A beautifully golden loaf cake, moist from the brown sugar and ginger syrup that is infused while the cake is hot. Sweet and spicy, it's simply delectable! It lasts for several days and can be frozen.
Double dose of ginger
This is a simple loaf, similar to a pound cake, very different from dark Christmas cakes like this glazed gingerbread loaf.
If you leave the ginger syrup out, this is a simple vanilla cake with a caramel undertone from the brown sugar.
But really, why on earth would you? The ginger syrup is just perfect.
It's poured on the cake while still hot and seeps into it, leaving a super moist crumb and trickles of sweet and spicy goodness.
Ingredient list
For the brown sugar cake:
- Brown sugar: use light or dark brown sugar. The difference is the depth of flavor and color.
- Unsalted butter.
- All-purpose flour.
- Salt.
- Baking powder: make sure it isn't expired.
- Eggs: fresh, large.
- Milk: Whole, low-fat, and almond milk; they all work.
- Vanilla extract.
For the ginger syrup:
- Fresh ginger.
- Honey: any flavor works. I use traditional clover honey.
Quantities are listed in the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
How to make this ginger cake
- It's a simple butter cake where the eggs are added one at a time after creaming butter and sugar.
- Then the dry ingredients are added, alternating with the milk. This means you start and end with the flour mixture.
After it is mixed well and no lumps remain, the batter is poured into the prepared loaf pan.
Poking: I use a brochette stick (regular bamboo sticks) or my cake thermometer (image above). It is thick enough to make a good hole without tearing the cake surface. Poke the whole surface for better results.
Pouring the ginger syrup
This part is easy, giving this loaf cake a lot of extra moisture and a sharp but sweet ginger flavor.
I do it while the cake is still hot and in the pan.
Add syrup: you can use a jar and pour it. It will flow to the sides. You can bring it back to the top with a spoon and redistribute it again, or aid yourself with a spoon/spatula while slowly pouring the syrup so that most of it remains in the center of the cake.
Use a brush and patiently apply the syrup to the whole surface. This method distributes it better.
You can also do it both ways. First, pour half the syrup and let it flow to the sides, then brush the rest to ensure the whole surface is covered in this sticky and fantastic ginger honey syrup.
Variations
Add-ins: this recipe is old-fashioned with a slight caramel tone, allowing add-ins like nuts, dried fruits, or chopped chocolate to be added.
Glaze it: after adding the syrup, let it cool, and remove it from the pan. Use a simple powdered sugar glaze with ginger syrup as the liquid.
Related recipes you might like:
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Brown Sugar Ginger Cake
Ingredients
For the brown sugar loaf cake:
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup milk, at room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Ginger Honey syrup:
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup water
- ½ oz fresh, peeled ginger, chopped or sliced
Instructions
For the brown sugar loaf cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Butter or spray an 8x4-inch loaf pan.
- Line with a strip of parchment paper, covering the pan's bottom and two short sides. The two long sides will remain unlined but greased. This will help remove the cake from the pan after it’s baked.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add to the egg mixture in three additions, alternating with milk and vanilla in two additions.
- Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. It will become shiny on top.
- Transfer to a cooling rack, poke the surface of the loaf with a wooden brochette skewer, cake thermometer, or something similar, and pour ½ of the honey syrup on top of the hot cake.
- Brush the remaining half so that the top surface is well covered.
- Let cool before removing from the pan. If the sides are stuck from the syrup, run a smooth-bladed knife around the edges so that it unmolds without breaking.
For the ginger honey syrup:
- Put three ingredients in a small saucepan, cover, and boil for about 5 minutes. It depends a lot on how thick you want the syrup.
- Turn off the heat and let the ginger cool in the syrup.
- Refrigerate until ready to use. Bring it to room temperature when you want to use it, or microwave it for 20 seconds or so before pouring it onto the cake.
Notes
Adapted from The Pocket Cookbook, by Elizabeth Woody from Mc Call's magazine staff
Julia says
Paula, this sounds truly amazing. What could go better with ginger than brown sugar?
Kathy says
Paula, An absolutely lovely cake!! I would love a piece with my cup of tea right now! I love the flavor of ginger…so warm and comforting!
Andrea_TheKitchenLioness says
Paula, this looks like a perfect cake to enjoy with a steaming cup of afternoon tea!
mireia badia says
Mi vida es un gran lio, por eso casi no tengo tiempo de postear ni de ir comentando en vuestros blogs, aunque el tuyo lo miro con mucha frecuencia y me siento fatal cada vez que veo todos tus progresos y la buena pinta que tiene todo y yo nada de nada!!! Cocino pero casi no pongo nada en el blog.... Tengo que recuperarlo y quiero, poco a poco!!! Este bizcocho parece perfecto, simple y exquisito, eres genial Paula!!!!
Cocoa and Lavender says
Oh, this sounds just perfect for afternoon tea! (Or, afternoon cocoa in my case...) The ginger syrup could be used on so many things - on a lemon pound cake would be divine!
I loved the photos of the jacarandá trees - they are truly the most lovely tree and we have so few here in the desert - just not the right climate. Now I know that mid-November is the perfect time to visit B.A.!
~ David
thelittleloaf says
What a beautiful, simple recipe. I love that it can be dressed up or down with different spices and flavours. Gorgeous.
e / dig in says
seriously YUM! i have book marked this and hope to make it soon. where do you find the time to bake and eat all these amazing goodies? everytime i come here you tempt me so 🙂
i grew up in a part of sydney/australia that had jacarandas - where i live now in hobart, they do not grow - and pics like that remind me how beautiful they are. we had them in our shcool grounds. wonderful.
Mary Hirsch says
This sounds good, Paula, and looks pretty. I like breads like this that are rather plain with no frosting needed. The syrup sounds delicious. Love the story about how you came up with it.
yummychunklet says
I love loaves that have a great syrup. This sounds fantastic!
Medeja says
Sounds too good to miss such thing! Must try this weekend 😀 Thanks 🙂
Lizzy Do says
Oh, man...a cake soaked with ginger syrup sounds SO good! Beautiful photos, too, Paula~
Mica ♥ Imprimerie says
Sounds and LOOKS amazing!! Have to go run for a loaf pan.
CJ says
I must make this wonderful dish, thanks for sharing.
Guru Uru says
I can imagine slathering a warm piece with syrup and devouring it, too tasty 🙂
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Nancy @ gottagetbaked says
Paula, this cake looks and sounds so lovely. It'd be the perfect thing to eat on this Monday morning with my tea. I love that you made a ginger honey syrup for it - I can just imagine how it improved on this already delicious loaf.
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
The cake sounds delicious with the ginger honey syrup. We used to live in Miami and when the Jacarandas were in bloom the whole neighborhood seemed to glow from their beautiful blossoms.
Deb says
Ginger is one of my favorite winter spices. The touch of warmth it brings to our icy world is such a delight!
A most splendid cake with tea or coffee! And just perfect for an afternoon treat!
Angie's Recipes says
A lovely cake. Very moist and smooth.
Renee Dobbs says
Beautiful cake! The brown sugar gets me every time. I think it adds a wonderful flavor to cakes and is not used often enough.
Sunithi Selvaraj, RD says
yumm ! love all the ingredients in this one. I could eat it like cake 🙂