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Christmas

Ginger Cake With Maple-Orange Glaze

by:
November 30, 2020
3.7
6 Ratings
Photo by Julia Gartland. Food stylist: Lauren Lapenna. Prop stylist: Sophie Strangio.
  • Prep time 20 minutes
  • Cook time 30 minutes
  • Serves 12-15
Author Notes

Because I have a wise person in my life who taught me to ALWAYS keep fresh ginger in the crisper, this cake can be created using ingredients I typically already have on hand. A combination of fresh and ground ginger give it a kick, while yogurt keeps it rich and moist. The maple-orange glaze makes the not-too-sweet cake lean towards dessert rather than breakfast (though both are encouraged regardless). The cake can be stirred up and baked in less than an hour, and the glaze can be made while it's in the oven. Bonus: It's great the next day, served cold, right out of the fridge. Hopefully you too have a lover-of-ginger in your life who you can thank with this cake. —Claire Benjamin

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Ingredients
  • Ginger Cake
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
  • Maple-Orange Glaze
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest
Directions
  1. Place oven rack in the middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8x10-inch cake pan with oil and line the bottom with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, combine yogurt, oil, maple syrup, brown sugar, eggs, and grated ginger. Using an electric mixer on medium, mix until smooth, about 1 min.
  3. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Whisk gently by hand until the batter is fully combined.
  4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the top is golden-brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool.
  5. To make the glaze, heat the butter in a medium glass bowl in the microwave until it is just melted. Add the maple syrup, confectioners sugar, and orange zest, and whisk until smooth. The glaze will be runny - add confectioners sugar to thicken if desired. Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake. Serve immediately or keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
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5 Reviews

Write a Review
Chelsea B. January 17, 2021
Loved this recipe! I used a 9" round pan since that's what we had and it worked well. Other than that I didn't change a thing and it turned out delicious.
Sylvia January 14, 2021
Very easy to put together. I found that the ginger overwhelmed other flavors in the cake. Since my powdered ginger was fresh, I think I will use less of it the next time.
rbrock1225 January 14, 2021
First, I'm ignoring something the NY Times recently complained about: Follow the recipe.

Having said that and having looked at the comments, I baked this in an 8" square pan.

The other issue is that I really don't lake maple syrup, so I substituted some Lyle's Golden Syrup.

And finally (!) because I live in a rural area, in my freezer I keep grated ginger which I've ground up w/a very small amount of sherry. I chip off bits when I need fresh ginger and regularly use it in Asian cooking -- but also for baking or cooking projects. It adds a minimal amount of extra liquid; is way easier than grating it each time; and I don't always have access to _good_ fresh ginger at our rural market. I use a high-speed blender, use peeled ginger coins, ~1/4 C cheap sherry, and end up w/a fairly thick mixture which I freeze flat in a gallon ZipLoc bag.

I learned the technique from:

https://www.seriouseats.com/2018/06/how-to-prepare-and-store-ginger.html
Dara January 13, 2021
This is easy and tasty, but I'd definitely recommend using a smaller baking dish! It looked like very little batter for my 8x10 dish--barely an inch high when poured in--and baked up as a thin cake. I bet the texture and presentation would be more successful in an 8x8 (or even smaller) baking pan.
Claire B. January 13, 2021
Great idea! I’ll have to try that out as well. Glad you found it tasty!