Crystallized Ginger Yoghurt Pound Cake Recipes

CRYSTALLIZED GINGER - YOGHURT POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300F (a low temperature, but it works); butter and flour a bundt pan (mine is no-stick but I still butter and flour it).
• With mixer beat butter for a couple of minutes until white; add sugar and extracts and beat a few minutes longer (about 8-9 minutes in all); Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition; With mixer on low (to avoid getting flour dust all over the kitchen) add flour, baking powder and salt alternately with yoghurt; beat in ginger; this makes a very thick batter; Spoon into prepared bundt pan and bake for 75 minutes (but start checking with toothpick to see if it's done after an hour (temperatures vary from oven to oven).
• Variations: I often use the 'base' recipe (omitting the ginger) and 'marble some of the batter with cocoa (add a tablespoonful or so of milk and 2 heaping tablespoonfuls of cocoa to 1/3 of the batter); or make a nut cake by stirring in 1 1/2 cups of the flour-dusted, toasted nuts of your choice (a sprinkle of freshly-grated nutmeg is great in this version); our current favourite is chocolate, chocolate/chip where I add 3 tablespoonfuls of cocoa to the batter (along with a couple of tablespoonfuls of milk - or buttermilk if you have it) and then stir in 1 1/2 cups of flour-dusted chocolate chips at the end, before spooning into pan.

SIMPLE YOGHURT POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300° F (about 150° C).
• Using an electric beater or kitchen aid, cream together sugar and butter, when it is light and fluffy, add egg yolks one at a time,beat well after each addition.
• Blend in vanilla and yoghurt.
• In a separate bowl, sift sifted flour, salt, and soda.
• Add sifted dry ingredients to batter, beat well.
• For the egg whites, to ensure a successful formation of stiff peaks, the first step is that the bowl - preferably a metal or glass bowl, and beaters should be clean and dry. If there is a trace of oil residue in the bowl or a little hint of yolk in the whites, it will interfere with the formation of air bubbles. Beat on low speed for about a minute until foamy then switch to medium/high speed until stiff peaks form. (Note: I do not have 2nd spare bowl designed for the kitchen aid for beating the egg whites, so I scoop with a spatula the yoghurt mixture batter - it would be rather stiff by then - into a large separate clean bowl; then wash, dry the beaters and bowl of the kitchen aid with paper towel.).
• Take a quarter or so of the beaten egg white and mix it into the yoghurt batter, it will bring the consistency of the batter closer to that of the foam so they mix better. Fold the rest of the egg white in 2 or 3 parts, do not over mix.
• Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake for about 1 1/2 hours (90 mins) or until loaf is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool completely.

GINGER POUND CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in ginger and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Beat just until combined. Stir in crystallized ginger. , Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. tube pan. Bake at 350° for 65-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

CANDIED GINGER POUND CAKE WITH A HINT OF ORANGE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
• Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs one at a time until mixed well.
• Combine flour, soda, and salt.
• Alternately add flour and sour cream until combined with egg/butter mixture.
• Add extract and zest to cake batter.
• Gently fold candied ginger mixed with 3 tablespoons flour into cake batter -.
• Pour into large bundt pan, sprayed with baking spray.
• Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes ~ check for doneness ~ cover top of cake with aluminum foil if it is getting too dark!
• Continue baking if necessary ~ check at 5 minute intervals till done. Cake in my photo baked for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
• If desired, brush hot cake with an orange juice/sugar syrup to glaze ~.or top each serving with orange curd.

TRIPLE-GINGER POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9x5x3-inch loaf pans. Sift flour, ground ginger, baking powder and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add eggs and yolks 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Mix dry ingredients and milk alternately into batter. Fold in crystallized ginger and grated ginger. Divide batter between prepared loaf pans.
• Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool cakes in pans 10 minutes. Cut around pan sides to loosen cakes. Turn cakes out onto racks; cool completely. (Can be prepared up to 1 month ahead. Double-wrap cakes with plastic; freeze.)

TRIPLE-GINGER POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 12-cup fluted tube cake pan, 10-inch angel food (tube) cake pan or 2 (9x5-inch) loaf pans. In medium bowl, mix flour, ground ginger, baking powder and salt; set aside.
• In large bowl, beat granulated sugar, butter, gingerroot, vanilla and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 5 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in flour mixture alternately with milk on low speed. Fold in candied or crystallized ginger until evenly mixed. Spread in pan.
• Bake fluted tube or angel food cake pan 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes, loaf pans 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• In chilled large bowl, beat whipping cream and powdered sugar on high speed until stiff. Fold in pineapple. Serve cake with pineapple cream.

GINGER-ORANGE POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F. Grease 12-cup fluted tube (bundt cake) pan with shortening or cooking spray; lightly flour. (Do not use dark or nonstick pan.)
• In large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt, gingerroot and orange peel; set aside.
• In another large bowl, beat sugar and butter with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly, until creamy. Add eggs; beat on low speed until well blended. Beat on high speed 5 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in flour mixture alternately with orange juice on low speed until smooth. Pour into pan.
• Bake 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and top is dark golden brown. Cool 30 minutes; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Spoon marmalade over cake; top with candied ginger.