We made the dough for Chicago deep dish pizza tonight, and Ezril and AngelKitten decided to stay to watch the Netherlands – Uruguay game. Though we had already had dinner, we felt like something warm, tasty and comforting for a snack. I checked what was in the cupboard, and found the ingredients for a fluffy yet sticky, warm and crusty fresh ginger cake. Oh wow, was this good. We devoured it as soon as it was out of the oven (a bit of a mistake, we should have reigned in our greed and waited five minutes!) and it warmed us with love and companionship as it fed us.
This is a great tea cake – quick to put together, and so very welcoming. You could use powdered ginger instead, but I love the sharpness of fresh.
For a 9 inch cake pan, you will need:
- 2 cups flour – 1 1/2 cups cake flour, 1/2 cup all purpose (or all all purpose if you have no cake flour)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp mixed spice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 – 3 tbsp grated fresh ginger or 2 – 3 tsp dried ginger
- 1 stick / 8 tbsp butter (1 cup)
- 1/2 cup golden syrup
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup ginger beer or ginger ale
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- A few tbsp caster sugar
Preheat your oven to 180C or 350F. Butter a 9 inch cake pan well and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine flours, baking soda, salt, mixed spice, cinnamon and ginger. Whisk gentle to combine.
In a saucepan, over medium to low heat, combine butter, golden syrup and brown sugar until just combined, and the butter has melted.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine buttermilk, milk ginger beer, egg and vanilla, and beat with a fork to combine.
Pour the butter mixture into the flour, and beat with a whisk to incorporate, and then beat in the buttermilk mixture. You will have a very liquid cake batter.
Pour into cake tin and bake for 30 – 45 minutes, until the top has turned golden and a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out with a few crumbs attached. The cake will be fluffy at the edges and sticky gooey in the centre. A delightful combination!
Sieve a few tablespoons of caster sugar over the top of the cake, and leave to cook for at least 5 minutes before slicing from the pan and enjoying.
If you really want to gild the lily, this would be pretty extraordinary with some lemon curd slathered over the top instead of caster sugar. It would be great baked in loaf tins as well, and sliced. Excellent with a very old cheddar or other sharp cheese. And this is perfect summer picnic cake. Any which way, enjoy with love!
Special thanks to AngelKitten again for keeping track of the cooking ingredients, and to Ezril for tasting!
All photographs copyright Chan KY
delectable 
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