That Ginger Cake

No recipe has elicited as much love as this adaptation from Joy of Cooking's Fresh Ginger Cake. I have given this recipe out a million times and I always hear back that no matter how you make it, it turns out totally delicious.

Derick said it was the best desert he had ever had.

Tonight, I had all the mixings fixed so just before I served dinner on the table, I mixed them up and threw the cake in the oven so it baked while we ate.

Tonight I served it with soft whipped creme sweetened with a little maple syurp, blackberries and pistachios.

Here is the blueprint:

Heat oven to 350 and grease a round cake pan. (I like the 9" kind whose sides "pop off" to make for easy cake removal).

In a small bowl, combine
- 1.5 cups flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt

In a large bowl, combine
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup dark corn syrup (or golden syrup, honey or light molasses...maple syrup would probably also work...)
- 1 large egg

Melt a stick of unsalted butter, and add to the molasses mixture with 1/4 cup water.

Add a very generous 1/2 cup of minced fresh ginger to the molasses mixture and stir.

Stir in flour mixture.

Pour cake batter into greased pan.
Bake for about 25 minutes until ye olde fork in the center trick reveals a clean fork.

Let cake cool enuf to remove from pan.
Slice and serve warm.

Almond Cake with Strawberries and Guava

Olivia produced the most beautiful heart shaped Almond Cake.
She is a master. The cake was moist and light and the balance of almond and sweetness was magical. She piled whip creme with strawberries and guava on top.

The entire gathering moaned in ecstasy with each bite. People went back for seconds and thirds!

Below from Olivia Chase:

How we inspire each other. On Tuesday night Kira lent me the Rose Bakery book and in it I read "A bowlful of strawberries is really nice, but adding a hint of lemon and even half a teaspoon of sugar can make it great." For Thursday's cake I did not find my recipe in the cookbook rather the inspiration for "making it great".

Almond Torte with Whip Cream Strawberries and Guavas

I made Lulu a double recipe in a 13" heart shaped pan but the following is a
single recipe which will make a 9" cake.

1 1/4 cups sugar
8 oz soft almond paste
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla

6 eggs, at room temperature

1 cup flour, all-purpose
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1/2 pint whip cream, whipped
1 basket strawberries, sliced
2 lbs pink and white guavas, peeled and cored...discard the core...it is full of seeds
2 Tbls sugar
1 lime, juiced

Butter bottom and sides of a 10 inch cake pan and line with parchment paper.
Pre-heat your oven to 325'.

In a food processor mix sugar and almond paste until the paste crumbles into small pieces.
Add the butter and vanilla and continue processing untill you have a smooth batter. Add the
eggs one by one, mixing until each one disappears into the batter. Empty the contents of the food
processor into a large mixing bowl. In a small bowl stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Sift the flour
mixture into the batter and stir gently until you no longer see any flour but make sure not to overmix.

Pour batter into prepared cake pan. Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours or until a wooden tooth pick comes out
clean. Wait 5 minutes and turn out onto a platter.
Slice the fruit and add the sugar and lime juice.
To serve top with unsweetened whipped cream and fruit.

Semolina Souffle Cake with Two Sauces

While a success, only Stephanie loved this cake enough to merit making it again.
So, for her, if requested, I would.

Recipe from Susan Spicer’s Big Easy Christmas, Food and Wine, December 2000
Takes a long day to make it and needs overnight fridge time.

4 1/2 c milk
1 1/2 c sugar
1 c semolina flour
1 stick us butter, soft
3 large eggs, beaten a little
9 large eggs, separated
1 tbl vanilla extract

Pistachio Creme Anglaise
Tart cherry pinot noir syrup

1. Butter and flour a 10-inch springform pan. Wrap the outside tightly with tin foil.
2. In big heavy Cresuet pot, combine milk with ¾ c sugar and bring to a boil. Whisk in Semolina and cook over low heat, whisking often, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in half the butter and remaining ¾ c sugar and transfer to a large bowl. Stirring occasionally let the semolina cool completely. Stir in the remaining butter, then the 3 whole eggs, then the 9 egg yolks and the vanilla.
3. Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Stir one third of the beaten egg whites into the semolina to lighten it, then fold in the remaining whites. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
4. Set the cake pan in a roasting pan and add enough hot water to reach halfway up the side of the cake pan. Bake in the center of the over for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the cake is puffed and the center is still slightly jiggley. Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool completely, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
5. Run a knife around the edge of the cake and remove the side of the springform pan.
6. I poured some of the pistachio sauce on ½ of the plate and the cherry sauce on the other. I put a thin wedge in between the sauces. Sprinkled chopped pistachios on it and used a lavender flower for garnish.

Pistachio Crème Anglaise
1 c shelled unsalted pistachios
2 c milk
½ c sugar
salt
9 large egg yolks
Shy 1/8 tsp almond extract to taste and more as desired

1. Preheat Oven to 350. Toast Pistachios lightly. Let cool completely. Do your best to get the skins off. Transfer to a food processor and grind into a fine powder.
2. In a heavy saucepan, combine milk with the ground pistachios and bring to boil. Cover, remove from heat and let stand for 30 minutes.
3. Strain the pistachio milk through a fine sieve into another medium saucepan. Add the sugar and a pinch of salt. Whisk in egg yolks and cook over low heat, whisking constantly, until the custard sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, almost 8 minutes. Do not let the
custard boil.

4. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve into a bowl. Tast and only stir in the almond extract as desirted. Cover and put in fridge till ready to use. Can be in there for about 2 days.

Tart Cherry-Pinot Noir Syrup

2 c dried tart cherries (small is best)
2 c Pinot Noir
½ c Sugar

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cherries to a medium bowl. Simmer the wine over moderate heat until syrupy and reduced to ¾ cup. Transfer the Pinot Noir to a small bowl to cool, then stir in cherries. Serve at room temperature. (Can be in fridge for up to a week).