Ginger – Hello Victoria https://www.hellovictoriablog.com Lifestyle blog based in London, UK Fri, 22 Dec 2023 06:08:35 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 GINGER CAKE WITH POACHED PEARS AND CARAMEL SAUCE https://www.hellovictoriablog.com/2018/12/27/ginger-cake-with-poached-pears-and-caramel-sauce/ https://www.hellovictoriablog.com/2018/12/27/ginger-cake-with-poached-pears-and-caramel-sauce/#respond Thu, 27 Dec 2018 04:53:00 +0000 https://www.hellovictoriablog.com/?p=453 Read more]]> Now, many people know Justin Gellatly for his doughnuts (I’ve used his recipe to make Paska and Rhubarb + Custard ones), but he makes something else just as good! Some may even say it’s better – I’m talking about his cracking ginger cake! Rich, moist, and very moreish. And if you pick up a copy of Justin Gellatly’s book Bread, Cake, Doughnut, Pudding you can try his recipe yourself! Or just keep reading to make my slight adaptation.

You can bake this cake in a simple 9×9″ tin, and cut it into squares. Serve it warm, adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream – it’s the perfect end to a meal! Or, you can fancy it up a notch like I did here – baking it in two round tins to make a layered cake. I used a vanilla German buttercream between the layers (and a thin layer on the outside for a ‘naked cake’ look), then topped it with caramel sauce, poached pears and some candied nuts.

Ginger cake with poached pears and caramel sauce | Hello Victoria

Now, I made this once before with the same amounts used in Justin’s original recipe – and found that it didn’t taste quite as strong as the cakes sold in Justin’s bakery (Bread Ahead). So this time, I increased the amount of chopped stem ginger and ground spices. It’s such a great cake – sticky and full of ginger flavour.

Ginger cake with poached pears and caramel sauce | Hello Victoria

For the caramel sauce – I really wanted to use a recipe that only had a couple of ingredients. Caramel sauce isn’t complicated – just sugar and a fat (butter and/or cream) that has been heated to a specific temperature for the consistency you want. I adapted this recipe slightly, using a dry caramel (I can’t be bothered adding water only to then boil it away) to make a sauce with the right thickness to top a cake. Not too runny, but you can still get some nice drips on the edges. Of course, I accidentally boiled it too long (distracted) and it was super thick, so I just thinned it a bit with some hot water! You could also add more cream instead.

As for the buttercream? Well, I decided to go for a German buttercream, as I dislike the traditional stuff. I was always that kid removing the icing from her cupcake because American-style buttercream is either sickly sweet or just tastes like butter. German buttercream is pastry cream that has been whipped with butter. And it is delicious! I used inspiration from this recipe, whipping the butter first, and adding the pastry cream in increments. I didn’t have any issues with it splitting, so perhaps it’s the new way to make buttercream?

And to top off the cake? Spiced poached pears and candied nuts! I used Jamie Oliver’s recipe for the pears, which is just so simple! The candied nut recipe makes waaaay more than you need – but they taste great so who cares! I had hoped to get some gold leaf to finish everything, but they sold out 🙁 Maybe next time!

And that’s it! Maybe a good cake for New Year’s Eve? I had hoped to post this before Christmas, but time got away from me… but hey – what else is new?

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Ginger Cake with Poached Pears + Caramel Sauce

A deliciously spiced ginger cake, layered with a vanilla German buttercream and topped with poached pears in a caramel sauce. Perfect for your next festive occasion!
Course Dessert
Keyword Buttercream, Cake, Caramel, German buttercream, Ginger, Ginger cake, Pears
Total Time 6 hours
Servings 10 people

Ingredients

  • Ginger Cake
  • 300 g plain flour
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder
  • 3 tbsp ground ginger
  • 1.5 tsp mixed spice
  • 1.25 tsp cinnamon
  • pinch salt
  • 375 ml whole milk
  • 165 g dark brown sugar
  • 150 g unsalted butter cubed
  • 85 g black treacle
  • 165 g golden syrup
  • 1 tsp sodium bicarbonate
  • 120 g stem ginger chopped
  • 80 ml stem ginger syrup
  • 1 egg beaten
  • Caramel Sauce
  • 120 g sugar
  • 2 tbsp water optional
  • 115 ml double cream
  • pinch salt
  • Vanilla German Buttercream
  • 250 ml whole milk
  • 100 g sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 20 g corn starch
  • 7 g unsalted butter
  • 1 vanilla bean
  • 250 g unsalted butter softened
  • Spiced Poached Pears
  • 3-4 pears
  • 0.5 cinnamon stick
  • 0.125 tsp nutmeg
  • 4 cloves
  • 0.5 vanilla bean optional
  • 2 cardamom pods crushed
  • nub fresh ginger peeled sliced
  • 200 g sugar
  • 700 ml water

Instructions

  • Ginger Cake
  • Sift together the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt.
  • In a medium pot, melt the butter along with the golden syrup, treacle, brown sugar, and 75ml of the milk. Bring to a slow boil.
  • Whisk in the baking soda (be careful as it will bubble up quite a bit!) and then the rest of the milk to cool it down. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
  • Whisk in the flour mixture, followed by the beaten egg, stem ginger and syrup.
  • Let the mixture sit for 2 hours at room temperature. Meanwhile, grease and line the tin(s) with parchment paper.
  • Preheat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan). Stir the cake mixture and pour into the prepared tin(s).
  • Bake in the preheated oven for an hour, or until the cake is firm to the touch.
  • Spiced Poached Pears
  • In a medium saucepan, place the sugar, water and all of the spices. Bring to a simmer.
  • Peel the pears (leave the stems intact) and place in the spiced liquid. Simmer for about 2 hours – or until soft.
  • Leave in the solution while it cools, and store in the liquid until you are ready to serve.
  • Caramel Sauce
  • In a small pot, make a dry caramel with the sugar. If you’re not comfortable making a dry caramel, use water to get the sugar dissolving, then simmer until it turns a dark amber.
  • Warm the double cream in the microwave until steaming. Once the caramel is a dark amber, add the cream, and whisk together.
  • Boil the solution until it reads 107°C, then remove from the heat. Whisk in a pinch of salt, and some vanilla (optional).
  • German Buttercream
  • In a small pot, add the milk, half the sugar, and the vanilla bean. Bring to a simmer and remove from the heat. Let infuse for at least 30 minutes.
  • In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk with the cornstarch and sugar. Add enough milk to make a slurry.
  • Bring the milk back to a simmer, and slowly whisk into the egg mixture. Return to the pot and bring to a boil (whisking constantly).
  • Boil the mixture for at least 10 seconds, and then pass through a sieve. Stir in the 7g butter, then press cling film to the pastry cream to prevent it forming a skin. Cool to room temperature.
  • Whip the butter in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. Add the pastry cream a spoonful at a time, whipping well in between.
  • Cake Assembly
  • Place one of the ginger cake layers on your cake plate, and top with a third of the buttercream. Place the second layer on top, cover with another third of the buttercream, and then use the rest to ice the sides.
  • Spread some of the caramel sauce on top, allowing small drips to go over the sides.
  • Remove the poached pears from the liquid, and pat dry with some paper towel. Arrange on top of the cake, and surround with some candied nuts.
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