Not Gingerly with Ginger

I recently made a ginger cake for Greg's birthday - or, more accurately, a double ginger cake. This baking adventure represented somewhat of a departure from bakings past, as your blogger does not share the cake recipient's enthusiasm for ginger. In fact, it's probably one of my least favorite sweet spices. However, Bon Appetit came through (again) with an innovative recipe that maximizes the ginger flavor for ginger lovers, all within the framework of a delicious sour cream cake coated in raw sugar crystals that can be appreciated by any lover of baked goods. The intense ginger flavor comes from two sources - ground ginger, which I use regularly in spice cakes and whose taste I find pleasant in that context, and chopped crystallized ginger, which is infinitely stronger, gooey, and sticky. The result was well-received! Here is the recipe, in case you have a ginger lover to please:

• Softened butter (for brushing pan)
• 1/2 C raw (turbinado) sugar
• 2 1/4 C all purpose flour
• 4 t ground ginger
• 2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 C (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 C sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 t vanilla extract
• 1 C sour cream
• 1 C chopped crystallized ginger

1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Brush softened butter generously all over inside of 12 C Bundt pan. Sprinkle raw sugar over butter in pan, tilting pan to coat completely.
2. Whisk flour, ground ginger, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl.
3. Using electric mixer, beat 1 C butter in large bowl until smooth. Add 2 C sugar; beat on medium-high speed until blended, about 2 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in 1 egg yolk and vanilla, stopping to scrape down bowl as needed.
4. Add flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with sour cream in 2 additions, beating on low speed just until blended after each addition. Mix in crystallized ginger. Spread batter in pan, being careful not to dislodge raw sugar.
5. Bake cake until top is light brown and tester inserted near center comes out with a few small crumbs attached, about 55 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool in pan 15 minutes. Gently tap bottom edge of pan on work surface while rotating pan until cake loosens. Place rack atop pan and invert cake onto rack; remove pan. Cool completely.

The cake mixes and bakes easily. Once you are ready to eat it, it tastes fine at room temperature, but a warmed slice will release its aroma oh so nicely. The sour cream batter provides a hint of sweet tang, which goes well with the spicy sweetness of the ginger. A delicious counterpoint to both tang and spice is the turbinado sugar crust baked over the exterior of the cake. Its sweet crunch really made the cake! I rarely rave about baked-item crusts, but this cake's edges are worth a rave and more. In fact, I think I will try crusting future Bundt baked items (my aunt's famous double-chocolate cake, perhaps?) in the sugar. One technical recommendation: be very precise about dollopping batter into the Bundt. Try to not have to scrape the batter around the pan to get an even distribution, as this will dislodge the sugar.

In other ginger news, I have a handful or two of crystallized ginger still left over from this baking...anyone want?