Christmas Ginger Cake

I don't know what it is about Christmas and Ginger, but the two just go together like peas and carrots!  What would Christmas be without gingerbread men or a lovely ginger cake, especially when you are talking a ginger cake with full on ginger flavours like this one!



I would so love one of those nordic pans that are a whole bunch of little village houses.   I am sure this gingerbread would be so cute baked that way . . .  what a great centre piece that would be!  You almost wouldn't want to eat it!

 

The smell when this cake is baking is just heavenly.   It smells like what you want Christmas to smell like . . .  warm, and spicy and just plain festive!



It's everything you want a great gingerbread cake to be.   Dense.   Moist.   Fragrant.   Spicy.  Dark.   You don't need any other garnish other than a dusting of icing sugar snow . . .

 

I  used my cathedral bundt pan to bake this in because I wanted a dramatic effect, but you can use a plain bund pan as well.  It's all a matter of what look you want to create.   This pan suited my purpose perfectly.  Do bake this cake.   If you like Gingerbread . . .  you will LOVE this cake, I guarantee.   All you need on the side is some softly whipped cream, or some ice cream.  Splendid!

*Christmas Gingerbread Cake*
Makes one bundt cake, serving 16

Printable Recipe  

A beautifully moist and spicy gingerbread cake, perfect for the holidays!  

420g of plain flour (3 cups)

1 TBS plus 1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground cardamom

1/4 tsp salt

225g of butter, room temperature (1 cup)

110g of soft light brown sugar (1/2 cup)

1 large free range egg

225ml of molasses (1 cup)

(can use half dark treacle and half golden syrup)

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

225ml of boiling water (1 cup)

Icing sugar to dust

Whipped cream to serve (optional)  

 

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Thoroughly grease a bundt pan and lightly dust it with flour, shaking out any excess.  Set aside. 

Sift the flou rinto a bowl along with the ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and salt.  Set aside. 

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl several times.  Beat in the egg.   Stir in the molasses to combine. 

Dissolve the soda in the boiling water. 

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three lots, alternateing with the boiling water/soda mixture in two lots, beginning and ending with flour.  Spoon evenly into the prepared bundt pan.   Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.   Allow to cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

Dust with icing sugar to serve.  Whipped cream goes mighty nice!