VelvetGingerbread Cake with Lemon Curd Cream
Inspired by techniques from Bon Appétit.
A dark, spiced molasses cake mixed in two bowls with boiling water instead of creamed butter, so the crumb stays moist, dense and deeply gingery. Billowy cream swirled with tangy lemon curd goes over the top once the cake is cool, cutting through the spice and sweetness.
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Method
- 1
Heat the oven and prepare the pan. Heat the oven to 180 °C (160 °C fan). Grease the cake pan with the oil or nonstick spray, line the base with parchment paper, and grease the paper too.
- 2
Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, fine salt, baking powder and baking soda together in a medium bowl.
- 3
Melt the butter. Put the butter pieces in a large bowl and pour the boiling water over. Whisk until the butter is fully melted and the mixture is smooth.
- 4
Add the sugar, molasses and egg. Whisk the brown sugar and molasses into the butter mixture. Let it stand for a minute so it's no longer hot enough to cook the egg, then whisk in the egg and grated fresh ginger until smooth.
- 5
Combine and bake. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and whisk just until no streaks of flour remain. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
- 6
Cool the cake. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert it onto a wire rack. Peel off the parchment and let the cake cool completely, about 1 hour, before topping.
- 7
Whip the cream. Beat the chilled cream and powdered sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer or whisk until firm peaks form.
- 8
Swirl in the curd and finish. Fold the lemon curd through the whipped cream just enough to leave visible swirls; don't overmix. Spread over the cooled cake and scatter with the grated lemon zest.
Storage
Store the topped cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; the plain cake layer, before topping, keeps in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to 2 days. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
Free sugars
31.2 g per serving
62.4 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 124.8 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g (WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- 20 cm square cake pan
- parchment paper
- medium bowl (x2)
- large bowl
- whisk
- small saucepan or kettle, for boiling water
- wooden skewer or cake tester
- wire rack
- electric mixer or whisk, for the cream
- fine grater, for the zest
- rubber spatula
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 424 kcal |
| Protein | 4.2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 51.3 g |
| of which sugars | 32.2 g |
| of which free sugars | 31.2 g |
| Fat | 23.3 g |
| of which saturates | 14.3 g |
| Fibre | 0.9 g |
| Salt | 0.66 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
1 g High Protein needs ≥ 5 g (20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
