Hello all!
Hope you are enjoying this holiday season and are gearing up to usher in the New Year with friends and family. I wish you all the best this coming year.
O.K, this blog entry is short and sweet.
Over Christmas I was given the task of making three items for a very non-traditional Christmas dinner at my “in-laws” house. The dinner itself was chicken goulash, lentil dal, baked salmon, etc. Not a turkey or spiral ham in site :(!
So I made the dessert and it was going to be as close to traditional as possible, dammit. I found a lovely gingerbread cake recipe that was hit with everyone. It is so moist. The aroma of it wafting through the house as it baked was incredibly warm and wonderful. Most gingerbread cakes are dry but this one is not, thanks to the use of oil, not butter in the batter. It was still heavenly after three days! The recipe is courtesy of Claudia Fleming, Pastry Chef extraordinaire from the States.
Very easy to make, it takes less than 10 minutes to assemble, and only 50 minutes to bake. And honestly, coming from a NON-BAKER, this cake could not be simpler. Dark and fragrant. I used one large round cake pan, but you could use two loaf pans and freeze one of the cakes. If you decide to use a bundt pan, spray it WELL with non-stick spray, then flour, then spray once more. I used a round spring form, false bottomed cheesecake pan, it worked like a charm.
I did make some changes due to lack of ingredients. I used a dark ale in place of the Guinness. I imagine the cake would be even more delicious had I used the Guinness. I also omitted the cardamom seeds since I didn’t have any, and it was still pretty damn good. I only used a 1/4 cup brown sugar because I thought the cake may be too sweet. It was perfect with that adjustment. So that option is there if you so desire. Do not be alarmed if the batter looks liquidy once completely combined together, it quickly thickens up once given a moment to settle in the pan.
And now without further ado:
Guinness Gingerbread Cake
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan, line the bottom and sides with parchment, and grease the parchment. Alternatively, butter a 6-cup bundt pan.
2. In a large saucepan over high heat, combine the stout and molasses and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and add the baking soda. Allow to sit until the foam dissipates.
3. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together the eggs and both sugars. Whisk in the oil.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, ground ginger, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cardamom.
5. Combine the stout mixture with the egg mixture, then whisk this liquid into the flour mixture, half at a time. Add the fresh ginger and stir to combine.
6. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 1 hour, or until the top springs back when gently pressed. Do not open the oven until the gingerbread is almost done, or the center may fall slightly. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
No need to frost this cake, but if you like, you can serve with ice cream, whipped cream, or a drizzle of hot caramel sauce. MMMMMMMMMMMM!
Shine On!
ChickwithTongs