Gingerbread cake with date syrup bourbon sauce

Gingerbread cake from The Flavor Equation: The Science of Great Cooking Explained + More Than 100 Essential Recipes by Nik Sharma

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Nutrition Facts

Amount Per Serving

Calories 515 Calories from Fat 216

% Daily Value*

Fat 24g37%

Saturated Fat 14g88%

Trans Fat 1g

Cholesterol 94mg31%

Sodium 323mg14%

Potassium 612mg17%

Carbohydrates 72g24%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 46g51%

Protein 5g10%

Vitamin A 801IU16%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 103mg10%

Iron 3mg17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Gingerbread cake with date syrup bourbon sauce

An indulgent ginger cake

Prep Time30

Cook Time1

Total Time1 30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: British

Servings:

Calories: 515kcal

Equipment

23cm square baking pan
Small saucepan
Large bowl
Food mixer

Ingredients

For the cake:

165 g unsalted butter at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground green cardamom
1 tsp lime zest
350 g all-purpose flour
1.5 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
55 g crystallised ginger chopped
50 g sugar
85 g honey
320 g unsulfured molasses or sorghum
120 g crème fraîche
2 large eggs at room temperature
240 ml water warmed to 70°C

For the date syrup bourbon sauce:

2 tbsp unsalted butter
240 ml date syrup
240 ml heavy cream
2 tbsp honey bourbon or whiskey
1/4 tsp fine sea salt

For serving:

Lightly sweetened crème fraîche
Fresh lime zest

Method

Grease a 23 cm square baking pan with a little butter and line with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the ginger, black pepper, cardamom, and lime zest. Let steep for 10 minutes.
Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl. Reserve two tablespoons of the flour mixture in a small bowl, add the crystallised ginger to it, and toss to coat well.
Preheat the oven to 325°F [163°C].
Place the sugar, honey, and molasses in the bowl of a stand mixer. Scrape out the melted butter from the saucepan with a silicone spatula and add it to the mixer bowl. Using the paddle attachment, mix on medium speed until it turns a toffee-brown colour, four to five minutes.
Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl, add the crème fraîche, and mix on low speed until combined, one minute. Stop and scrape down the bowl. Mix in one egg at a time on medium speed until combined. Add the sifted dry ingredients in one addition and mix on low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the speed set to low, add the water in a slow, steady stream and mix until combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl. Fold in the crystallised ginger and transfer the cake batter to the prepared baking pan. Bake until the cake is golden brown on the surface and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean, 50-60 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the pan. Run a knife along the edges of the pan to release the cake and transfer to a serving plate.
To prepare the date bourbon sauce, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Swirl the butter in the saucepan until the milk solids start to turn red. Whisk in the date syrup and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cream, followed by the bourbon and the salt. Transfer to an airtight jar and refrigerate until ready to use. You can make this sauce two days ahead of time.
To serve, cut the cake into slices and serve with sweetened crème fraîche, a little lime zest, and a generous drizzle of the date bourbon sauce.

Nutrition