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Ginger Cake
Author/Submitted by:
Servings: 2
Categories:
Cakes
/
Desserts
Ingredients:
No Ingredients Found
Directions:
Back in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, when the trade in
ginger was as lovely as that in pepper, the sensual powers attributed
to it certainly enhanced its sales. But it does seem curious that
the spice most widely used in Chinese cookery should have come to be
the archetypical Christmas flavor in the West. What's Christmas,
after all, without gingersnaps or a gingerbread house. Whatever the
reasons for ginger's worldwide popularity, its wake up flavor is
indomitable. Slice this loaf very thin and spread it with sweet
creamery butter for a quick, refreshing pick me up. For a more
leisurely repast, try the striped gingerbread stack described below.
The dark and light bands of cream cheese and ledvar, or prune butter,
are striking, as is the subtle blend of flavors that results.
LARGE 3/4 cup milk, whole or skim, 2 tbsp heavy cream, 3 tbsp canola
oil (or other light oil), 1 cup unbleached flour, 3/4 cup semolina
flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tbsp instant coffee, 1-1/2 tsp ground ginger,
1-1/2 tsp ground cloves, 1/2 - 1 tsp salt, 1-1/2 tsp active dry
yeast, 1 cup milk, whole or skim, 1/4 cup heavy cream, 1/4 cup canola
oil, 1 medium egg, 2 cup unbleached flour, 1-1/2 cups semolina flour,
2/3 cup sugar, 2 tbsp instant coffee, 2 tsp ground ginger, 2 tsp
ground cloves, 1 - 2 tsp salt, 2 tsp active dry yeast
Pour the milk into your bread machine baking pan and add the cream
and oil (and egg if doing the large loaf) then add the dry
ingredients and yeast. Bake this loaf on your machine's quick cycle.
For a striped gingerbread stack, spectacular both to behold and to
taste, remove all crusts but the top crust once the loaf has cooled.
Lay the loaf on it's side and cut it into slices about 1/2 inch
thick. The bread can be sliced into even thinner pieces, which are
nice for simply buttered tea sandwiches, but here you'll be stacking
the layers, and you don't want the edifice to be too precarious. Set
the top crust aside and spread the other lsices alternately with
cream cheese and ledvar (prune butter) You will need 3 - 4 oz of
cream cheese, doublt that if you'd like a swirl of it whipped to
crown the loaf, and a 12 oz can or jar of prune filling Apple butter,
which also goes well with this loaf can be substituted for the
ledvar, but only if its consistency if very firm. Smooth the filling
all the way out to the edges of the slices. It's best to spread each
slice while it's flat on your working surface and then add it to the
stack, as if you were buttering an order of toast, rather than
placing each slice on the stack and then spreading it with filling,
as in assembling a layer cake. Don't worry about a litte filling
oozing over the edge of the bread. Stack the layers like pancakes,
run a knife around the perimeter of the stack to remove any excess
filling and to bring out the striped pattern and put the upper crust
back in place. Add a swirled topknot of whipped cream cheese as the
stack's crowning glory. If the cream cheese is difficult to whip, it
can be softened with about 1 tbsp of cream or milk. Sprinkle with
chopped nuts or dates if desired.
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