An irresistibly soft and fluffy spice cake covered in a blanket of the lightest whipped cream frosting. This cake is just like biting into a cloud! Make it for your weekends, Holidays or just tea time for a wonderful treat.
Ginger fluff is one of those desserts that will totally take you by surprise. It is so pleasant to eat, it just makes you wonder where it’s been all of your life.
I had never heard of this cake before. I happened to stumble upon it when I was searching the web for Lamingtons and become immediately intrigued. The name itself ‘Ginger Fluff’ was so interesting to me that I had to dig deeper and do some research. Boy am I glad I did!
This cake is a classic Australian dessert and is known for its extremely light and fluffy texture. With a delicate spiced flavour, it is truly one of the most delicious cakes I have ever made!
The cake itself is super simple but when you take that first bite, you’ll be transported to another dimension. It’s quite hard to describe really, the crumb is so soft and light and combined with the creamy whipped cream, you’ll find yourself keep on coming back for more.
I mean can we just look at this FLUFF!!
A Ginger Fluff 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 😉
How to make a Ginger Fluff
The cake itself couldn’t be easier. It has a few steps but it is so worth it! I used my trusty sponge cake recipe which is the same one I used in these Lamingtons but made into a layer cake.
This cake has 3 elements:
- Sponge cake layers
- Infused simple syrup
- Stabilized whipped cream frosting
For the base, I whipped up the eggs whole instead of separating them. I find that in this cake, and with the addition of oil, there is not need to whip the eggs separately before adding them to the batter. I added some baking powder to the dry mix as well, which helps ensure that the cake will rise properly and be extra fluffy.
Important ingredients and steps
- Whip the eggs until super pale and fluffy. We need to get them to the Ribbon Stage which means that when you lift up the beaters above the batter, the batter is thick enough to drizzle down and hold its shape for a few seconds before disappearing. This stage takes 8 to 10 minutes to reach.
- Oil. Usually I would use melted butter in sponge cakes but since we are infusing the cakes with spices, there is no need for that buttery flavour. Also, the use of oil keeps the cake soft for days AND you can eat it as soon as you take a slice out of the fridge. No need to let it come to room temperature as you normally need to do with butter based cakes.
- Honey or Golden Syrup. Paired with the warm spices, honey or golden syrup is a wonderful addition. The classic recipe uses golden syrup but as it’s not always easy to find, honey works just as well. It gives such a balanced all around feel and flavour to the cake.
Once the cakes are out of the oven, they get brushed with a chocolate and cinnamon infused simple syrup for extra flavour and moisture. 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 😉
Stabilized whipped cream frosting
The most delicious frosting with spice cakes is cream cheese frosting. The tangy-ness pairs so beautifully with the cake flavours and super moist textures. This Ginger Fluff cake is so soft that it really only works well with whipped cream
I wanted to combine these two frostings together as well as finding a way to make sure the whipped cream stays intact. The result is this most luscious and smooth whipped cream cheese frosting.
All you need to do is make a simple cream cheese frosting and fold in some whipped cream. Beat for a few minutes to combine and voila. The most delicious and creamy frosting ever!
Tips for success
- Take care when you fold in the dry mix into the whipped eggs/sugar mix. We want to try our best not to deflate the eggs.
- I recommend dusting the cake pans with oil and flour then lining only the bottom with baking paper.
- Make sure not to open the oven door before 20 minutes to avoid the cakes collapsing.
- When you take the cakes out of the oven, they will deflate a little. They will also pull away slightly from the sides, this is absolutely normal.
- Brush the cakes with the simple syrup as soon as they come out of the oven. This is to make sure the cakes absorb the syrup well.
Make yourself a cup of tea, cut yourself a thick slice if this cake and fill up with warm fuzzy feelings <3
More spice cake favourites
- Super moist gingerbread cake.
- Carrot cake loaf.
- Autumn spice cake.
- Pumpkin carrot cake.
- Gingerbread loaf.
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Ingredients
1 cup 1 (125gms) flour
1/2 cup 1/2 (62gms) cornflour/cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon 1/2 salt*
1 1/2 teaspoons 1 1/2 baking powder
3 teaspoons 3 ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons 1 1/2 cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons 1 1/2 cocoa powder
6 large 6 eggs
3/4 cup 3/4 (150gms) sugar
2 teaspoons 2 vanilla extract
1/4 cup 1/4 (60mls) + 2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons 2 honey (or golden syrup) slightly warmed
- Simple Syrup
3 tablespoons 3 sugar
3 tablespoons 3 water
1/4 teaspoon 1/4 cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon 1/4 cocoa powder
- Whipped Cream Frosting
1 1/2 cups 1 1/2 (375mls) whipping cream
3/4 cup 3/4 (6oz) cream cheese
3/4 cup 3/4 (90gms) icing sugar
2 teaspoons 2 honey
1/2 teaspoon 1/2 vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon 1/4 ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon 1/2 each of cinnamon and cocoa powder
Directions
- Preheat oven to 160C/325F. Grease and flour cake pans or line with baking paper to prevent sticking.
- Sift together the flour, cornstarch/cornflour, salt, spices and baking powder 3 times to ensure that the mix is well aerated and evenly dispersed.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Add all of the ingredients into a saucepan and stir over medium low heat just until the sugar has dissolved.
- For the frosting
- Whisk cream cheese and icing sugar until well combined and smooth.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk whipping cream until soft peaks.
- Add in the whipping cream to the cream cheese mix in two additions and fold until combined.
- Add in the spices and vanilla to taste.
Notes
- *Salt can be reduce to 1/4 teaspoon if desired. I personally like the balance with more salt especially since we are using the simple syrup and sweetened frosting. If you are opting to make the cake without the frosting and/or simple syrup, I would recommend to decrease the salt amount.
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