By Florence Fabricant
Updated Feb. 29, 2024
- Total Time
- 1½ hours, plus cooling
- Rating
- 4(87)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This cake is a simple delight, a nice ending for a rich dinner or something to enhance teatime. It depends on ginger, the candied kind, though some ground ginger ramps up the cool spice flavor. The candied ginger, and also raisins, are macerated in whiskey — rye in this case, though bourbon, Scotch, or Irish or Japanese whiskey would be fine. And the whiskey contributes to a final glaze.
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Ingredients
Yield:8 to 10 servings
- 1cup/150 grams chopped crystallized ginger
- ½cup/75 grams golden raisins
- ⅔cup/156 milliliters rye whiskey
- 6ounces/170 grams unsalted butter (1½ sticks), softened, plus butter for greasing pan
- 2cups/240 grams all-purpose flour, plus flour for pan
- 1teaspoon baking powder
- 1teaspoon ground ginger
- ½teaspoon salt
- 1cup/213 grams light brown sugar, packed
- 3large eggs
- 3tablespoons/38 grams granulated sugar
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
439 calories; 16 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 63 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 42 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 199 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place crystallized ginger and raisins in a small saucepan. Add half the whiskey, bring to a simmer, remove from heat and set aside.
Step
2
Butter a loaf pan that is 8½ by 4½ by 2¾ inches. Dust with flour.
Step
3
Sift flour, baking powder, ground ginger and salt together. Set aside. By hand or machine, beat butter and brown sugar together until well blended and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in flour mixture. Fold in chopped ginger and raisins along with the soaking whiskey. Spread batter in pan and bake about 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.
Place pan on a rack to cool. When cool, remove cake from pan and place it, top side up, back on the rack. Place a sheet of foil or parchment under the rack to protect your countertop.
Step
5
In a small saucepan, bring remaining whiskey and the granulated sugar to a simmer and cook until the sugar has dissolved. Use a thin wooden skewer to poke holes in the cake. Brush on sugar and whiskey glaze. Allow to set another 10 to 15 minutes before cutting and serving cake. If well wrapped in foil and allowed to rest a day or two without cutting, the flavors of the cake will ripen and mellow.
Ratings
4
out of 5
87
user ratings
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Cooking Notes
Ariel Estrada
This was delicious and a real hit. I zhooshed up the recipe a bit by:• Replacing 1/2 stick of the butter with olive oil• Browning the remaining butter• Replacing half the white flour with equal parts whole wheat and rye flour• Replacing half of the Rye Whiskey with equal parts Frangelico and Luxardo• Adding dried cherries and apricots along with the raisins and ginger• Adding a 1/2 cup of toasted chopped pecans• Made it extra spicy by doubling the dried ginger.
MH
I've made it 3 times now. Here's what I've observed: Definitely don't cut the brown sugar. If your crystallized ginger's too sugary, give it a rinse. Cutting brown sugar makes the cake super dry. Swap out 1/3 of butter with olive oil, as Ariel suggested--this also helps with moistness. Definitely double (at least) the powdered ginger. This cake is all about waiting: it is kind of crazy out of the oven, a boozy, gingery punch. On the third day, toasted, it is heaven. Heaven!
Maxine
This recipe is a winner! Made today using scotch instead of rye. My crystallized ginger was strong and fresh so I used 2/3 cup. I applied the glaze while the cake was still warm. With these minor changes, it turned out very well. An interesting twist on a pound-style cake - delicious with a cup of coffee.
Kate
I doubled this recipe and made 7 mini-loaves, using disposable mini-loaf pans. Baked for 45 minutes, though start checking around 40.
MH
I've made it 3 times now. Here's what I've observed: Definitely don't cut the brown sugar. If your crystallized ginger's too sugary, give it a rinse. Cutting brown sugar makes the cake super dry. Swap out 1/3 of butter with olive oil, as Ariel suggested--this also helps with moistness. Definitely double (at least) the powdered ginger. This cake is all about waiting: it is kind of crazy out of the oven, a boozy, gingery punch. On the third day, toasted, it is heaven. Heaven!
Ariel Estrada
This was delicious and a real hit. I zhooshed up the recipe a bit by:• Replacing 1/2 stick of the butter with olive oil• Browning the remaining butter• Replacing half the white flour with equal parts whole wheat and rye flour• Replacing half of the Rye Whiskey with equal parts Frangelico and Luxardo• Adding dried cherries and apricots along with the raisins and ginger• Adding a 1/2 cup of toasted chopped pecans• Made it extra spicy by doubling the dried ginger.
Mark
Made twice over the holidays. Nice "grown up" fruitcake substitute. Reducing brown sugar by 25% is advisable especially if candied ginger is well sugared already. I found the finished cake was somewhat dry and dense. Second time I made a second batch of glaze to drizzle over slices when serving.
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