Gingerbread Cake with Molasses and Turmeric Cream Cheese Frosting

When I originally started brainstorming my 12 Days of Christmas Desserts, this recipe was supposed to be my traditional one. In my little notebook, I actually have written down “classic gingerbread cake with cream cheese frosting”. I wouldn’t say that this cake is classic, but it’s definitely Anna. What can I say? I can’t help myself.

While not exceptionally classic, there are some really fun flavors at play in this cake and it’s still a very simple recipe. An ultra-moist, blending method cake gets loaded with grated fresh ginger and carob molasses and then topped with a semi-traditional cream cheese frosting, spiked with a little turmeric. Sprinkling the whole thing with toasted pecans and candied ginger feels a little festive and so while is this is decidedly not a traditional gingerbread cake, it’s a very fun one.

Gingerbread Cake with Carob Molasses and Tumeric Cream Cheese Frosting

makes one 9x13” cake

Ingredients

for the cake 

2 1/2 cups (300 g) all purpose flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated (from a piece about 1”)

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

1 cup carob molasses (or regular molasses)

3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar

1/4 cup (55 g) brown sugar

1 cup (200 g) neutral oil

3/4 cup (170 g) warm water

1/4 cup orange juice

1 tbsp vanilla extract

for the frosting

8 oz cream cheese, softened

4 oz (113 g) unsalted butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1/2 tsp turmeric*

toasted pecans, optional

candied ginger, optional

Procedure 

1. Preheat oven to 350° F and line a 9x13” baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and fresh ginger. Set aside.

3. In another large bowl, whisk together eggs, molasses, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, orange juice, and oil until smooth and combined.

4. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir together until incorporated. Gradually whisk in the warm water until batter is smooth and loose.

5. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and the center of the cake is set. Let cool.

6. To make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the butter and continue to beat until mixture is smooth and homogenous. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and tumeric, and continue to beat until frosting is smooth and fluffy.

7. Spread frosting on cooled cake and sprinkle with toasted pecans and candied ginger.

Notes:

-If turmeric isn’t your cup of tea, feel free to leave it out completely. The measurement listed in the recipe errs on the side of caution in that there is a faint turmeric flavor but not enough to scare people off. If I were making this cake just for myself, I’d probably up to 1 tsp in order for the flavor to really come through. Choose your own adventure. :)

-If you don’t have carob molasses, you can just sub in regular ‘ole molasses and get a slightly less chocolatey, more classic gingerbread flavor.

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Grapefruit and Thyme Olive Oil Cake

This easy olive oil cake recipe features bright, citrusy grapefruit and fragrant thyme to give an elevated twist on a classic recipe.

I know that everyone and their mothers have said it, but 2020 has been quite a year. Between an election and a pandemic, things have felt wild and out of control most of the time this year and normal life just isn’t so normal anymore. Martin and I were chatting and reflecting the other night and it feels weird because this year has been so unexpectedly challenging for so many people, but for us, in our little bubble, it’s actually been a pretty good year. We’ve both been in fairly challenging work situations, but ones that have pushed us to really grow. We adopted sweet little Tahini this year, who has become the little furry joy of our lives. And somehow, we were able to continue saving money, scraping together enough to buy our first home. All of this sweetness doesn’t negate the exhaustion, though, so we took a little getaway. I’m writing today’s blog post from the very, very cozy bed of a little AirBnB on the beach and it’s just a dream. We’re sleeping in, and lounging by the pool, and drinking wine and it’s the most relaxed I’ve felt in a good, long, while.

So in the spirit of relaxation, let’s continue to chat about one of my very favorite topics: cake. I think that a good olive oil cake is a non-negotiable for any self-respecting home baker. They are quick and easy to throw together, endlessly adaptable, and just so moist and delicious that they rarely need extras like frosting or glaze. This one is thick, flavored with grapefruit and thyme and holds well for a couple of a days. A little note to remember about olive oil cakes—because they have a pretty high liquid content, they take a good long time to bake. If your cake is starting to brown too much while the middle is still jiggly, just tent it with a piece of aluminum foil. Also, I baked this in a deep 9” springform pan and any smaller cake pan will probably result in a very messy cake/oven situation. If you are baking this in a smaller cake pan, I’d half the recipe, or bake it in a rectangular 9x13” pan.

And just so I don’t forget, happy day 3 of 12 Days of Christmas Desserts!

Yield: makes one 9" springform pan

Author: Anna Ramiz

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Grapefruit and Thyme Olive Oil Cake

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 50 MinTotal time: 1 Hour

Ingredients

• 2 cups (260 g) all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cup (270 g) granulated sugar
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• zest from two medium grapefruits
• 1/2 cup (115 g) grapefruit juice
• 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 cup (225 g) olive oil
• 1 cup (243 g) buttermilk, at room temperature
• 3 eggs, at room temperature

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a 9” springform pan with olive oil and line with parchment paper, set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine granulated sugar, fresh thyme, and grapefruit zest. Use your fingers to rub the zest and the thyme into the sugar until well-mixed. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to the sugar mixture and whisk everything to combine.
3. In another medium-sized bowl or large glass measuring cup, whisk together olive oil, buttermilk, grapefruit juice, and eggs until smooth and homogenous.
4. Slowly pour wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients, and whisk until the batter is smooth and no clumps of flour remain.
5. Pour batter into your prepared springform pan and smooth into an even layer using a knife or offset spatula. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until the cake is dark golden brown in color, the sides are beginning to pull away from the pan, and the center is set and no longer wiggly. (If the top is getting too brown, but the center is not yet set, you can loosely place a piece of foil over the top to slow down the browning.)
6. Let the cake cool completely in the pan before inverting onto a plate and serving.

