Weekend Cooking: Baking with Ginger

Today's post is short and sweet. While Mr. BFR tends the home fires, I'm off on my annual weekend getaway with my girlfriends. We always have a ton of fun, making lace, drinking wine, gabbing, eating, and just hanging out together.

Last weekend, fall was in the air and I had a craving for dark, spicy, rich gingerbread. I often turn to David Lebovitz's Room for Dessert when I want to bake up a down-home treat, and his ginger bread is really amazing.

I've made it exactly as it's given here, but sometimes, like this time, I use a dark beer in place of the water. When I do this, the flavor takes on a pleasing depth, though sometimes the middle of the cake sinks as it cools. A small price to pay!

If a whole cake is too much for your family, note that I've frozen this cake with good success. For more notes on Lebovitz's recipe, check out the Epicurious site.  (The photo is mine)

Fresh Ginger Cake

• 4 ounces fresh ginger
• 1 cup mild molasses
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil, preferably peanut
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup water
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 eggs, at room temperature

Position the oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9 by 3-inch round cake pan or a 9 1/2 inch springform pan with a circle of parchment paper.

Peel, slice, and chop the ginger very fine with a knife (or use a grater). Mix together the molasses, sugar, and oil. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper.

Bring the water to the boil in a saucepan, stir in the baking soda, and then mix the hot water into the molasses mixture. Stir in the ginger.

Gradually whisk the dry ingredients into the batter. Add the eggs, and continue mixing until everything is thoroughly combined. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for about 1 hour, until the top of the cake springs back lightly when pressed or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top of the cake browns too quickly before the cake is done, drape a piece of foil over it and continue baking.

Cool the cake for at least 30 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Remove the cake from the pan and peel off the parchment paper.

I'll visit all your posts just as soon as I can!

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