Demon Cake
This recipe is from an 1880s cookbook. Tried it last weekend and it was absolutely delicious. It's almost like gingerbread, but slightly different.
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 1/2 tsps. ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tsp. to 2 T. brandy as preferred
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 T. milk or water
60 grams finely julienned crystallized ginger (about 1/2 cup)
2 apples, cored and cut into 1/4” dice (peeling optional)
Powdered sugar, for serving
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease one 9-inch round cake or springform pan, and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper.
In a large bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), cream together the butter and sugar. Add the molasses, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, egg, and brandy and mix to combine.
Add the flour, folding with a rubber spatula until it just begins to come together. The dough will be thick.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the baking soda and baking powder with the milk. Add this mixture to the batter and fold to combine. Finally, fold in the crystallized ginger and diced apples.
Spread the batter into the cake pan. The batter will be stiff, but you should be able to smooth it out with an offset spatula. (Some pieces of apple may be peeking out of the top of your batter—this is fine.) Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until you are able to insert a cake tester and it comes out clean.
Let sit for 5 minutes, then remove from pan and place on rack to finish cooling.
Dust with powdered sugar before serving, or warm in microwave and put lots of butter on it.
Lessons Learned from first baking:
Don't even think about mixing this by hand. It's very thick; use a stand mixer! Fold the final ingredients by using the lowest speed. Your arms will thank you.
Depending on how your particular oven bakes, you might want to start checking around 40 minutes. Mine was overcooked at 55 minutes, and crusty on top. After it cooled, I wrapped it in aluminum foil, and it actually softened over the next few days. Flavor also enhanced as it "aged."
As you can see, it's a bit overcooked...
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 1/2 tsps. ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tsp. to 2 T. brandy as preferred
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 T. milk or water
60 grams finely julienned crystallized ginger (about 1/2 cup)
2 apples, cored and cut into 1/4” dice (peeling optional)
Powdered sugar, for serving
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease one 9-inch round cake or springform pan, and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper.
In a large bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), cream together the butter and sugar. Add the molasses, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, egg, and brandy and mix to combine.
Add the flour, folding with a rubber spatula until it just begins to come together. The dough will be thick.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the baking soda and baking powder with the milk. Add this mixture to the batter and fold to combine. Finally, fold in the crystallized ginger and diced apples.
Spread the batter into the cake pan. The batter will be stiff, but you should be able to smooth it out with an offset spatula. (Some pieces of apple may be peeking out of the top of your batter—this is fine.) Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until you are able to insert a cake tester and it comes out clean.
Let sit for 5 minutes, then remove from pan and place on rack to finish cooling.
Dust with powdered sugar before serving, or warm in microwave and put lots of butter on it.
Lessons Learned from first baking:
Don't even think about mixing this by hand. It's very thick; use a stand mixer! Fold the final ingredients by using the lowest speed. Your arms will thank you.
Depending on how your particular oven bakes, you might want to start checking around 40 minutes. Mine was overcooked at 55 minutes, and crusty on top. After it cooled, I wrapped it in aluminum foil, and it actually softened over the next few days. Flavor also enhanced as it "aged."
As you can see, it's a bit overcooked...
