Fresh Ginger Cake
- Total Time
- 1½ hours
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 1cup mild molasses
- 1cup granulated sugar
- 1cup neutral oil, such as grapeseed, vegetable or canola
- 2½cups all-purpose flour
- 1teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½teaspoon ground cloves
- ½teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2teaspoons baking soda
- 4ounces fresh ginger, peeled, sliced and finely chopped
- 2eggs, at room temperature
Preparation
- Step 1
Position rack in center of oven and heat to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch round cake pan with 3-inch sides, or a 9-inch springform pan, with a circle of parchment paper.
- Step 2
In a medium bowl, mix together the molasses, sugar and oil. In separate medium bowl, sift together flour, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper.
- Step 3
In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup water to a boil. Stir in baking soda, then mix hot water into molasses mixture. Stir in ginger.
- Step 4
Gradually whisk the dry ingredients into batter. Add eggs, and continue mixing until everything is thoroughly combined. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, and bake for about 1 hour, until the top of cake springs back lightly when pressed or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top of cake browns too quickly before cake is done, drape a piece of foil over it and continue baking.
- Step 5
Cool cake for at least 30 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Invert cake onto a cooling rack, and remove parchment paper.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
An excellent tip with fresh ginger is to freeze it - either whole or cut in 1 inch pieces. Frozen it keeps forever, does not need to be peeled, and can be grated, chopped or microplaned much more easily - and the fibrous threads. disappear. Fully thawed after freezing, it can be easily pressed to give ginger juice.
I too arrived at this recipe as a result of self isolation, and it was the perfect use for the ginormous chunk of ginger my pandemic brain ordered. I even failed to add the pepper, and it is still delicious. Also this might seem like an easy tip for some, but use the same cup to measure your oil with first, and then the molasses - it will slide right out!
so, don't make it
This is one of the greatest cake recipes of all time! I find chefs serving it at fine restaurants all over the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a gorgeously lush, dark color, extremely moist, and wonderfully portable. Keeps well for days, and is amazingly versatile. It's incredibly ginger-y, but not "hot" from the ginger. It comes together very quickly and easily. I make sure to have the ingredients on hand all through the fall and winter. Total winner!
I tried your friend's suggestion of processing the ginger (in chunks) with the sugar in the food processor, and was pleased by the results. Please thank them.
Made this recipe after hearing Samin Nosrat recommend it on her podcast. Read other recommendations to blitz the ginger in a food processor. Made it a little healthier and still soooo indulgent by: - cutting sugar to 1/2c (still PLENTY SWEET!) - reduced molasses by 1/4c but compensated liquid volume by swapping it for unsweetened apple sauce - swapped half the oil for apple sauce - subbed 1/2c AP Flour for whole wheat flour - baked for the full hour SO DELICIOUS. Super moist & easy recipe.
One whole cup of chopped ginger will weigh about 4 ounces.
This cake was delicious! Finely chopping 4 oz of fresh ginger took way too long though. A friend suggested putting the ginger in chunks in the food processor with the sugar and processing it. I'm going to try that next time.
An excellent tip with fresh ginger is to freeze it - either whole or cut in 1 inch pieces. Frozen it keeps forever, does not need to be peeled, and can be grated, chopped or microplaned much more easily - and the fibrous threads. disappear. Fully thawed after freezing, it can be easily pressed to give ginger juice. This cake was delicious! Finely chopping 4 oz of fresh ginger took way too long though. A friend suggested putting the ginger in chunks in the food processor with the sugar and proce
What is mild molasses? I don't see various "strengths" of molasses in my markets.
A follow up to my previous note. I used a microplane on the ginger so it was very ginger forward the night it was baked. The next night the cake was far more mild because the ginger mellowed—and delicious with vanilla ice cream.
I made this for a (Canadian) Thanksgiving dinner - so replaced 1/4 c. olive oil with pumpkin so I could call it Pumpkin Ginger Cake. As one of the guests was gluten free, I replaced the flour with 1 c. chick pea flour & 1.5 c. gluten free flour. As suggested in other reviews, I pureed the ginger with the sugar. Made it a day ahead To push it over the edge I served it with warm 'Extra' Sauce from Mark Bittman's Sticky Toffee Pudding recipe. Fabulous!! On my make again list!
You completely change the ingredients and you have the nerve to critique the directions?
My first quarantine cake, chosen mainly because I accidentally ordered WAY too much fresh ginger from Instacart. What a happy mistake because this cake is like a slice of heaven! I followed the recipe as stated except I only had an 8x8 pan which turns out to be the same area as a 9" round pan, so it worked out. Worried about the oil? Who cares, you deserve it after 2 weeks of sheltering in place. Enjoy!
I thought the batter looked too runny when I poured it into the pan, but it came out with a lovely springy texture and moist crumb...
It's delicious, moist, and spicy. I cut sugar down to 3/4 cup and replaced 3/4 cup of all purpose flour with whole wheat, but otherwise made as directed.
I am not a big fan of dessert, but this one I bake for years! It is not just delicious, but all ingredients are super beneficial for us!
Even a novice baker like me can make this one. Definitely use a food processor to mince the ginger. Batter is more liquid than you will expect but it still comes out beautifully! I made a simple blueberry compote (frozen blueberries, a bit of granulated sugar and water, gradually boiled down to the desired consistency) which was perfect on the cake.
Does this cake freeze well?
I made this in a muffin pan and used ginger from a tube and it is amazing. 20 min and perfect. Even better day 2.
This cake is very moist and just sweet enough with Helen's excellent subtractions and substitutions. 1/2 cup of sugar is plenty as is 1/2 cup of molasses subed with 1/2 apple sauce and 1/2 cup of oil subed with 1/2 of applesauce. Perfect. My dinner guests liked it so much they wanted seconds! That is the mark of a good dessert, especially when I never made it before.
Thanks for the tip about putting the ginger and sugar in the food processor - that was magic! I love this cake with vanilla ice cream (even in June when I ran across it.)
Made as-is, and topped with fresh candied oranges and a glaze of powdered sugar and Grand Marnier. Huge hit with my guest and stayed moist for days. Very unique flavor profile for a cake without being too weird.
What would be a nice sauce to drizzle on this?
Too much oil. Use less.
Lemon icing
Sear off some sliced pears in butter in a casst iron pan and pour that cake. batter over top for a gingerbread/pear upside down cake...
Had this as a guest at a Christmas feast, and then made it for guests at our New Year's feast! Marvelous! I am a ginger lover, and thought is this too much!! No it's not! WOW!! I served it with whipped cream with crystallized ginger bits mixed in.
Use a larger pan, and put a sheet pan under it.
excellent every time
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