By: The Food Hunter
As I bake my way through the cookbook Sweet; I'm finding out rather quickly that I love most everything from Yotam Ottolenghi & Helen Go. The cake below is no exception.
This recipe yields a cake that is dark in color, dense in
texture, and deep in flavor. Although fabulous on it's own the brandied apples hit this out of the park with taste!
Ottolenghi’s Gingerbread Cake with Brandied Apples
For the Cake
1 cup (300 grams) blackstrap molasses (I used Mother's)
1/2 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup (120 grams) granulated sugar
1 cup (225 grams, 2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, and cooled slightly
3 large eggs, room temperature
Zest of 1 orange
3 1/4 cups (400 grams) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups (300 ml) just boiled water
1/2 cup (100 grams) finely chopped crystallized ginger
For the Brandied Apples:
5 baking apples, such as pink lady, honeycrisp
3 1/2 tablespoons (50 grams) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (120 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Strips of lemon peel from 1 large lemon
3 1/2 tablespoons (50 ml) brandy
3 1/2 tablespoons (50 ml) lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a high-sided 9-inch springform pan with non-stick spray, line with parchment paper, and then spray the parchment. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the molasses, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, eggs, and orange zest. Stir with a rubber spatula until combined.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. Pour the flour mixture into the molasses mixture and stir to combine. Add the just-boiled water and stir to combine. Stir in the crystallized ginger.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45–50 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before removing from the pan and transferring to a serving plate.
Meanwhile, prepare the brandied apples. Peel and core the apples and cut into half-inch slices. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the apples and allow to sear for two minutes, stirring every so often. Remove the apples to a medium bowl (they will go back in shortly).
In the saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and allow to melt. Then add the sugar, vanilla, and lemon peel. Stir in the apples to coat and cook for 5 minutes. Pour in the brandy, lemon juice, and salt and reduce for 3 minutes over medium-high heat, or until the sauce is thickened, but not caramelized.
To serve: slice the gingerbread and spoon some of the warm brandied apples on top. I
