Fresh Ginger Cake
Serves 10
Recipe By: David Lebovitz
Published in: Room for Dessert
1 cup light molasses
1 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil -- preferably peanut
2 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 cup water
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 ounces fresh ginger -- peeled and grated or very finely
minced
(see note)
2 eggs at room temperature
Position rack in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9
1/2-inch springform pan with a circle of parchment paper (see note). Mix
the molasses, sugar and oil; set aside. In another bowl, sift together
the flour, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper; set aside. Bring the water
to boil in a saucepan. Stir in the baking soda; then mix the hot water
into the molasses mixture. Stir in the ginger. Gradually whisk the dry
ingredients into the batter. Add the eggs, and continue mixing until
everything is thoroughly combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan
and bake for about 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted into the center
comes out clean, or the top of the cake springs back lightly when
pressed. If the top of the cake browns too quickly before the cake is
done, drape a piece of foil over it and continue baking. Cool the cake
for at least 30 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake to
loosen it from the pan. Remove the cake from the pan and peel off the
parchment paper. Makes 10 to 12 servings.
Note: Freeze fresh ginger before grating. This makes grating easier and
eliminates the fibrous ginger "hairs." Purchase pre-cut parchment
circles for lining cake pans at Sur La Table.
Recipe Notes
One sweet-spicy dessert to stand the test of time is David Lebovitz's
ginger cake. Lebovitz was pastry chef at cult restaurant Chez Panisse in
Berkeley, Calif., for 12 years. He now lives in Paris (visit his blog at
davidlebovitz.com). His moist cake, easy to make and with the exquisite
burn of fresh ginger, deserves equal cult status. Even though the cake is
fragrant with cinnamon and cloves, it is as far from traditional
gingerbread as Hendrix is from Hayden. The added heat of peppercorns is
offset by the molasses complexity. It's the kind of cake adored both by
small children and their grandmothers. For that reason, I make it
frequently. It calms the stomach after a rich meal and revs the engines
with afternoon tea.
Best of all, the bite intensifies the longer it sits.
Shelf-stable ginger powder just won't do for this cake. You have
to use the real stuff, and it makes all the difference. That
triumvirate of holiday spices - cinnamon, cloves and ginger - won't
impart the classic aroma and flavor if the bottles have been in your
pantry for a year or so. Not sure if your spices are past their
prime? Nose around: If you have to inhale deeply to get the scent,
toss them and buy new ones.
Exported from A Cook's Books -- Recipe management for Macintosh
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