Fresh Ginger Cake - Episode Two

At the end of yesterday's episode, our heroine was confronted with a smoky disaster as the Ginger Cake spilled onto the oven coils and began to burn! If only The Professor was at hand - he'd know the best solution. Feeling less cheery than Mary Ann, and certainly less glamorous than Ginger, (in fact, actually feeling like the bumbling Gilligan), our baker bravely opened the oven door, used a fish spatula to lift the cake pan and slid a cookie sheet underneath. Then using the fish spatula, with its long made-for-the-grill handle, she pushed the batter off the coils and scooped up as much as she could. Hooray! The smoking ceased and, although the batter continued to overflow, the cake cooked and was really quite yummy.

Another happy ending!

So, that's what happened to me this weekend when I made this fabulous Fresh Ginger Cake. A friend gave me this recipe several years ago and she doubles it and bakes it in a tube pan. The first time I made this, I used two 9" pans and the cakes were good, but a bit flat. Since then I've made it twice and tried different pans and this time thought I'd try one 9" pan - the batter only filled the pan half-way so I thought it would be perfect. Boy was I wrong! Anyway, the cake was still delish - very moist and slightly chewy - a perfect combination of cake and gingerbread.

If you'd like to try it, here's the recipe. You're on your own deciding what size pan . . .

Fresh Ginger Cake

• 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour (if using all-purpose, add 1 t. baking powder and 1/4 t. salt)

• 1 large egg, room temperature & lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup light molasses
• 1/4 cup dark corn syrup
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 ounces (one stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger (no need to thaw before grating if frozen)

Preheat oven to 350.

Grease and flour baking pan(s)

Stir together molasses, corn syrup, and water in small bowl. Set aside. Cream butter on medium speed until fluffy. Add sugar and cream for 2-3 minutes until mixture is lighter in color and fluffy. Add the egg and cream another 1-2 minutes. Remove bowl from mixer (if using stand mixer).

Scrape down sides and stir in ginger and lemon zest. With spatula, add 1/4 flour and stir to mix. Then add 1/3 molasses mixture and stir to mix. Repeat, alternating dry and liquid ingredients. Pour into pans and bake for 35 - 37 minutes or until sides begin to contract. (If using a 9" pan, allow ten extra minutes for smoke to clear and emergency oven scraping!)

Cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Remove and cool completely.

Garnish with powdered sugar. Optionally you can serve with candied ginger and whipped cream (1 cup heavy cream, 3 T. powdered sugar, 1 t. ground ginger). Yum!!

And remember, don't eat too much or you won't be ready for your early summer swimsuit photos.

Thanks for sharing my cooking adventures. What's going on in your kitchen this week?