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Sweet Potato and Rye Coffee Cake

The very best buttermilk coffee cake recipe, filled with sweet potatoes and fall spices, topped with a ginger crumble topping and drizzled with a browned butter glaze.

Guys, this sweet potato and rye coffee cake is SO GOOD. I often have a never ending list in my mind (and jotted down in sticky notebooks or on loose pieces of paper) of recipes that I want to develop. Sometimes they come from a photo I saw or a meal I ate, other times they just pop into my head seemingly out of nowhere. As I create content, I try to move through this list, and sometimes, a recipe idea will hang out on my list for months, while other times, I head to the kitchen and make it immediately. Which is really not fair to those long-standing little guys, like ricotta donuts, that have been hanging out on my to-do list since March, but such is life. Anyway, this sweet potato coffee cake was in the latter category. One day a couple of weeks ago, the idea popped into my head and I made it the next day. It was perfect the first time. I jotted down notes, photographed it, sent the leftovers with my husband to work and set out on the next project. But then my husband came home and some of his co-workers loved this cake so much that they wanted to special order one. So I made another. Then they special ordered another one. So I made it again. And again. Now over the last three weeks, it feels like this is the only cake I’ve baked. If that’s not a glowing review for this cake, I don’t know what is. Go make it today so I don’t have to anymore!

about the coffee cake

This is a creaming method cake, that uses solid fat (butter) so that it has a light, fluffy consistency, but, there’s a little bit of a secret weapon in the form of buttermilk. Buttermilk provides fat and moisture while also tenderizing the cake, making it ultra-moist and a little dense (like an oil-based cake). That means that this final cake is BOTH light and dense, fluffy and moist. It’s everything to everyone and I love it. The addition of rye flour gives a bit of a nutty, tangy flavor, but you could easily use 100% all-purpose flour if that’s what you had on hand. Spelt would also be a fun addition if you were feeling experimental.

I like to roast my sweet potatoes the day before so they have time to cool completely before I peel and mash them (see notes below the recipe), just make sure that everything is room temperature before mixing. This cake is a little sensitive and has a tendency to curdle up a bit if any ingredient is even a little bit too cold. If your batter does curdle, especially after adding the eggs and the sweet potato, all is not lost, just add a little of your dry ingredients. The starches will help bind everything back together.

And don’t forget the browned butter glaze, the real MVP of this whole thing. You’ll want to eat it with a spoon and I will not judge you one bit if you do.

Yield

one 9x13" cake, 12-16 servings

Author

Anna Ramiz

Prep time

30 Min

Cook time

1 Hour

Total time

1 H & 30 M

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Sweet Potato and Rye Coffee Cake

The very best buttermilk coffee cake recipe, filled with sweet potatoes and fall spices, topped with a ginger crumble topping and drizzled with a browned butter glaze.

Ingredients

for the ginger crumble

• 1/2 cup (65 g) rye flour
• 3/4 cup (75 g) rolled oats
• 1/2 cup (100 g) brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2” piece of fresh ginger, grated (or 1/2 tsp ground ginger)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened

for the cake

• 1 1/2 cup (190 g) all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup (100 g) rye flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 3/4 cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup (220 g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (100 g) brown sugar
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup (150 g) sweet potato, cooked and mashed*
• 1 cup (242 g) buttermilk, at room temperature

for the browned butter glaze

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter
• 1 1/2-2 cups powdered sugar
• pinch of salt
• about 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream*

Instructions

to make the crumb

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.
2. Add butter and work together using your fingers until butter is completely mixed in and no dry spots remain. Place the crumble in the refrigerator to chill while you make the rest of the cake.

to make the cake

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 9x13” baking dish with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, making sure to scrape down the sides and ensure all butter chunks are mixed in.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, rye flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and ginger. Set aside.
4. With the mixer on low speed, add eggs one at a time, mixing each completely before adding the next. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then add mashed sweet potato and vanilla extract. Mix on low-medium speed for 1-2 minutes more, until everything is combined and homogenous.
5. With the mixer on low-speed, add 1/3 of the dry ingredients, followed by half of the buttermilk. When the buttermilk has mixed in, add another 1/3 of the dry ingredients, followed by the remaining half of buttermilk, then the remaining 1/3 of the dry ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then mix one more minute. Remove bowl from mixer and use a rubber spatula to gently fold the batter a few more times, ensuring that the batter is smooth and homogenous and everything is well combined.
6. Pour batter into prepared baking dish and use an offset spatula to smooth into an even layer. Remove crumble from refrigerator and sprinkle evenly over the top of the cake.
7. Bake for 45-50 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake. Let cool completely in the pan while you make the glaze.

to make the glaze

1. Place butter in a small saucepan set over medium heat and cook for 6-7 minutes, swirling occasionally, until butter is foamy and fragrant and small amber flecks appear on the bottom of the pan.
2. Quickly remove the butter from the heat and pour into a heatproof bowl. Immediately whisk in powdered sugar, salt, and heavy cream, adding more heavy cream if needed to achieve your desired consistency. Drizzle glaze over coffee cake and let set before slicing.

Notes:

on sweet potatoes: For this recipe, sweet potatoes need to be soft and mashable. I like to poke holes in a whole sweet potato and then roast it in a 400° F oven for 30-40 minutes until soft. I let it cool completely (sometimes even just pop it in the fridge overnight) and then peel it cold.

for the glaze: About 1/4 cup of heavy cream is a very vague measurement and for that I am sorry, but I’ve made this recipe many times and I think I use a slightly different amount every time. I would recommend starting with 3-4 tbsp of heavy cream and adding more if needed to loosen the glaze. If your glaze begins to separate and become oily, just add a little more heavy cream and keep whisking. The fat in the cream should help it emulsify and come back together. If you get a little heavy handed and your glaze is too runny, add a little more powdered sugar- it’s very forgiving!

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