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.

CRYSTALLIZED CANDY GINGER

Steps:

• Dry peeled and sliced ginger in a 140F oven for 8-10 hours. Cool. Place in saucepan with enough water to cover.
• Boil over medium heat until ginger is tender, about 30 minutes. Drain and cool.
• Measure ginger slivers and place in saucepan with equal amounts of sugar (about 3 cups) plus 3 tblsps of water. Simmer ginger slowly until sugar is dissolved, stirring frequently. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until ginger becomes transparent and syrup has nearly evaporated.
• Remove several slivers at a time with slotted spoon and place in paper bag containing 1/2 cup sugar. Shake to coat with sugar then remove to dry on waxed paper.
• Store in an airtight glass jar.

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.

LEMON-SOAKED GINGER POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• grease and flour a 10 inch bundt pan.
• Sift together in a large bowl: flours, ground ginger, baking powder and soda, salt.
• Set Aside.
• Beat butter in a separate bowl until light and creamy about 2 minutes.
• Gradually add the sugar at medium high speed until the mixture is light in color and texture, about 3 minutes.
• Beat in one egg at a time, beating 30-40 seconds after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
• Beat in the grated ginger, crystallized ginger or puree, lemon zest and vanilla extract.
• At low speed, add the sifted mixture in three additions, alternating with the sour cream ( or creme fraiche) Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth with a spatula.
• Bake the cake 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then invert the cake onto another rack.
• Slide a baking sheet under the cake to catch the glaze drippings.
• While the cake is baking, combine the lemon juice and sugar in a small, nonreactive saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring, just until sugar is dissolved.
• Remove from heat.
• Using a pastry brush, dab the syrup generously all over the surface of the warm cake, allowing it to soak in before reapplying.
• Use the whole pan of soaking syrup.
• Dust the cooked cake with confectioners sugar.

CLASSIC POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in extract. Gradually add flour alternately with milk, beating just until blended. , Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. tube pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 40 minutes. Cool 15 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.