Of all the sublime dishes that chef Nancy Oakes prepared during the 1997 Workshop, it is her warm gingerbread cake that has entrenched itself at Cakebread Cellars. The San Francisco chef says that the basic recipe is her grandmother’s, although Chef Oakes sometimes dresses it up with a ginger syrup. Brian serves it often in the fall, sometimes with a scoop of honey ice cream or just a dollop of softly whipped cream. As dark as milk chocolate, this fabulous cake is moist, spicy, and not overly sweet. Don’t worry if it sinks a bit in the center as it cools. Once it is cut, no one will notice.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 12 to 16
Ingredients
Whipped Cream
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and lightly flour a 9-inch-round springform baking pan.
Step 2
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, soda, salt, cloves, ginger, and cinnamon.
Step 3
In a mixing bowl with electric beaters or by hand with a whisk, beat together the sugar, molasses, oil, and eggs until well blended and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until blended, scraping the bowl once or twice. Add the boiling water and beat just until smooth. Don’t overmix or the cake will be tough. The batter will be thin.
Step 4
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and place on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake in the center of the oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Let cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes before removing the pan sides.
Step 5
For the whipped cream In a mixing bowl with electric beaters or by hand with a whisk, whip together the cream, sugar, and vanilla to soft peaks.
Step 6
To serve, cut the cake into 12 to 16 wedges. Transfer to dessert plates and put a dollop of whipped cream and a few sprinkles of nutmeg on top.
