Golden Ginger Cake

By Alison Roman

Golden Ginger Cake
Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Prop Stylist: Cindy DiPrima.
Total Time
1 hour
Rating
4(774)
Comments
Read comments

Not your traditional gingerbread, this cake is flavored with familiar spices and enhanced with freshly grated ginger. (And yes, of course, there is still molasses.) Unlike a brittle cookie or dense loaf, this cake has the texture of what can only be described as a very good cake doughnut, crunchy on the outside and delightfully fluffy on the inside. It’s best served just warmed, with a generous helping of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Featured in: Desserts That Bring the Party, but Not the Fuss

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Ingredients

Yield:8 to 10 servings 
  • Nonstick cooking spray 
  • Demerara sugar
  • 2¾cups/350 grams all-purpose flour 
  • 1tablespoon turmeric 
  • 1½teaspoons kosher salt 
  • 1teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1½teaspoons baking powder
  • 1teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾cup/170 grams unsalted butter (1½ sticks), at room temperature 
  • 1cup/220 grams light brown sugar
  • ¼cup/60 milliliters molasses 
  • 3tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger 
  • 2large eggs
  • ½cup/120 milliliters buttermilk 
  • ¼cup/60 milliliters vegetable or coconut oil, melted 
  • Whipped cream or ice cream, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)

455 calories; 22 grams fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 59 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 30 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 279 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch springform pan, cake pan or tart pan with nonstick cooking spray (or grease with softened butter) and sprinkle with a bit of Demerara sugar to coat the interior of the pan; tap out excess and set aside.

  2. Step 2

    In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, turmeric, salt, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda; set aside.

  3. Step 3

    Using a stand mixer or an electric mixer and a large bowl, beat together butter, brown sugar and molasses until the mixture is light, fluffy and the color of a very pale latte, 3 to 4 minutes. (Feel free to periodically scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to make sure all the ingredients are mixing properly.) Add fresh ginger and beat to blend.

  4. Step 4

    Add eggs, one at a time, until they are totally incorporated and the mixture looks extremely light and fluffy, almost like cake frosting, 5 or so minutes. (Be sure to wipe off any ginger that may have stuck to the beaters.)

  5. Step 5

    Combine buttermilk and oil in a bowl or a measuring cup. With the mixer on low, beat ⅓ of the dry ingredients into the cake batter, followed by ½ of the buttermilk mixture. Repeat with ⅓ of the dry ingredients and the remaining buttermilk mixture. Finish by adding the remaining dry ingredients.

  6. Step 6

    Pour cake batter into prepared pan and scatter with more Demerara sugar. Bake, rotating once or twice if your oven has hot spots or tends to be uneven, until the cake has started to pull away from the sides of the pan, it’s evenly golden brown on top and it springs back ever so slightly when pressed, 45 to 50 minutes.

  7. Step 7

    Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack if you have one. (If not, just let it cool away from the oven.) Do not remove cake from the pan until it is 100 percent cool. Serve with lightly whipped cream or the ice cream of your choice.

Ratings

4 out of 5
774 user ratings
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Comments

bluerroses

Some molasses (such as blackstrap) are overwhelming and bitter. Never use sulphered/blackstrap molasses in baking. Dark unsulphered molasses has a rich and complex flavor and are worth seeking out. Light unsulphered molasses has the mildest flavor.

Leslie

I’ll share Deb Perelman’s tip: mix 1 C whole or low fat milk with 1T of lemon juice or white vinegar. Let sit 10 minutes. Or, thin plain yogurt with some milk.

Robert Wemischner

Lovely texture; I think the molasses overwhelms the gingery goodness. I would cut back on it next time. Otherwise worth making.

PB

I'm obsessed with this cake--I've made it about 8 times in the last couple of months. Each time, my layer of Demerara sugar has become thicker: I spread about 1.5 tbsp of very softened butter on the bottom and sides of the 9" tart pan and then add several tbsp of sugar to coat. Before I put it in the oven, I add another several tbsp to the top. After it cools, I put it into the fridge so that I can slice it into serving portions (all for me) and freeze them. Reheat in the microwave: perfect.

Gigi

Added powdered ginger as well to make it spicy!

Julie

I made this last week as a cake and then tonight as muffins. I used 65 grams of ginger and used a food processor to mince it. Love that I get a bite of ginger and this amount gives it a nice strong ginger flavor. I baked 12 minutes and then turned them and baked another 12. I overloaded them a bit and only made 18 muffins. Next time I will make at least 20-22 and will keep an eye on the time for the smaller muffins. I also made these dairy free and they are DELICIOUS.

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