Ginger cake! The name itself sounds so festive, isn’t it? But trust me, it is a cake that you can bake anytime of the year because it is simply delicious and easy to make! I have been baking a lot since the past few weeks and this particular cake won hands down mainly due to its moistness and subtle flavour and sweetness. When I say sweetness, I was actually expecting the cake to be extremely sweet and syrupy considering that the recipe called for sugar and golden syrup in large quantities but surprisingly it is not. It is very very moist though and a perfect option for a make ahead cake. If you plan to bake something new this Christmas, you must go ahead and try this recipe as you can prepare it a couple of days before you plan to serve it.
Another thing that I loved about this cake was that I finally got to use the ginger preserve that I brought from Mangalore this year. A couple of years ago I made my own preserve but due to the lack of tender ginger I couldn’t make it this year. It came really handy and I am sure all of you who have some preserve (alyache doss/ale doss) with you can try using it up in this marvellous cake! I have given some tips on substituting the golden syrup with corn syrup but you may not be able to leave it out completely as it really adds to the flavour, texture and moistness of this beautiful cake!
Ginger Cake ~ Ultra Moist & Delicious!
Prep time: 15-20 mins | Baking time: 35-40 mins | Yield: 7″ cake
Ingredients:
- 225 grams (8 oz) all purpose flour
- 225 grams (8 oz) golden syrup
- 110 grams (4 oz) unsalted butter
- 110 grams (4 oz) soft brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon soda bi carb (baking soda)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 200 ml (7 fl oz) milk
- 3 tablespoons (30 grams) finely chopped preserved stem ginger
- 4 tablespoons syrup from the preserved stem ginger
- zest of 1 orange
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- 2-3 teaspoons ground ginger (dry ginger powder) * see notes
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon * see notes
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 170 C. Line the base of a 7″ square baking tin with baking parchment.
2. Place the butter, golden syrup, sugar, milk and ginger syrup in a small saucepan and heat until the sugar and butter is dissolved. Add the orange zest and remove the pan from the heat. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
3. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, mixed spice, cinnamon and ginger powders. Add the warm butter and syrup mixture and whisk well.
4. Stir in the chopped ginger and the egg and mix everything well. Pour into the prepared baking tin and cook for 35-45 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
5. Remove the pan and allow the cake to cool in the tin for at least 1 hour before turning out onto a wire rack.
6. Peel off the baking parchment and cut into slices. Serve. The cake keeps well for 5-6 days in an airtight container.
4. Stir in the chopped ginger and the egg and mix everything well. Pour into the prepared baking tin and cook for 35-45 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
5. Remove the pan and allow the cake to cool in the tin for at least 1 hour before turning out onto a wire rack.
6. Peel off the baking parchment and cut into slices. Serve. The cake keeps well for 5-6 days in an airtight container.
Notes:
1. I didn’t have self raising flour with me so I just used 225 grams plain flour (maida) + 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Over and above this you also need to add the baking soda as mentioned in the recipe above
2. I used 2 teaspoons of ginger powder very hesitantly as I didn’t want it to overpowder the cake but I was surprised how subtle it actually was. I suggest you stick to 2 teaspoons if you are using a new pack of ginger powder (freshly manufactured or homemade).
3. If you don’t like cinnamon you can leave it out. Adding too much of it will mask the flavour and aroma of ginger and your cake will smell more like cinnamon cake.
4. If you don’t have golden syrup you can substitute it with equal parts of light corn syrup and molasses. There are many substitutes for golden syrup available on the internet. Some call for a combinations of sugar caramel (homemade) and cornsyrup or honey or maple syrup
4. If you don’t have golden syrup you can substitute it with equal parts of light corn syrup and molasses. There are many substitutes for golden syrup available on the internet. Some call for a combinations of sugar caramel (homemade) and cornsyrup or honey or maple syrup
Rafeeda AR says
December 7, 2015 at 5:37 amI am trying to get off bakes, but then one by one, you are posting such awesome bakes that I wish I was camped somewhere close to your house to have a peice of cake everyday… 😉 absolutely love the ginger flavor…
Smitha says
December 8, 2015 at 11:52 amHi Shireen lovely recipe �� wanted to check if there is any substitute that I can use instead of preserved ginger. I didn't find it in any of the Mangalore stores near my place in Bangalore
Smitha says
December 10, 2015 at 3:26 amHi Shireen, can I use fresh ginger instead of preserved ginger .
Shireen Sequeira says
December 10, 2015 at 4:30 pm@ Smitha: Hi, Well, this recipe is for preserved ginger and not fresh ginger. If you are using fresh ginger then you may have to cook it in some sugar syrup for sometime to remove the strong flavour and also alter the amount of sugar in the recipe. I have never tried it so you will have to use your judgement