Ginger Fluff

This cake is absolutely gorgeous! there is honestly no other way to describe it but to say that this cake is GORGEOUS in every way possible!

I was soo pleasantly surprised and impressed with the awesomeness of this cake.  I happened to find it when I was searching the web for Lamingtons which are super popular in Australia and turns out this is another cake that originates from there and one that I was very eager to try as soon as I found it! 🙂

Seriously would you just check out this FLUFF!!

Basically this is a very light and airy sponge cake that is beautifully spiced with ginger, cinnamon and cocoa powder. This was the first time I tried this combination and is one that I’ll be using time and time again! In fact I just made Oliebollens last night using this trio of flavours and they were superb 😉

The cake itself couldn’t be easier. I used my trusty sponge cake recipe which is the same one I used in those Lamingtons just made into a layer cake. For the base, I whipped up the eggs whole instead of separating them and whipping them that way because I feel like the cake comes out really soft like this and I also added some baking powder to the dry mix which is an awesome fail safe to ensure the rise and fluffiness of the cake.

Everything else comes in after the eggs and sugar are beaten until very thick and pale, a little bit of oil or melted butter (oil makes for a lighter cake and since I refrigerated the cake, it stayed soft) and the dry ingredients which need to be sifted in. Along with the spices there’s a touch of honey or golden syrup added to the batter. This gives such a balanced all around feel and flavour to the cake and now that I think about it you can probably also use molasses for a gingerbready vibe 😉

Beat it all together and bake up!! 🙂 once the cakes are out of the oven, they get brushed with a chocolate and cinnamon infused simple syrup for extra flavour and moisture and then we’re going to fill and frost the entire thing with a stabilized whipped cream. The cake is extremely light and fluffy so whipped cream really is the best option for it and I added in some extra spice, just a touch, for a little extra zing 😉

As you can see I didn’t even frost the cake entirely because I loved it so much on it’s own so I really just added in a layer of cream to act as glue between the layers. The cake is JUST that good on it’s own it doesn’t need anything else!

Make yourself a cup of tea, lay back and feel your entire mind, body and soul relax, chill and fill up with warm fuzzy feelings ❤

Enjoy my friends 😀 one of the greatest cakes ever to come into existence 😉

Tag me @dutchbakerblog with all your pics on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter ❤

Ginger Fluff

Makes 1 layered 8 or 9 inch cake.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (125gms) flour
• 1/2 cup (62gms) cornflour/cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cocoa powder
• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup (200gms) sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup (60mls) + 2 tablespoons oil (or 100 gms melted cooled butter)
• 2 tablespoons honey (or golden syrup) slightly warmed

Simple syrup

• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cocoa powder

Frosting (makes enough to fill and frost the cake entirely)

• 1 1/2 cups (375mls) whipping cream
• 3/4 cup (6oz) cream cheese
• 3/4 cup (90gms) icing sugar
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon each of cinnamon and cocoa powder

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160C/325F. Grease and flour cake pans or line with baking paper to prevent sticking.
2. Sift together the flour, cornstarch/cornflour, salt, spices and baking powder 3 times to ensure that the mix is well aerated and evenly dispersed.
3. In a large bowl, whip eggs and vanilla until foamy then add in the sugar and whip until doubled in volume, very thick and light in colour. This can take 8 to 10 minutes but it is an important step so don’t skip it.
4. Gently pour in the oil or melted butter around the sides of the batter, stir slowly to combine, then drizzle in the warmed honey and stir to combine. Carefully fold in flour mix stirring only until *just* combined and you can no longer see streaks of flour.
5. Pour batter into cake pans and bake for 20 to 30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. As soon as the cakes come out of the oven, stab holes across the tops of each cake then brush the tops with the simple syrup. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes in the pan then invert onto wire rack and place in an airtight container until cooled completely before filling and frosting.

For the syrup

1. Add all of the ingredients into a saucepan and stir over medium low heat just until the sugar has dissolved.

For the frosting

1. Whisk cream cheese and icing sugar until well combined and smooth.
2. In a separate small bowl, whisk whipping cream until soft peaks.
3. Add in the whipping cream to the cream cheese mix in two additions and fold until combined.
4. Add in the spices and vanilla to taste.

Recipe by the dutch baker.