Three Ginger Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees with a rack set in the center. Generously butter an 8-inch round, 3-inch high springform pan. Line bottom with parchment paper and place on baking sheet.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. In a small saucepan, stir together boiling water, molasses, and baking soda until molasses has completely dissolved.
• Place butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Reduce speed to medium-low and add egg; mix until combined. Add grated ginger and mix to combine.
• Add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the molasses mixture, scraping down sides as necessary. Batter will be very wet. Pour batter into prepared pan and transfer to oven. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool slightly before removing ring from springform pan; serve warm.

Steps:

• Grease and flour a 10" Bundt pan.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, cloves, ground ginger and salt; set aside.
• In a separate large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, molasses, eggs, water and fresh ginger.
• Add the dry ingredients, a third at a time, stirring each addition with a wooden spoon just until the dry and wet ingredients are mixed.
• Sprinkle the crystallized ginger over the surface.
• Stir just enough to mix into the batter.
• Scrape into the prepared pan, smoothing the top.
• Bake in the centre of a 350 degree F oven until a cake tester inserted into the centre comes out clean, about 1 hour.
• Let cool on a rack for 30 minutes.
• Loosen the cake at the top edges of the pan.
• Place a metal rack over the pan and turn the cake and rack over.
• Lift the pan off and let the cake cool completely.
• Dust the cooled cake with icing sugar.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour three 8-inch pans. Bring beer and molasses to boil in a heavy medium-size non-reactive saucepan over high heat. Remove from heat and add baking soda. Let it stand about 1 hour until cool.
• Whisk flour and next 6 ingredients in a large bowl until blended. Whisk eggs and both sugars in another bowl until blended. Whisk in oil, then stout mixture. Gradually whisk liquid mixture into dry mixture. Stir in fresh ginger.
• Divide mixture evenly between the 3 cake pans and level tops. Bake until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool cakes in pans for 14 minutes, then invert onto cooling racks and allow to cool completely. (Cakes can be made 1 day ahead of serving, wrapped securely. Or wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then put into plastic zip-top bags and cool until ready to use.).
• For frosting:.
• Use electric mixer to beat cream cheese, butter, and orange peel in a large bowl until fluffy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Chill 30 minutes before frosting cake. Decorate with candied ginger arranged in a circle at top edge of cake.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9x5x3-inch loaf pans. Sift flour, ground ginger, baking powder and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add eggs and yolks 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Mix dry ingredients and milk alternately into batter. Fold in crystallized ginger and grated ginger. Divide batter between prepared loaf pans.
• Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool cakes in pans 10 minutes. Cut around pan sides to loosen cakes. Turn cakes out onto racks; cool completely. (Can be prepared up to 1 month ahead. Double-wrap cakes with plastic; freeze.)

Steps:

• Butter and line a 23cm square baking tin (or use a shallow roasting tin, approx 30 x 20cm). Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Put the butter, sugar and treacle into a saucepan and heat gently for about 5 mins until the butter and sugar have melted. Stir in the milk. The mix should be just warm to the touch; if not, leave to cool a little longer, then beat in the eggs.
• Mix the chopped ginger and dry ingredients together in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour the melted mix into the well, then gradually draw the dry ingredients into the wet with a wooden spoon, until you have a thick, smooth batter.
• Pour the batter into the prepared tin, then bake for 1 hr until risen and firm to the touch. Resist taking a peek beforehand; the cake will sink if the oven temperature drops too quickly before it's cooked through. Poke a skewer into the centre to check that it's cooked - it should come out clean. If not, give it 10 mins more and check again. Leave the cake to cool in the tin. Once completely cool, turn out of the tin ready for icing, or wrap well in cling film and keep in a cool, dry place for up to a week.
• To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add the gingery syrup. Beat well until you have a smooth, runny icing. Once the cake has cooled, drizzle with icing and cut into squares. If you're planning to let the cake mature for a while, make the icing on the day you want to cut it.