Sugar Cube (19 page)

Pastry chef Claudia Fleming created one of the moistest, gingeriest ginger-stout cakes on the planet in her cookbook
The Last Course
. I love that cake, but I couldn’t leave well enough alone, so I started tweaking it to see how far I could take it. I added whole-wheat pastry flour and buckwheat flour for nutty heft, swapped out the Guinness for intense, locally made Rogue chocolate stout, and threw in more fresh ginger and a pinch of dry mustard for heat. The result is a seriously moist, seriously intense spice cake with a fluffy mound of maple cream cheese frosting and a sprinkle of toasted coconut.
MAKES 16 CUPCAKES

• ¹
  /
  ₂
  to
  ³
  /
  ₄
  cup sweetened shredded coconut (preferably Angel Flake) for garnish
  

• 1 cup chocolate stout beer
  
• 1 cup blackstrap molasses
  
• ¹
  /
  ₂
  teaspoon baking soda
  
• ¹
  /
  ₂
  cup granulated sugar
  
• ¹
  /
  ₂
  cup packed dark brown sugar
  
• ³
  /
  ₄
  cup vegetable oil
  
• 2 heaping tablespoons peeled and grated fresh ginger
  
• 1
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  
• 1
  ³
  /
  ₄
  cups whole-wheat pastry flour
  
• ¹
  /
  ₄
  cup buckwheat flour
  
• 2 tablespoons ground ginger
  
• 1
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  teaspoons baking powder
  
• 1 teaspoon ground saigon cinnamon (
  see tip from Giddyup Cookies
  )
  
• ¹
  /
  ₂
  teaspoon kosher salt
  
• ¹
  /
  ₄
  teaspoon ground cloves
  
• ¹
  /
  ₄
  teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  
• ¹
  /
  ₄
  teaspoon ground cardamom
  
• ¹
  /
  ₈
  teaspoon yellow mustard powder
  

• ¹
  /
  ₂
  cup granulated sugar
  
• ¹
  /
  ₂
  cup water
  
• 1 teaspoon peeled and freshly grated ginger
  

• 1 recipe
  Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
  

• PREHEAT THE OVEN
  to 350°F. Spread the coconut in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet and toast until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Line 16 muffin cups with paper liners.
  
• TO MAKE THE CUPCAKES:
  In a medium heavy-bottomed pot, combine the stout and molasses and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn off the heat and whisk in the baking soda. Set aside to cool and allow the foam to subside. When cool, whisk in the granulated sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil, grated ginger, vanilla, and eggs (be sure the pot and the mixture are cool or the eggs might curdle).
  
• IN A LARGE BOWL
  , whisk together the whole-wheat pastry flour, buckwheat flour, ground ginger, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, and mustard powder. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk just until combined.
  
• DIVIDE THE BATTER
  equally among the muffin cups, leaving about
  ¹
  /
  ₄
  inch of room at the top. Bake until the tops spring back when lightly pressed, 20 to 25 minutes.
  
• TO MAKE THE GINGER SYRUP:
  In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and grated ginger and bring to a boil over high heat. Continue to boil for 1 to 2 minutes to concentrate the flavors. (You can make the syrup a few days in advance; refrigerate until ready to use.)
  
• WHILE THE CUPCAKES ARE STILL HOT
  , brush the tops with ginger syrup. (You won’t use it all. Just refrigerate the rest and use it in a cocktail or in the
  Fizzy Lifting Drink
  .)
  
• LET COOL COMPLETELY
  before frosting with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting. Place a large pinch of toasted coconut on the tops for garnish.
  

This is my kind of hybrid. It’s both a dense, moist almond cake and a bright, lemony teacake all at once—a perfect combination in my book. The cake is an awesome keeper; it stays moist for days, and the flavor seems to get even better!
MAKES 10 TO 12 SERVINGS

• ³
  /
  ₄
  cup all-purpose flour
  
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
  
• ³
  /
  ₄
  teaspoon sea salt
  
• Two 7-ounce tubes almond paste (
  not
  marzipan), broken into pieces
  
• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  
• 2 lemons
  
• 2 tangerines or oranges
  
• 1
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into chunks
  
• 7 eggs, at room temperature
  
• ¹
  /
  ₂
  teaspoon vanilla extract
  

• Juice of 1 lemon
  
• Juice of 2 tangerines
  
• ¹
  /
  ₄
  cup granulated sugar
  
• 1 tablespoon water
  
• ¹
  /
  ₄
  vanilla bean
  
• Confectioners’ sugar for sprinkling
  
• 1 recipe
  Luscious Lemon Curd
  for serving
  
• 2 pints fresh berries, figs, or cherries for serving
  

• PREHEAT THE OVEN
  to 325°F. Butter and flour a 13-by-4
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  -by-2
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  -inch Pullman-style loaf pan or two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans, tapping out the excess flour.
  
• TO MAKE THE CAKE:
  Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a small bowl.
  
• IN THE BOWL OF A STAND MIXER
  fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the almond paste and sugar on low speed until the mixture is sandy and only small lumps remain, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn the mixer off and grate the lemons and tangerines directly over the bowl to catch all the oils. With the mixer on medium, gradually add the butter. Increase the speed to medium-high and mix until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Scrape the paddle attachment to dislodge any clumps of zest and stir them back into the batter.
  
• WITH THE MIXER ON MEDIUM
  , add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the dry ingredients. With the mixer on low, mix just until combined. Use a spatula to give the batter a couple of folds to make sure everything is well incorporated. The batter will be very light and fluffy.
  
• POUR THE BATTER
  into the prepared pan(s) and smooth the tops. (If your Pullman pan comes with a lid, leave it off. If using loaf pans, divide the batter between the two.) Bake on the center oven rack until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. (The cake will take on a lovely, darkish red-brown color. Don’t be afraid. It gives the cake terrific flavor and is such a pretty contrast to the lemon-yellow center of the cake.)
  
• TO MAKE THE CITRUS SOAK:
  Add the lemon juice, tangerine juice, sugar, and water to a medium saucepan. Split the piece of vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Add to the pan along with the pod and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue to boil for 1 minute to thicken and concentrate the flavors. Remove from the heat and remove the vanilla bean pod.
  
• LET THE CAKE COOL
  in the pan on a wire rack for about 20 minutes before inverting it onto a parchment-lined wire rack. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and brush liberally with the citrus glaze (discard any extra). Let cool completely before cutting into thick slices and serving with lemon curd and fresh berries.
  

•
I strongly urge you to spend a few bucks to get a Pullman loaf pan for this. Standard loaf pans scream “quick bread,” and this cake deserves the more elegant form a Pullman loaf pan provides.