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Cooking Notes
Martha
An excellent tip with fresh ginger is to freeze it - either whole or cut in 1 inch pieces. Frozen it keeps forever, does not need to be peeled, and can be grated, chopped or microplaned much more easily - and the fibrous threads. disappear. Fully thawed after freezing, it can be easily pressed to give ginger juice.
Shanna
I too arrived at this recipe as a result of self isolation, and it was the perfect use for the ginormous chunk of ginger my pandemic brain ordered. I even failed to add the pepper, and it is still delicious. Also this might seem like an easy tip for some, but use the same cup to measure your oil with first, and then the molasses - it will slide right out!
Mary Steele
Julie
This is one of the greatest cake recipes of all time! I find chefs serving it at fine restaurants all over the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a gorgeously lush, dark color, extremely moist, and wonderfully portable. Keeps well for days, and is amazingly versatile. It's incredibly ginger-y, but not "hot" from the ginger. It comes together very quickly and easily. I make sure to have the ingredients on hand all through the fall and winter. Total winner!
Katherine
I tried your friend's suggestion of processing the ginger (in chunks) with the sugar in the food processor, and was pleased by the results. Please thank them.
Helen
Made this recipe after hearing Samin Nosrat recommend it on her podcast. Read other recommendations to blitz the ginger in a food processor. Made it a little healthier and still soooo indulgent by:- cutting sugar to 1/2c (still PLENTY SWEET!)- reduced molasses by 1/4c but compensated liquid volume by swapping it for unsweetened apple sauce- swapped half the oil for apple sauce- subbed 1/2c AP Flour for whole wheat flour- baked for the full hourSO DELICIOUS. Super moist & easy recipe.
Jeanette Polanski
One whole cup of chopped ginger will weigh about 4 ounces.
Lisa
This cake was delicious! Finely chopping 4 oz of fresh ginger took way too long though. A friend suggested putting the ginger in chunks in the food processor with the sugar and processing it. I'm going to try that next time.
beckmanwalt
An excellent tip with fresh ginger is to freeze it - either whole or cut in 1 inch pieces. Frozen it keeps forever, does not need to be peeled, and can be grated, chopped or microplaned much more easily - and the fibrous threads. disappear. Fully thawed after freezing, it can be easily pressed to give ginger juice.This cake was delicious! Finely chopping 4 oz of fresh ginger took way too long though. A friend suggested putting the ginger in chunks in the food processor with the sugar and proce
Lee
What is mild molasses? I don't see various "strengths" of molasses in my markets.
Philip
A follow up to my previous note. I used a microplane on the ginger so it was very ginger forward the night it was baked. The next night the cake was far more mild because the ginger mellowed—and delicious with vanilla ice cream.
Silbermuti
I made this for a (Canadian) Thanksgiving dinner - so replaced 1/4 c. olive oil with pumpkin so I could call it Pumpkin Ginger Cake. As one of the guests was gluten free, I replaced the flour with 1 c. chick pea flour & 1.5 c. gluten free flour. As suggested in other reviews, I pureed the ginger with the sugar. Made it a day ahead To push it over the edge I served it with warm 'Extra' Sauce from Mark Bittman's Sticky Toffee Pudding recipe. Fabulous!! On my make again list!
Suzanne
My first quarantine cake, chosen mainly because I accidentally ordered WAY too much fresh ginger from Instacart. What a happy mistake because this cake is like a slice of heaven! I followed the recipe as stated except I only had an 8x8 pan which turns out to be the same area as a 9" round pan, so it worked out. Worried about the oil? Who cares, you deserve it after 2 weeks of sheltering in place. Enjoy!
Mblom
You completely change the ingredients and you have the nerve to critique the directions?
Esperanza Pratt
I thought the batter looked too runny when I poured it into the pan, but it came out with a lovely springy texture and moist crumb...
SD
Is treacle an appropriate substitute for molasses for this recipe?
Ginger
I had two 8” x 2” round cake pans not the 9” noted so I made a 1.5 batch of batter and it worked perfectly in my two smaller rounds. I sliced one cake after cooling and froze it. Treats for weeks!
Amy
I followed the directions to a T and I thought: 1) the cake is sooooo spicy it’s not even enjoyable, and 2) peeling, slicing, and finely chopping 4oz of fresh ginger is never going to happen again. I even made a cream cheese frosting to try to cut some of the spiciness but it’s just far too overpowering. Sadly, I was very disappointed in the cake. I won’t make it again.
melissa in ny
I made this recipe halved and baked in a 9x5 loaf pan for about 50 minutes and it seems to have come out well. Also substituted maple syrup for the molasses and applesauce for most of the oil (left about 2 tbsp of oil in) and the cake is still very moist and cakey. The “batter” as they call it is very thin, I was sure there was no way it would solidify but it did. The flavor is amazing and hard to stop eating. :)
Nancy
This cake has been a winner every time we make it and serve it to guests. We add a dollop of fresh whipped cream and sprinkle tiny pieces of crystalized ginger atop to finish it off. Delicious!
SCH
Excellent, better day 2! Served Christmas Eve with whipped cream. Used others notes and. 1) Chopped ginger with some sugar in food processor. Was worried you would notice stringiness but did not! 2) Measured out oil first then molasses, and there was no sticking. 3) Top started To burn after 30, covered with foil.
Smokey
I'm a little nervous because the chopped ginger. Is it chunky in the cake? I feel like I should have food processed the ginger but the recipe said field chopped is fine. Thoughts?!
Kristy Sturges
This is always my 'go to cake' when I cook a dessert. When I take it to someone's home, I am always asked over and over again for the recipe. It's easy to make. Fabulous to eat with, powdered sugar, whipped cream on the side or vanilla ice cream, or nothing at all. It stays moist for at least a week.
shelley
Shortcut tip: Trader Joe’s sells ginger frozen in little mini cubes…2.5 oz for the pack.Would let sit on counter and then be sure to dissolve in hot water first before mixing in with batter to be sure no ginger lumps.Cake will not be as “hot” as with fresh ginger…but if you are already freezing your ginger to grate…why not let TJ’s do it for you and spare the mess?!
Lenny
Does anyone know if this will work in a bundt pan or if I should double the recipe using a bundt pan?
Kate
Love this recipe! I grew up in the Bay Area and this cake was always a holiday staple. Made it this year for thanksgiving. I made it vegan by using ground flax seed as an egg replacer - definitely a dip in quality of texture and the outer edges were weirdly chewy, but on day 3 of leftover cake the texture was pretty close! To my vegan/egg sensitive friends trying to make this for an event, I recommend flax seeds just make it a couple days in advance
Matthew & Candice
Followed the recipe as written. Realized that to get 4 ounces of ginger peeled and chopped you need to buy like 6 or 8 ounces. Also better after 2 days. It was one of the best cakes we have ever had.
dauterman
240 grams APFlour=2 and a half cups
Lance
Quite a good cake: moist, with a light crumb, and full of flavor. Made as-written, I’ll offer one note: molasses, not ginger, was the dominant flavor. If I were, due to the recipe’s title, expecting a ginger cake, I might have been a bit let down. But as a gingerbread or ginger molasses cake? Excellent,
robin
I made this in a 9x13 pan (same measurements), baked for 45min. It’s excellent! It was even better the next day. Not too sweet, and the best with coffee or tea. I think it’s make an excellent thing to bring to church or a potluck.
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