Gingerbread Cake

Name: Gingerbread Cake
Total time: PT0D0H0M
Yield: makes 1 Cake
Ingredients: 2 tbsp. vegetable shortening, at room temperature; 2 1 ⁄ 2 cups plus 1 tsp. all-purpose flour; 2 tsp. baking powder; 2 tsp. ground ginger; 1 tsp. ground cinnamon; 1 ⁄ 2 tsp. ground cloves; 1 ⁄ 2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg; 1 ⁄ 2 tsp. kosher salt; 16 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature; 2 ⁄ 3 cup dark brown sugar; 1 cup sweet sorghum syrup or unsulfured molasses; 4 tbsp. grated, peeled fresh ginger; 2 tsp. baking soda; 2 eggs, lightly beaten; Rich Caramel Icing

Serves
makes 1 Cake

This cake is based on a classic dessert that SAVEUR contributing writer Shane Mitchell found in a collection of recipes belonging to her great-aunt Fanny Lee Seabrook. Sorghum gives the cake a lighter texture than molasses does.

Ingredients

2 tbsp. vegetable shortening, at room temperature
2 ¹⁄₂ cups plus 1 tsp. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
¹⁄₂ tsp. ground cloves
¹⁄₂ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
¹⁄₂ tsp. kosher salt
16 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
²⁄₃ cup dark brown sugar
1 cup sweet sorghum syrup or unsulfured molasses
4 tbsp. grated, peeled fresh ginger
2 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Rich Caramel Icing

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Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°. Using a pastry brush, grease a nonstick 10 1⁄2-cup bundt pan with shortening and dust with 1 tsp. of the flour, tapping out excess. Sift remaining flour, baking powder, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt together into a bowl and set aside.

Step 2

Put butter into a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy. Add sugar and beat well. Add sorghum or molasses and grated ginger and beat well. Add one-third of the flour mixture at a time, folding in thoroughly after each addition. Dissolve baking soda in 1 cup boiling water and beat into flour mixture on medium speed, then beat in eggs, one at a time.

Step 3

Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing out top. Bake until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 40 minutes.

Step 4

Let cake cool completely in pan on a cooling rack, then invert onto a cake plate. Serve as is or glazed with Rich Caramel Icing.

Preheat oven to 350°. Using a pastry brush, grease a nonstick 10 1⁄2-cup bundt pan with shortening and dust with 1 tsp. of the flour, tapping out excess. Sift remaining flour, baking powder, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt together into a bowl and set aside.
Put butter into a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy. Add sugar and beat well. Add sorghum or molasses and grated ginger and beat well. Add one-third of the flour mixture at a time, folding in thoroughly after each addition. Dissolve baking soda in 1 cup boiling water and beat into flour mixture on medium speed, then beat in eggs, one at a time.
Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing out top. Bake until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 40 minutes.
Let cake cool completely in pan on a cooling rack, then invert onto a cake plate. Serve as is or glazed with Rich Caramel Icing.