Samin Nosrat’s Ginger Cake is so easy and so good. It’s in her Salt Fat Acid Heat cookbook. It also makes amazing cupcakes; halve the recipe for 12 cupcakes and cook for 20 minutes.
Ginger and Molasses Cake
1 cup (4 oz) peeled, thinly sliced fresh ginger (about 5 oz unpeeled)
1 cup (7 oz) sugar
1 cup neutral tasting oil
1 cup molasses
2 1/3 cups (12 oz) flour
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp coarse salt or 1 tsp regular
2 tsp baking soda
1 cup boiling water
2 large eggs at room temperature
Whipped cream, to serve
Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Set a rack in the upper third of the oven. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake tins.
Purée fresh ginger and sugar in a food processor til completely smooth. Pour mixture into a bowl and add oil and molasses. Whisk to combine.
In another bowl, sift flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, pepper, salt and baking soda and set aside.
Add boiling water to the sugar-oil mixture and whisk to combine.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour into it the oil-water mixture. Gradually whisk in eggs and stir til smooth. The batter will be thin.
Divide batter between two tins. Tap filled tins against the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles, then bake for 38-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Cool cakes completely on wire rack, then turn them from tins.
Frost one layer with plenty of whipped cream and top with the second layer.