I call this Buttrick’s Ginger Cake because the original recipe was introduced to me by a family of cake bakers.
For the Buttricks, dear friends from New York, cakes were an integral part of growing up. I made some slight changes to this cake which might be considered sacrilege, as the original recipe called for 1 cup dark molasses, zest from 1 whole lemon and whole milk.
Given that it will be sap running time in the North East and Canada soon, I thought I’d try this recipe with maple syrup. It is indeed delicious, just the right balance of sweet and spice.
1 cup maple syrup (or dark molasses)
1/2 cup melted butter
1 egg
zest of 1 lemon (optional – I did not add any)
2 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger
(the original recipe uses powdered ginger but I abhor powdered ginger)
1/2 cup buttermilk (the original recipe called for milk but I prefer to bake with buttermilk)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup flour
Garnishes
freshly whipped cream
maple syrup
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place wet ingredients into a bowl and mix until blended. Mix together the dry ingredients. Add the dry to the wet and stir until smooth. Pour into a prepared 9″ baking pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Allow to cool slightly.
For serving, whip about 1 cup of cream until there are soft peaks. You can add a touch of vanilla extract. I used vanilla paste. Heat about 1/2 cup of maple syrup to just slightly warm. Pour a little syrup on to a plate, place a piece of warm cake on top and then dollop some whipped cream. The cream does not need to be sweetened.
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