| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 20 min |
| Prep: | 20 min |
| Inactive: | 30 min |
| Cook: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsulphured molasses
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest, plus extra for serving
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/3 cup small-diced crystallized ginger, plus extra for serving
- Whipped Cream, for serving
- 1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
- 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons creme fraiche
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch-round baking pan, line with parchment paper, then grease and flour the pan. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula. Add the eggs, one at a time, the molasses and the 2 teaspoons lemon zest and mix until combined. (The batter may look curdled.)
- Sift together the flour, ground ginger, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients, alternating with the milk, scraping down the sides. Mix until smooth. With a rubber spatula, fold in the 1/3 cup crystallized ginger.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick just comes out clean. Don’t overbake it! Cool in the pan for 30 minutes, turn out onto a baking rack and cool completely. Spread the top with whipped cream and sprinkle with crystallized ginger and grated lemon zest.
- Place the cream, confectioners’ sugar, granulated sugar, creme fraiche and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed, until it forms soft peaks. Refrigerate up to 4 hours before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 556 |
| Total Fat | 31 g |
| Saturated Fat | 19 g |
| Carbohydrates | 65 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 46 g |
| Protein | 6 g |
| Cholesterol | 139 mg |
| Sodium | 259 mg |
Reviews
This a wonderful cake. I had no problem with the baking time. I made fresh lemon curd to serve with the whipped cream and cake. Swoon!
Just tested this dessert to take for Christmas day! It is Phenomenal, Beautiful & Taste Yummy! Don’t expect a sweet dessert, one of a Kind!!! Thanks Ina, another Home Run! If your cake turns out soupy…check your oven temp. I keep an oven thermometer in my oven at All times.
Mine was soup in the middle after 35 minutes. It was 50 minutes before the toothpick came out clean and the top is very hard. I hope the whipped cream softens it and the cake isn’t dry as dust. I’m not hopeful. And it looked so good on TV! Boo.
Definitely a keeper recipe! Moist, delicious flavors, and pretty. I am going to use this cake for my “bunny cake” this Easter!
This recipe should specify which molasses to use. Well, the only unsulphured molasses that I could find at my supermarket was the blackstrap variety. The cake was very disappointing and came out dense, bitter, and inedible. What’s the point of making it ahead, if you only throw it away. A total waste of time and money. I’ll give it one star because of the whip cream which we had to use on a store bought pie.
Be careful about “clean toothpick”. I made this exactly according to instructions and saw her strict warning about taking it out JUST when the toothpick comes out clean and the further warning of “Don’t overbake”. Well, my toothpick was clean as a whistle at 35 minutes but even so the cake was still a little bit wiggly in the middle. Thinking somehow that it would “set” a bit more after I took it out, I went ahead and took it out. After 30 minutes of sitting in the pan, it was QUITE wet in the middle. Still gave it a five-star rating because the edges of the cake with the toppings of whipped cream, lemon zest and ginger were delicious! But next time I will err on the side of making sure the cake is fully done!
This was great. I used buttermilk instead of milk, and increased the zest to 2 Tbsp. Then made lemon glaze instead of the sour cream. I love lemon and ginger together. Molassas just right.
This cake is AWESOME! I made it for my aunt’s birthday and EVERYONE had seconds. Although it’s not necessary, I kicked it up a notch and drizzled some caramel sauce over the top…YUM! This recipe is definitely a keeper.
Great flavor. You really have to like the spicy taste of raw ginger to enjoy this. I felt kind of like I was eating a bag of holiday potpourri. I enjoyed the whipped cream and added sprinkles, which added a nice sweetness to the gingerbread. I didn’t bring the eggs to room temperature, but that didn’t seem to matter. And my mom had me use Tillamook premium sour cream instead of creme fraiche. I think you could probably also substitute buttermilk/sour milk. It just gives the cream a slightly acidic aftertaste.