Ginger Pecan Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, with two racks in center. Line bottoms of three 8-by-2-inch buttered cake pans with parchment. Dust bottoms and sides with flour; tap out excess. Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and ground ginger into a medium bowl. Add ground pecans, and whisk to combine; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add brown sugar until fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Drizzle in eggs, a little at a time, beating each time until batter is no longer slick, about 5 minutes; scrape down sides twice.
• With the mixer set on low, add flour mixture to sugar-butter mixture, alternating with milk, a little of each at a time, starting and ending with flour mixture; scrape down bowl twice. Beat in grated ginger and vanilla. Divide batter evenly among pans. Bake until a cake tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating pans if necessary for even browning.
• Transfer pans to wire racks to cool, about 15 minutes. Remove cakes from pans, and return to wire racks, tops up; let cool.
• Meanwhile, place creme fraiche in a medium bowl, and whip with an electric hand mixer until soft peaks form. Add bourbon and confectioners' sugar; beat until soft peaks return. Cover, and refrigerate to firm, about 1 hour.
• To assemble cake, remove parchment from bottoms of cakes. Set aside prettiest layer; it will be used for top of cake. Place one layer on serving platter, and spread with half the creme-fraiche filling; repeat with second layer. Top cake with reserved third. Chill cake while icing is being prepared. Pour the icing onto the center point on the top of the cake, and let it flow down the sides. When the icing has set slightly, 5 to 10 minutes, arrange the pecan halves and crystallized ginger on the top. Serve.

Steps:

• Steaming pears: In a medium saucepan add about 3 inches water, the sugar, cut lemon slices and the lemongrass (lemon serai). (The lemongrass is optional.) Bring the water to a boil. Fit a steamer basket over the boiling water, add the pears and steam until tender. Remove the pears, drain, and coarsely grate. Press out any excess liquid for one hour before using, or substitute very well-drained, grated canned pears. Set aside.
• Ginger Syrup: Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan, simmer together until the sugar dissolves, cool completely, then add the ginger wine and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and lightly flour 2 (10 by 2 inch) deep cake pans and line the base with parchment.
• Sift together the flour, powdered ginger, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
• Beat the butter, oil, vanilla, sugars, and treacle until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the sifted dry ingredients alternately with the remaining ingredients in the order given. Mix 2 minutes on medium speed using a stand mixer.
• Pour the batter into the pans that have been greased floured and parchment lined.
• Bake 45 minutes in a 350 degree F oven, remove and cool for 20 minutes in the pan, then pour over the ginger syrup. Turn out onto a cooling rack when almost cold.
• Assembly:
• Level cakes if necessary. Secure the wax paper to the cake board with royal icing. Place the meringue dacquoise on wax paper. Smooth on a layer of washed cream, chocolate ganache, and the ginger marmalade to the meringue disk. Top with one of the cakes. Repeat the layers of washed cream, ganache, ginger marmalade, and the second meringue disk, top that with washed cream, ganache, and ginger marmalade, then add the second cake. Trim the meringue disks if necessary. Coat the entire cake with washed cream, then strained ginger marmalade. Cover tightly and securely with plastic wrap for 24 hours. Chill in the refrigerator. Remove the wrap and cover with white chocolate rolled fondant.
• This cake can be made and assembled for decorating 5 days before a wedding; in fact the maturing process improves the combination of flavors.
• Draw 2 (10-inch) circles on parchment, place on an oven tray.
• Whip the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Add the sifted powdered sugar in three stages mixing well between each addition then add the vanilla. Fold. Add the nuts followed by the sifted dry ingredients with a light hand. Spoon into the circles, level and bake 350 degrees F for 20 minutes, or until a light golden brown.
• Heat the first 4 ingredients gently in a double boiler. Puree in the food processor then strain. Add the ginger wine after completely cooling.
• Whip the sugar, butter, honey, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Remove the bowl from mixer. Cover with chilled water swirl and squeeze through the fingers for a minute, drain the water thoroughly and re-beat until light and fluffy. Repeat six times until the mixture is pure white and the sugar is totally dissolved. This keeps very well covered in a cool place for a day or two without refrigeration. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to a month.
• Melt chocolate over hot, not boiling, water, add the cream, pecans, and ginger, last, after cooling add the ginger wine. Stir well and allow the mixture to thicken.
• For every 2 pounds of either commercial or homemade rolled fondant melt either 2 cups of high ratio cocoa butter white chocolate or chocolate couverture (compound) and pour into the rested fondant then knead until thoroughly incorporated. If flaking occurs, microwave in 5-second increments until the fondant warms then any rough shards will disappear. Leave to rest overnight before using. This results in a wonderfully soft easy to manage rolled fondant. Warm in the microwave for a few seconds before kneading to use. If using couverture add 1/2 cup sifted Dutch-processed cocoa to the melted chocolate and knead well. Roll out on sifted cocoa.

