Classic Gingerbread Cake


SERVES 8

This cake packs potent yet well-balanced spice. If you prefer less spice, you can decrease the amount of ground ginger to 1 tablespoon. Avoid opening the oven door until the minimum baking time has elapsed. Serve the gingerbread plain or with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

¾

cup stout, such as Guinness

½

teaspoon baking soda

cup molasses

¾

cup (5¼ ounces) packed light brown sugar

¼

cup (1¾ ounces) granulated sugar

cups (7½ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

2

tablespoons ground ginger

½

teaspoon baking powder

½

teaspoon table salt

¼

teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼

teaspoon ground black pepper

2

large eggs, at room temperature

cup vegetable oil

1

tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan, line with parchment paper, grease the parchment, and flour the pan.

2. Bring the stout to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and stir in the baking soda (the mixture will foam vigorously). When the foaming subsides, stir in the molasses, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until dissolved; set aside. Whisk the flour, ground ginger, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and pepper together in a large bowl.

3. Transfer the stout mixture to a second large bowl. Whisk in the eggs, oil, and grated ginger until combined. Whisk the wet mixture into the flour mixture in thirds, stirring vigorously until completely smooth after each addition.

4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top with a rubber spatula, and gently tap the pan on the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake until the top of the cake is just firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack, about 1½ hours, before serving.