Molasses Sponge Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Sift together salt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, flour, and baking soda.
• Cream shortening and sugar gradually, then add molasses and eggs. Mix in sifted ingredients. Stir in hot coffee; batter will be thin.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Cool.

Steps:

• Line bottom and sides of a 13- by 9-inch baking pan with foil, then butter foil.
• Bring sugar, water, butter, and cream of tartar to a boil in a deep 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then wash down any sugar crystals with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Boil without stirring until syrup registers 265°F (hard-ball stage) on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes. Add molasses (don't stir) and continue to boil undisturbed until syrup registers 295°F (hard-crack stage), 4 to 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and sift baking soda over syrup, then whisk to incorporate. (Use caution: mixture will bubble vigorously.)
• Immediately pour syrup into lined baking pan and cool completely. Lift candy in foil from pan, then discard foil and break candy into pieces.

Steps:

• 1. PREHEAT OVEN TO 375 DEGREES, GREASE A SQUARE 9X9 INCH BAKING PAN, SIFT FLOUR, SODA, SPICES AND SALT, SET ASIDE.IN A LARGE BOWEL WITH ELECTRIC MIXER, BEAT EGG, BUTTER, MOLASSES AND WATER UNTIL COMBINED. ADD FLOUR MIXTURE AND BEAT UNTIL SMOOTH. POUR INTO GREASED PAN AND BAKE 30 TO 35 MINUTES OR UNTIL TOOTH PICK COMES INSERTED IN THE CENTER, COMES OUT CLEAN. COOL PARTIALLY IN PAN ON RACK. CUT INTO SQUARES AND SERVE WHILE WARM. THIS IS AN OLD RECIPE.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Grease a 15x10x1-in. pan., Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in molasses. In another bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda and spices; add to creamed mixture alternately with coffee, beating well after each addition. Spread into prepared pan., Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack., For icing, beat butter and vanilla until creamy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar and enough milk to reach desired consistency. Spread over cake.

Steps:

• Place a rack in the middle of the oven and heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch cake pan and line with parchment. Butter the parchment.
• In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, ginger, baking powder, pepper and cinnamon. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together molasses, sugar and melted butter. Add eggs, and whisk well. Stir in raisins and dates.
• Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, fold the dry ingredients into wet ingredients until incorporated and no streaks of flour remain. The batter will be stiff. Spread batter into prepared cake pan, smoothing the top.
• Bake until a testing skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes.
• Run a knife along the edge of the cake, and, once cooled, transfer to a serving platter. Slice into wedges and serve with whipped cream, if desired.

Steps:

• Arrange an oven rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 325 degrees. If making a roulade, brush the bottom of a 10-by-15-inch jelly roll pan with a light coating of oil. Do not brush the sides, as the cake needs to be able to cling to the pan as it rises. Line only the bottom of the pan with a piece of parchment paper, smoothing to eliminate air bubbles. If baking in a 9-inch springform pan, leave the pan ungreased and unlined.
• In a wide, medium bowl, combine the egg whites, 1/4 cup sugar, the kosher salt and cream of tartar. Beat the mixture with a hand mixer fitted with the beaters on medium-low speed until the mixture looks frothy, then start to slowly increase the speed to medium-high. Continue to beat the egg whites until you have a dense, voluminous, glossy foam that forms stiff peaks, about 4 minutes. When you lift the beaters out of the bowl, the egg whites should come to a straight point that doesn't droop. Don't beat beyond this point, or the whites will become dry and lumpy. Set the bowl aside.
• In a separate wide bowl, combine the egg yolks and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Beat with the hand mixer (no need to wash it after you beat the egg whites) on medium-high until the mixture is very pale and fluffy and forms a slowly dissolving ribbon as it falls off the beaters back into the bowl, about 4 minutes. Slowly stream in the 1/4 cup oil, beating constantly to ensure it emulsifies into the yolk mixture, until you have a smooth, light mixture that looks like mayonnaise.
• Reduce the mixer to the lowest speed, add half of the flour and mix just until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon water, mix until incorporated, then add the remaining flour and mix just until it disappears. The mixture will have thickened and look a bit like cake batter.
• Fold the yolk mixture once or twice with a large flexible spatula to make sure it's evenly mixed, then scrape about a third of the egg white mixture into the yolk mixture and thoroughly fold in the whites until the mixture is loosened. Working more gently, fold in half of the remaining egg whites until only a few streaks remain. Fold in the remaining whites, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl, until you have a light, smooth, evenly mixed batter.
• Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth into an even layer. Firmly rap the pan on the surface once or twice to pop any large air bubbles. Bake the cake until it's golden brown, firm and springy to the touch across the entire surface, 25 to 30 minutes for a jelly roll and 30 to 35 minutes for a 9-inch cake. Remove the cake from the oven and immediately invert the pan onto a wire rack. Let the cake cool completely upside down to prevent it from collapsing.
• Reinvert the cooled pan and cut along the sides with a small offset spatula or paring knife to loosen the cake. It will sink a bit, which is normal. If making a jelly roll, turn the sponge out onto the wire rack and peel off the parchment. If making a 9-inch cake, remove the ring of the springform pan, invert the cake onto the rack, and carefully peel off the bottom of the pan (it should come away cleanly, leaving behind just a thin film).
• Use the sponge as desired. The unfilled sponge cake will keep at room temperature, tightly wrapped, for several days, but will become sticky after the first day.

Steps:

• Beat egg yolks until thick and lemon colored. Gradually add sugar and molasses beating after each addition, then beat 3 minutes longer.
• Stir in orange rind, lemon rind, and juice.
• Add sifted flour and salt 1/3 at a time. Beat well after each addition.
• Beat egg whites until stiff, and fold into cake batter.
• Bake at 325F for 35-40 minutes in an ungreased 9-inch tube cake pan.