Gramercy Tavern Gingerbread Cake

This recipe produces an incredibly moist, dark, rich, sticky, dense gingerbread cake with a complex and spicy flavour . I've slightly modified the recipe based on the one Claudia Fleming, pastry chef, prepares at New York City's famed Gramercy Tavern. The original version is in brackets. Recipe was printed in "Gourmet Magazine" (Feb. 2000). Cake develops a lovely caramelized crust that can stick to the pan. Spray generously with cooking spray with flour or line pan with parchment paper (greasing both well) and allow cake to cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan. You can use part whole-wheat flour and, if you want to avoid alcohol, you can replace the stout with strong coffee. Recipe makes a 10" bundt cake (or springform); if you want, you can halve the recipe for an 8x8 square pan. Cake is even better the next day (so it is a good make-ahead dessert). Serve cake plain, dusted with confectioners sugar, with whipped cream, or with vanilla ice cream.

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 1  cup  oatmeal stout beer or 1  cup  Guinness stout
• 1  cup dark molasses (not blackstrap)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2  cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2  tablespoons ground ginger
• 1  teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1⁄4 teaspoon  freshly grated nutmeg
• 1  pinch ground cardamom
• 3  large eggs
• 1  cup  packed dark brown sugar
• 1⁄2 cup granulated sugar (originally 1 cup)
• 1⁄2 cup  vegetable oil (originally 3/4 cup)
• 1⁄4 cup applesauce (not in original recipe)
•  confectioners' sugar, for dusting (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F Generously butter bundt pan and dust with flour, knocking out excess.
2. Bring stout and molasses to a boil in a large saucepan and remove from heat. Whisk in baking soda, then cool to room temperature. (Be patient, it's important to allow this to cool before continuing.).
3. Sift together flour, baking powder, and spices in a large bowl. Whisk together eggs and sugars. Whisk in oil, then molasses mixture. Add to flour mixture and whisk until just combined.
4. Pour batter into bundt pan and rap pan sharply on counter to eliminate air bubbles. Bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs adhering, about 50-60 minutes. (Be careful, as cake may burn easily.) Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes. Turn out onto rack and cool completely.