This recipe has been a long time coming. About a month of colds passed around our house combined with daylight savings and a new, 4:30 pm sunset have made my days more than just a little unproductive, but I think we are finally emerging from the fog and returning to real life. October was over in a blink between travel and projects, and I fully intend to embrace the rest of November and these last days of stunning red and yellow trees and the anticipation of the coming holidays.
We are spending Thanksgiving away from our families this year, which isn’t something that’s particularly uncommon for us. There were a few years before we had our son that we took off to the mountains to sleep in a tiny cabin, hike, build campfires (well, I built campfires…we won’t talk about someone’s inexperience in the fire-building department) and drink hot chocolate with marshmallows as the sun went down.
Something definitely feels different about not having the choice this year, about knowing we are spending the holiday away because we don’t share the same city as our families anymore. I’ve tried to lighten the weight of that by, well, therapy baking: holiday edition. The problem is, with all this sick buggy stuff moving through our house there hasn’t been quite enough baking and more just need for therapy. While I’ve turned to Ben and Jerry’s (cookie dough, is there any other?!) a time or two I’ve got a long list of ideas and a kitchen full of flour I intend to whip into tradition-worthy holiday recipes while I count down the days until we hop on a plane to see our lovely families.
I adapted this spiced cake from David Leibovitz’s ginger cake which is super delicious, but I wanted something that would work as a layer cake and I toned down the ginger a bit. If you’re a ginger lover (I mean, REALLY a ginger lover), try it with Leibovitz’s listed amounts of ginger and black pepper for a dark, intensely spicy cake.
- 1 c molasses
- 1 c vegetable oil
- 1¼ c (248 g) sugar
- 3 c (360 g) flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- a pinch fresh ground black pepper
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ c (42 g) cocoa powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 1c strong brewed chai black tea, cooled, or water
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp finely chopped or grated fresh ginger
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter 3 x 6 inch cake pans, line with parchment rounds and dust with flour, tapping out the excess.
- Combine the molasses, sugar and oil in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on medium-high speed until lighter in color and combined. Beat the eggs into the molasses mixture one at a time, then add the ginger and mix for 30 seconds. Sift together the remaining dry ingredients and slowly add to the bowl, mixing just until moistened. Add the tea or water and mix just until incorporated.
- Distribute evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the cakes in the oven and continue to bake, checking every 5 minutes for doneness. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean (an additional 10-15 minutes).
- Assembly // level cakes if desired, then place one layer face up on a cake board or your serving plate/stand. Pipe a ring of buttercream around the edge of the layer, creating a dam. Fill the center with a layer of lemon curd, then place the next layer on face down and press down gently to seal. Repeat, and place the remaining layer face down. Ice the outside of the cake as desired and decorate.
- zest from 1 Meyer lemon
- ⅔ c Meyer lemon juice (from 4-5 lemons)
- 4 whole eggs plus 6 egg yolks
- 1c (200 g) sugar
- ¾ c unsalted butter, cool but not cold and cut into cubes
- Zest and juice your lemons, being careful to avoid the bitter white pith when zesting.
- Prepare a double boiler by filling a saucepan with an inch of water and placing a snugly fitting stainless steel bowl into it, be sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.
- Whisk the juice, eggs, and sugar in the bowl until smooth. Continue to whisk until the curd is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, then remove the bowl from the double boiler and stir in the cubes of butter slowly.
- Strain the curd through a fine-mesh sieve, then stir in the zest and refrigerate in an air tight container with plastic wrap over the surface to prevent a skin from forming for up to 3 days or freeze for up to a month.
- 5 large, fresh egg whites
- 1 cup (198 g) sugar
- 1½ cups unsalted butter, cut into cubes and cool, but not cold
- 2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- ¼ c creme fraiche
- pinch of salt
- Wipe the metal bowl of an electric stand mixer, whisk attachment and a whisk with vinegar or lemon juice and a paper towel to remove any trace of grease.
- Fill a large pot with 1 inch of water and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Place a metal mixing bowl over the pot of simmering water (bowl should fit snugly but should not touch the water) and add egg whites and sugar. Stir constantly with a whisk until the temperature reaches 140 degrees or until all the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat.
- Beat egg whites and sugar on high speed until the bottom of the bowl is completely neutral, about 10 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment and turn mixer on low speed.
- Begin slowly adding the butter pieces and mix until texture is smooth. If the buttercream curdles, keep mixing, it'll come back together.
- Add salt and vanilla extract, then add the creme fraiche and mix until combined.
- You can store buttercream in the fridge in an airtight container for 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.
All I needed to convince me that I MUST have this cake in my life was the title. Those ingredients!! You’ve completely outdone yourself. And the way you frosted and decorated it!? Swooooon.
Thank you so much, Loran!
Do you ice the outside of the cake with the buttercream? So excited to make this tomorrow!
Hi Sophie! Yes, exactly! Feel free to email me at ohhoneybakes{at}gmail.com if you have any questions!