Fall, winter and the holiday season are always the right time for Gingerbread Cake. Certain foods can evoke memories, and my earliest memory of this cake is when I was about 10 years old visiting my aunt and uncles ranch at Islay. My Aunt Eileen from Islay, prepared it for a supper dessert for an important cattle buyer that was coming to the ranch. I had never tasted gingerbread cake before and she gave me a generous amount of cake topped with lots of luscious whipped cream. It was really quite unforgettable.
This cake is moist with a slightly chewy texture like a soft ginger cookie. It is superb served with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream, and garnished with a dash of cinnamon. You can also serve it warm with vanilla ice cream or cold covered in a cream cheese icing with the zest of an orange added. The secret to a tender cake is lots of beating of the fat and the sugar together, then adding in the dry ingredients. Once the liquid goes in, any excessive beating or stirring will cause the liquid to react with the gluten in the flour and toughen the cake as well as cause it to rise up to much in the middle, so this is the time to limit the stirring. Other spices that can be added are 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom and/or anise. I suggest using the unsulfured cooking molasses, but for a more robust flavour blackstrap molasses can also be used, although it likely has added sulphites, which many people are often sensitive to. This is one of my favorite recipes that I am sharing with you. I hope you enjoy it, and use it to create some great memories for your family.
Gingerbread Cake
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole grain barley or wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice or cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup molasses
Cream together the butter and brown sugar by beating with an electric mixer for about five minutes. Beat in eggs and then the olive oil, add and beat in the spices. In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt and baking powder well and then beat the flour mixture into the butter sugar mixture. Combine the water and molasses and then add to the main mixture, beat for 5-10 seconds only and then stir, just until the ingredients are combined. Over stirring at this point will ruin the cake. Pour into an 8 x 8 cake pan that has been greased on the bottom and the side and floured on the sides. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the middle of the cake comes out clean. This time is based on a convection oven, so it may have to be adjusted according to your oven.
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