Adapted from Smitten Kitchen's Gramercy Tavern's Gingerbread recipe. This is my favourite fall and winter cake so far. I started daydreaming about it in September. This is a dense, rich in flavour, intensely ginger spiced cake. It will get you invitations to parties.
1 cup dark craft beer (I use Bridge Brewing All Out Stout most often)
1 cup molasses
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups all purpose flour (240g)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups coconut sugar (or 3/4 cup each coconut and cane sugar)
3/4 cup coconut oil (liquid)
Icing sugar for dusting
Whipping cream for serving, with a tablespoon or two of egg nog added if you like.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF, or if you're like me, and take way longer than you think sometimes, get everything together and measured before you do that. There's photos to take, distractions to be had. Butter your bundt pan and dust it with flour. I melt the butter and use a pastry brush to spread it around, it's easier in a bundt pan. Or (most often) I assign this to my trusty assistant.
Add the molasses and beer to a large (trust me) saucepan and bring to a boil. Keep an eye on it, this is not something you will enjoy cleaning off your stove. Remove from heat and whisk in the baking soda, let cool to room temperature.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and spices. In another bowl, whisk together eggs and sugars. Whisk in oil, then molasses mixture. Add to the flour mixture and whisk until it's just combined. Don't over mix.
Pour the batter into your bundt pan, expect it to be much thinner than most cake batters. Give it a few good knocks on the counter to get the air bubbles out. I bake it on a sheet pan so it's level and easier to handle in and out of the oven. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs stuck to it. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then turn onto the rack to remove the pan and cool completely.
Dust the cake with icing sugar (I use a small hand held sifter for this), slice and serve with unsweetened whipped cream and a glass of egg nog. Or if you're like me and start making this in October before egg nog is around, milk, a dark beer, or sparkling wine.
Try to save some, it gets better the next day. Or make it a day before serving. You will probably want a bit more icing sugar as it soaks up overnight. I keep mine on a covered cake plate for a few days, and it should freeze well, but ours don't last that long.