Rich Ginger Cake Food

STICKY STEM GINGER CAKE WITH LEMON ICING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to fan 160C/conventional 180C/gas 4. Butter and line an 18cm round, 7cm deep cake tin with greaseproof or parchment paper.
• Put the flour, bicarbonate of soda and all the spices into a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Put the sugar, treacle, syrup and milk in a medium saucepan and heat, gently stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Turn up the heat and bring the mixture to just below boiling point.
• Add the stem ginger to the flour mixture, then pour in the treacle mixture, stirring as you go with a wooden spoon. Break in the egg and beat until all the mixture is combined and it resembles a thick pancake batter. Pour this into prepared tin and bake for 50 minutes-1 hour, until a skewer pushed into the centre of the cake comes out fairly clean. Leave to cool completely in tin before turning cake out. (To freeze: wrap in greaseproof paper, then in cling film. Freeze for up to 1 month.)
• To make the icing, mix together icing sugar and lemon zest, then gradually add lemon juice until you have a smooth, slightly runny icing, adding more juice, if needed. Drizzle icing in a zig-zag pattern over surface of cake, turn cake around and drizzle again to create the cross-hatched finish (see below). Cake keeps for up to 2 weeks stored in an airtight container.

SUPER MOIST GINGER CAKE

Steps:

• Melt butter and golden syrup, set aside.
• Into a large bowl, sift flours, bi-carb of soda, ginger, cinnamon,mixed spice and sugar. Stir to combine.
• Add eggs and milk. Beat well.
• Add melted butter and syrup and mix well to combine.
• Grease and line 2 loaf tins (approx 23cm x 12 cms). Divide mix evenly between the 2 tins.
• Bake in a moderate oven (180 deg C / 350 deg F) for about 50 mins or until top is golden brown and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
• Allow to cool in the tins for 10 mins before removing.

RICH AND STICKY GINGERBREAD WITH MARMALADE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter and flour 9x9x2-inch metal baking pan; line bottom with parchment paper.
• Sift flour and ground ginger into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in molasses. Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with eggs, 1 at a time. Beat in marmalade, then raisins, and crystallized ginger. Transfer to prepared baking pan.
• Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 38 minutes. Cool cake completely in pan on rack. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.)
• Cut cake into 9 squares. Cut each square in half, making eighteen 1 1/2x3-inch pieces.

GINGERED RICH FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 140C/fan 120C/gas 1. Lightly oil a 71⁄2cm deep, 25cm round cake tin, and line it with a double layer of baking parchment.
• Mix the dried fruits, ginger and syrup, Cointreau, spices and lemon zest. Put the olive oil, sugar and eggs in a bowl, whisk together until light and fluffy. Sift the flour and baking powder into the mixture and tip in the fruit. Fold and stir together well.
• Spoon the mixture into the cake tin. Bake in the centre of the oven for 2-21⁄2 hrs, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cover with foil if the cake begins to over-brown. Take from the oven and leave to cool in the tin. Remove, leaving the baking parchment in place until you decorate.
• For the topping: warm the jam and Cointreau together until the jam is liquid, allow to cool. Arrange the fruit on the cake and brush with the jam.

CHOCOLATE GINGER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9-in. springform pan. Place on a baking sheet., Place milk chocolate in a small bowl. In another bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, cinnamon, salt and cloves; add 1 tablespoon flour mixture to milk chocolate and toss to coat., In a large bowl, beat oil, molasses and sugar until blended. In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil; stir in baking soda until dissolved, then ginger. Add to oil mixture; beat until blended. Gradually add remaining flour mixture, beating on low speed just until moistened. In a small bowl, lightly beat eggs and egg yolks; stir into batter until combined., Fold in milk chocolate. Transfer to prepared pan. Bake 40-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack 30 minutes., Loosen sides from pan with a knife; remove rim from pan. Cool cake completely on wire rack., For ganache, place chocolate in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Pour over chocolate; let stand 2 minutes. Stir with a whisk until smooth; cool slightly, stirring occasionally. Pour over cake; sprinkle with crystallized ginger. If desired, serve with ice cream.

RICH GINGER CAKE

Steps:

• Place both kinds of chopped ginger, currants and walnuts in a large glass bowl. Pour in rum, mix together well. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at least overnight, or up to three days.
• After fruit has soaked, butter and flour the inside of a 10" fluted pan.
• Heat oven to 300.
• In large bowl, cream butter until light. Add the sugar in two portions and keep beating after each addition.
• Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition.Blend in vanilla.
• Add the sifted dry ingredients in two additions, beating just until the flour particles have been absorbed.
• By hand, stir in the marinated fruit and nuts, plus any rum in the bottom of the bowl.
• Beat the egg whites till they are foamy, add a pinch of salt, and continue beating till firm, not stiff, peaks are formed.
• Beat 3 large spoonfuls of the whites into the batter, then fold in remaining whites until no patches of white remain in the batter. This requires a VERY large bowl and a rubber spatula with some backbone.
• Pour into prepared pan and bake on lower level of rack in oven for 15 minutes.
• Reduce oven temp to 275 and continue baking for one hour and 30 minutes, or till cake tests done.
• Cool cake on rack for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Store, well wrapped in an airtight container, in the fridge for at least a week.
• Note: to avoid any problems with sticking, you might want to line the pan with parchment paper. Can also be baked in two loaf pans instead of one large pan.