ginger, front and center
Can a tea cake be cuddly? In a soothing kind of way, yes.
The mingling of five warm spices, the balmy flavor of molasses, a spark of freshly grated gingerroot, and its inviting moistness make it so. The pumpkin squares, a lightly sweetened cake/bread containing flickers of ginger, are equally delicious. My favorite way to serve the former is as a homespun dessert beefed up with two amiable dollops—of whipped cream laced with ginger preserves and of sunshiny lemon butter. At my table, the pumpkin squares get loaded onto a plate and passed, in place of rolls, during autumn and winter to enjoy with a robust stew or main-course soup.
a snuggly gingerbread tea cake, lemon butter, gingered cream
serving: one 9-inch cake, creating 8 to 10 slices
ahead: best on baking day
spiced fresh ginger batter
21/3 cups plus 3 tablespoons unsifted bleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
1/2 cup neutral vegetable oil (such as soybean or canola)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon lightunsulphured molasses
2 tablespoons peeled and grated fresh gingerroot
3/4 cup boiling water
confectioners’ sugar, for sifting over the baked tea cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Film the inside of a round 9-inch cake pan (3 inches deep) with nonstick flour-and-oil spray. Line the bottom with a round of ovenproof parchment paper and film the surface with the spray.
For the batter, sift the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and cardamom (if you are using it) onto a sheet of waxed paper.
Place the oil and granulated sugar in the large bowl of a freestanding electric mixer. Beat on moderate speed for 1 minute. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and molasses and beat for 1 minute longer. Blend in the gingerroot. On low speed, add half of the sifted mixture, followed by the boiling water, and the balance of the sifted mixture. Blend well after each addition to create a smooth batter, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula to keep the batter even-textured, but avoid protracted beating. The batter should be creamy and pourable.
Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan.
Bake the tea cake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until risen, set, and the cake withdraws slightly from the circular edges of the baking pan. (An ultra-thin band just below the surface of the cake will remain moist—it is the section that begins the crumb of the cake—so testing the cake with a wooden pick is a less-advantageous way to test the cake and could result in an overbaked cake.) Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto another cooling rack. Lift off the pan, peel away the parchment paper, and invert again onto another rack. Serve the cake warm or cool completely. Sift confectioners’ sugar over the top of the cake just before slicing into triangular-shaped wedges and serving. Spoon a little of the lemon butter and gingered cream to the side of each slice. Store in an airtight cake keeper.
notes
• the batter for this tea cake has been finely tuned over a period of years to arrive at a cake that bakes into a plump layer without sinking; oftentimes, a high proportion of liquid (including a liquid sweetening agent, such as molasses) to an inappropriate amount of flour and leavening agent contributes to an unstable batter that collapses, and for this reason be very meticulous when measuring the molasses, boiling water, flour, and baking soda
• protracted beating of the batter at any stage of the procedure may cause the cake to bake somewhat concave in the center
serving: about 13/4 cups lemon butter
ahead: 2 days
lemon curd “spread”
7 large egg yolks
11/4 cups superfine sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
7 tablespoons (1 stick less 1 tablespoon) cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
lemon juice and lemon peel for finishing the butter
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a medium-size nonreactive mixing bowl for 1 minute. At first, the mixture will resemble heavy wet sand, but it will begin to liquefy and loosen up after about 45 seconds. Whisk in the salt.
Pour and scrape the egg yolks-sugar mixture into a heavy, medium-size nonreactive saucepan (preferably enameled cast iron). Blend in the lemon juice. Mix in the chunks of butter. Set the saucepan over moderate heat and cook, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon, flat wooden paddle, or heatproof rubber spatula, for 10 minutes. At the end of the 10 minutes, a good portion of the foamy surface should disappear, the butter will be melted entirely, and it will register 190 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Continue cooking for 3 minutes longer, stirring continuously, or until lightly thickened, all of the foam has disappeared, and the mixture registers 198 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Avoid allowing the mixture to even approach the simmer; using a heavy pan for this step is important because it moderates the heat. The suave, smooth mixture should just lightly coat a wooden spoon, flat wooden paddle, or heatproof rubber spatula at this point. Using cold butter initially helps to keep the lemon mixture creamy-textured, rather than dense or oily. Overcooking the curd will give it a final texture that is slightly gummy or rubbery.
Set a fine-mesh sieve over a medium-size nonreactive mixing bowl. Pour and scrape the lemon butter into the sieve and press it through, using a heatproof rubber spatula. Set this bowl into a larger bowl filled with enough ice cubes and cold water to fill it by one-third. Stir the 1 tablespoon finishing lemon juice and the lemon peel into the butter. Let the lemon butter chill for 10 minutes, stirring it now and again. At this point, the temperature will drop to 78 degrees F and the mixture will resemble soft pudding.
Remove the bowl containing the lemon mixture from the water bath and thoroughly dry the outside of the bowl. Scrape the lemon butter into a sturdy, impeccably clean, nonreactive storage container and press a sheet of food-safe plastic wrap directly onto the surface. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
notes
• organic egg yolks, with their yellow-orange hue, produce the best-tasting and most beautifully colored lemon butter
• be sure to refrigerate the lemon butter in an airtight container, as lemon butter is infamous for absorbing any lingering savory scents in the refrigerator
serving: about 2 cups
spiced cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup cold heavy cream
1 tablespoon superfine sugar
2 tablespoons best-quality ginger preserves
Chill a set of beaters and a small mixing bowl for at least 45 minutes.
Pour the heavy cream into the bowl and whip until just beginning to mound.
Sprinkle over the sugar and continue whipping for 2 minutes longer, or until the cream holds its shape softly in the bowl of a spoon. By hand, blend in the ginger preserves and vanilla extract, using a rubber spatula and a few swift, sweeping stirs. Use immediately.
notes
• once the ginger preserves are added, the cream will begin to firm up, so it is important to use the accompaniment as soon as it is prepared
a snuggly gingerbread tea cake, lemon butter
gingered pumpkin squares for the breadbasket
serves: one 9-inch quick bread, creating 12 squares
ahead: 2 days
gingery pumpkin batter
21/3 cups plus 3 tablespoons unsifted bleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup light unsulphured molasses
1/2 cup plain, solid-pack 100% pumpkin
2 tablespoons peeled and grated fresh gingerroot
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sour cream
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Film the inside of a 9 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan with nonstick flour-and-oil spray.
For the batter, sift the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves onto a sheet of waxed paper.
Cream the butter in the large bowl of a freestanding electric mixer on moderate speed for 2 minutes. Add the light brown sugar and continue beating for 2 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and beat for 1 minute longer. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Blend in the vanilla extract and molasses, followed by the pumpkin. Blend in the gingerroot. The mixture will look curdled. On low speed, blend in half of the sifted mixture, the sour cream, then the balance of the sifted mixture. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl frequently with a rubber spatula to keep the batter even-textured. The batter will be dense, but soft.
Spoon and scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan.
Bake the quick bread in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until set and a wooden pick withdraws clean when inserted 2 inches from the center. The baked quick bread will pull away from the sides of the baking pan. Cool the quick bread completely in the pan on a cooling rack. Cut the bread into squares directly from the pan and remove them, using a small offset metal spatula, to a breadbasket. Store any remaining squares not served on baking day in an airtight cake keeper.
notes
• the bread is wonderfully downy and moist
• squares of this pleasing and not overly sweet autumnal quick bread would be a fine addition to the Thanksgiving table breadbasket