Glazed Gingerbread Cake

Makes one 9-inch cake

IAM REALLY PARTICULAR about gingerbread, even though it’s a humble dessert. I believe that good gingerbread should be moist enough that it sticks to your fingers a bit if you’re eating it with your hands and that it should have enough ginger and black pepper to make it a little spicy. So committed was I to creating the ultimate gingerbread that I tested almost a dozen variations on this recipe; for a while, I was bringing gingerbread everywhere I went, giving wedges to the UPS man, the teachers at my kids’ school, and all our neighbors.

This gingerbread falls into the category of sweets that I call snack cakes, meaning it’s appropriate at any time of day (especially breakfast). Most gingerbread recipes are made with oil, but mine is made with butter and crème fraîche, which give the finished cake an especially delicate, tender crumb and great flavor. It also tastes richly of ginger, which appears in the recipe in three forms: fresh, powdered, and candied.

2 cups all-purpose flour

2½ teaspoons ground ginger

1½ teaspoons ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup packed plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

½ cup crème fraîche or sour cream

1 ounce grated fresh ginger (peeled before grating)

7 tablespoons unsulfured molasses (not blackstrap) dissolved in ½ cup hot water

2 tablespoons finely chopped candied ginger

FOR THE GLAZE:

¾ cup confectioners’ sugar

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon milk

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9-inch round pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease the parchment. Set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, ginger, nutmeg, baking soda, ground cloves, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and black pepper.

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until creamy, then add the brown sugar and beat until blended. Reduce the speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time, beating until smooth, then beat in the crème fraîche and grated fresh ginger. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients in 3 batches, alternating with the molasses mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix in the candied ginger.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool 15 minutes, then turn out of the pan and let cool completely.

MAKE THE GLAZE: In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. When the cake is completely cool, pour the glaze over it, letting some run down the sides. Cut into thick wedges and serve plain or with whipped cream.