favorite old fashioned gingerbread cake

It was my turn to teach preschool today so I chose the book "The Gingerbread Boy".  We decorated gingerbread boy ornaments and decorated real gingerbread cakes.  This was the first gingerbread cake I've ever made.  I have to say this is a great recipe and I anticipate it will become tradition.  After baking five of these cakes I could've made another in my sleep!  Every year we like to decorate something- gingerbread houses, gingerbread boys, cookie trees, sugar cookies, etc.  It's the most wonderful time of the year!

favorite old fashioned gingerbread cake (allrecipes.com)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
1 cup molasses
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup hot water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 9-inch square pan.  In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter.  Beat in the egg and mix in the molasses.  In a bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves.  Blend into the creamed mixture.  Stir in the hot water.  Pour into the prepared pan.  Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven (it took mine 45 minutes), until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pan before serving.

P.S. I am sure that I only used 1/2 cup of molasses because I was distracted!  Nevertheless, it was perfect so I'll probably stick with that (molasses is expensive!).