Made some modifications and found this to be excellent. First off, I eliminated the tomatoes; I'm just not wild about combining tomatoes w/soy sauce. Added 1 T. vinegar and some a few good dashes of red pepper flakes. I think this gives it a bit more authentic Asian flavor than you would get with the recipe as written - think this would be on the bland side with out the kick of the vinegar/pepper flakes, as others have noted. I also went w/one red pepper and one green to give it more visual appeal. Oh, and threw in a can of sliced water chestnuts for crunch. My husband loved it - leftovers were equally good.

Reviewed On: Dec. 12, 2008

Giving 5 stars despite some modifications. I used 1/2 c shortening plus 3 T. butter - I like my gingerbread rich. Doubled the cinnamon and ginger per other reviews. Added 1/2 tsp allspice. Baked approx 40 minutes in a 9 inch round pan (watch the bake time - the time stated on the recipe is really too long). Cut into wedges, served w/brandy sauce - excellent. Great dessert for cool weather and keeps well.

Reviewed On: Oct. 29, 2008

Texture was fine - it's just a little bland. The family's reaction was "it's okay". I took some into work as I knew they wouldn't eat more at home and I asked my coworkers for their honest opinion: same thing. "Bland". There are too many better recipes out there - this is nothing special. This is the first 5 star recipe on this site that was not a hit for me.

Reviewed On: Oct. 1, 2008