I do not visit Starbucks very often — and when I do, I am engulfed with waves of corporate shame. But every autumn, I make an annual pilgrimage to my local Starbuckery. The reason? Gingerbread. Plain & simple.

For those of you who are blissfully unaware of Starbucks’ unique brand of gingerbread, allow me to extrapolate: it is a dense, moist confection — a deep mahogany hue — slathered with snowy cream cheese icing and topped with crystalized ginger. It is so good, they sell it not only by the slice, but by the loaf. Starbucks knows what is up.

This afternoon, I attempted to recreate my beloved Starbucks gingerbread using this recipe from Recipe Secrets. I used brown sugar (not white) and fresh ginger (not dry). I also substituted a circular Bundt pan for the traditional loaf pan. But otherwise, I stayed true to form.

I haven’t sampled my creation yet, but I will post a comment tomorrow with an unbiased review. Sure looks purdy, though, don’t it?

(Photo by Alexandra Franzen)