Ginger Cake

Tim and I recently got together with some friends to grill on the deck at their apartment building.  I brought this cake, and I think it's the perfect recipe for summer gatherings -- no fuss, easy to make ahead and transport, and delicious!  The fresh ginger adds serious spiciness, and the cake is super moist and tender.  I absolutely love ginger cake with lemon sauce, but you could definitely swap it out for whipped cream (or even just a sprinkle of powdered sugar) if you prefer.  The original recipe calls for molasses in place of the dark corn syrup, which would make this more of a gingerbread -- I used dark corn syrup simply because that's what we had on hand, and I liked the lighter flavor that really let the ginger shine through -- but, I'm sure either would be delicious!

Ginger Cake (adapted from King Arthur Flour)

Serves 16

2-1/4 cups white whole wheat flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1-1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger

1 stick butter, melted

3/4 cup dark corn syrup

1/4 cup water

1 large egg

1 cup buttermilk

Lemon curd, to serve

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with baking spray, or butter and flour it.

2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cloves.  Toss in the fresh ginger, and whisk to combine.

3. Stir together the melted butter and the corn syrup.  Pour into the flour mixture, and stir with a rubber spatula until mostly combined.  Add the water, and stir to combine.

4. In a small bowl, stir together the egg and buttermilk.  Whisk into the batter until everything is nicely combined.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake 30-40 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.  Let cool, and then slice into 16 pieces.  Serve with lemon curd.