Steps:

• Mix together flour, sugars, salt, nutmeg and oil.
• Set aside 1 cup of mixture for topping.
• Add 2 cups chopped ripe pear to the rest of the above mixture.
• Add egg, buttermilk, baking soda, and baking powder.
• Topping: Add ginger and pecans to 1 cup of reserved mixture.
• Spread in greased 9" x 13" x 2" sheet pan.
• Sprinkle topping over top.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add molasses and egg; mix well. Combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, salt and cloves. Add to the creamed mixture alternately with water, beating well after each addition., Pour into a greased 9-in. square baking pan. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Garnish with whipped topping.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Mix the melted butter, corn syrup, and brown sugar in a 9-inch round cake pan.
• Slice pear halves in half lengthwise. Place a pecan in the center of each pear quarter. Place pears cut side down in the cake pan, arranging them like spokes radiating from the center of the pan. Sprinkle any remaining pecans around the pears.
• Prepare the cake mix according to package directions, and pour over the pears and pecans in the cake pan.
• Bake 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool slightly before turning out onto a serving dish.

Steps:

• Position rack in center of oven and heat to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch round cake pan with 3-inch sides, or a 9-inch springform pan, with a circle of parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, mix together the molasses, sugar and oil. In separate medium bowl, sift together flour, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper.
• In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup water to a boil. Stir in baking soda, then mix hot water into molasses mixture. Stir in ginger.
• Gradually whisk the dry ingredients into batter. Add eggs, and continue mixing until everything is thoroughly combined. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, and bake for about 1 hour, until the top of cake springs back lightly when pressed or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top of cake browns too quickly before cake is done, drape a piece of foil over it and continue baking.
• Cool cake for at least 30 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of cake to loosen it from pan. Invert cake onto a cooling rack, and remove parchment paper.

Steps:

• You will need: Non-stick Vegetable Oil Spray, about a tablespoon of butter, a 12-Cup Bundt/Tube Pan, and an Electric Mixer with 4-Quart Bowl.
• Position rack in lowest third of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Spray 12-cup tube pan with nonstick vegetable oil spray. Generously butter pan. Dust pan with flour; tap out excess.
• For the SPICED CAKE, mix 3 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices in medium bowl.
• Using electric mixer, cream butter with both sugars in large bowl until very light and fluffy. (I used my electric stand mixer with a 4-quart glass bowl).
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Beat in pumpkin, sour cream, molasses and rum.
• Mix in dry ingredients, toasted pecans and minced crystallized ginger. (I added the pecans at the very end, hand-stirring them in.).
• Pour batter into prepared pan, gently spreading evenly towards sides and around center. Batter will be thick.
• Bake until tester inserted near center of cake comes out clean, about 50 minutes to 1 hour.
• Cool cake 15 minutes in pan on rack. Turn cake out onto rack and cool completely. Can be prepared 8 hours ahead. (Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature.).
• Sift powdered sugar over top of cake. Serve with Ginger Whipped Cream.
• For the GINGER WHIPPED CREAM, use electric mixer, beat whipping cream, sour cream and 2 tablespoons sugar in large bowl to soft peaks.
• Add rum and ground ginger and beat until almost stiff. (Can be prepared 5 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.).
• Hint #1: Toasting Nuts: I used a non-stick skillet. Turn on heat medium-high until pan is hot. Spread chopped pecans in single layer in pan and heat until their fragrance releases and they start to turn golden and brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn.

Steps:

• For maple-coated pecans:
• Place large piece of foil on work surface. Combine nuts and maple syrup in heavy medium skillet (do not use nonstick) over medium-high heat and bring to boil, tossing to coat. Cook until syrup is dark amber and almost cooked away and thickly coats nuts, tossing often, 3 to 3 1/2 minutes. Scrape nuts onto foil. Working quickly with 2 forks, separate nuts. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Cool until coating is crisp and hard, about 1 hour. DO AHEAD: Pecans can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
• For cake:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Combine first 4 ingredients in processor; add ginger. Blend until ginger is finely ground, about 1 minute. Using mixer, beat maple sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time (batter may look curdled). Stir 3/4 cup hot water and molasses in small bowl. Beat dry ingredients into butter mixture in 4 additions alternately with molasses mixture in 3 additions.
• Divide batter between prepared pans (about 21/2 cups each). Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, 30 to 32 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks.
• For frosting:
• Combine crème fraîche, cream, and both sugars in large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until very thick and stiff.
• Cut around pan sides to loosen cake layers; turn out onto racks. Place 1 cake layer on platter. Spread with 1 1/3 cups frosting. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons caramel sauce. Top with second cake layer. Spread remaining frosting smoothly over top and sides of cake. Drizzle top of cake with 3 tablespoons sauce. Cover with cake dome; chill at least 1 hour. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead; keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before continuing.
• Cut pecans into pieces or leave whole. Press pecans into frosting on sides of cake. Cut cake into wedges. Spoon sauce over.