2 inch pan with waxed paper and grease paper and sides of pan. Start oven 10 minutes before baking; set to 350° F.

Mix flour with ginger, cinnamon, ground cloves, nutmeg, salt and baking powder together until well blended. Beat eggs then add sugar, molasses and shortening until mxture is very creamy. Stir in flour mixture in 2 portions until well mixed. Add soda dissolved in boiling water and beat until smooth.

Pour into prepared pan. Bake 35 minutes or until cake test done. Cool in pan on rack 5 minutes, then turn out on rack, strip off paper and quickly invert. Serve warm, plain or with whipped cream into which is folded half as much sweetened stiff tart apple sauce.

1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
2 c. boiling water
4 tbsp. butter
2 tsp. vanilla extract
dash of nutmeg

Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in pan.

Simmer over low heat until clear and thickened, continue stirring.

Serve over hot over gingerbread. Reheat leftovers before serving.