Okay, okay. Maybe I should be thinking about pumpkin pie about now, but instead I am happily nibbling on a just-baked ginger cake. No one will refuse this one, whether you serve it on Thanksgiving day or anytime from now until spring. It’s that good!
Fresh Ginger Cake
This ordinary-looking cake is deceptive, packed as it is with powerful flavors, particularly the punch of fresh ginger. I bake it all year long, although I particularly like it in the fall when it fills the kitchen with warm, sensual aromas that say “autumn.” And in case you’re wondering about the difference between this and more typical gingerbread, this cake’s ginger and spice quotients are much higher.
Serves 10
6 ounces fresh ginger, peeled
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark black-strap molasses
1 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons baking soda
21/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
About 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a 9-inch round pan that is 3 inches deep and line it with a parchment paper circle cut to fit.
Cut the ginger into medium-size pieces and put in the bowl of a food processor. Add the granulated sugar and pulse until very smooth, like a paste. Mix together the molasses and canola oil.
In a saucepan, bring 1 cup of water to a boil over medium-high heat, add the baking soda, and when dissolved, stir in the molasses mixture.
Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, and cloves and then whisk into the molasses mixture until combined. Add the eggs and mix well.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 60 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out dry.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, drizzle the lemon juice, a few drops at a time, over the confectioners’ sugar, whisking until the glaze is thick and smooth. Set the glaze aside until needed.
Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes and then turn out of the pan to cool completely on a wire rack. When cool, drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake and serve.