Whole Wheat Fresh Ginger Cake with Peach Compote

If you like ginger, you need this cake now.

It is moist and luscious, and full of spicy ginger goodness — the perfect complement to a “celebrating the end of summer dinner” and birthday celebration chez Louise.  I wanted to do a special cake for her birthday, and knowing how she feels about ginger, it had to be this cake.

My apologies to David Lebovitz, who I know likes it when bakers recreate his recipes as they are written.  I know he spends countless hours creating, testing, and perfecting his recipes so that they work as they are written.  I highly recommend his entertaining, educational, and inspiringly delicious blog and book: Ready for Dessert. But this recipe was such an inspiration, that I had to do it my way so that it still worked with my non-white-flour/low-fat lifestyle.  And yes, I completely replaced 1 c. of oil from the original recipe with 1 c. of unsweetened applesauce, and the white flour with whole wheat, and I know I shouldn’t, but it was so delicious AND I could work it into my lifestyle.  So I had to.  And I am most glad that I did — this cake is “a repeat” and will be on the rotation for dinner parties for a long while now.  And it might just have to make an appearance at my birthday this year.

Whole Wheat Fresh Ginger Cake
Adapted from David Lebovitz‘s Fresh Ginger Cake, from Ready for Dessert

• 1 c. (250 ml) molasses
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 c. unsweetened applesauce
• 2 1/2 c. (350 g) whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 c. water
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• a 4 oz. (115 g) piece of ginger, peeled & finely chopped (a food processor works great here)
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350F, and prepare a 9″ springform cake pan by greasing the bottom and sides with butter.  Also line the bottom of the pan with parchment.

In a large bowl, whisk together the molasses, sugar, and applesauce.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, cloves and pepper.

Over high heat, and in a small pot, boil the water, and add the baking soda.  Pour this water over the molasses mixture, and whisk until combined.  Add the ginger and whisk to incorporate throughout the batter.

Add the flour to the molasses mixture, a bit at a time, and whisk together.  Add the eggs and combine all ingredients into a smooth batter.

Pour the batter into the springform pan and bake for 1 hour at 350F, until a skewer or toothpick poked into the centre comes out clean.  Let cool, still in the pan.

Release the cake from the pan by gently running a knife around the sides of the pan, then remove the springform.  Serve by flipping the cake out onto a plate, remove the parchment paper, and flip it right-side-up onto the serving plate.

Dust with icing sugar, or serve with Peach Compote, below.

Peach Compote
Inspired by Peach Compote (Group Recipes), Yields about 1 c.

• 5 peaches, peeled & quartered
• 3 Tbsp. water
• 3 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 star anise pod
• 6 whole black peppercorns

In a small pot, combine all ingredients.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.

Continue cooking the compote until the fruit is reduced to a pulp and the liquid has turned to a syrup, about 5 more minutes.

Remove the spices, and serve with tasty ginger cake.  Or Sourdough Oatmeal Pancakes.  Or French Toast.  Mmmm.