Ginger Layer Cake
Photography Kelly Gibney.
This cake is both deliciously impressive and full of wholesome ingredients you can feel good about. The warm spices work beautifully with the vanilla cream and fresh seasonal berries. The cake batter recipe below will make two layers – you need to make it twice to create a four layer cake. Enjoy making this look amazing.
INGREDIENTS
1½ cups dried dates, soaked in boiling water for 15 minutes then drained well
¼ cup melted coconut oil
2½ teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon mixed spice
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup ground almonds
½ cup desiccated coconut (use organic to avoid preservatives)
1 cup spelt flour
4 large free-range eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup natural yoghurt
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Filling and topping
4 x 200 gram packets mascarpone cheese (you need 1 mascarpone packet per layer)
4 teaspoons good quality vanilla extract (you need 1 teaspoon per layer)
4 tablespoons maple syrup (you need 1 tablespoon up per mascarpone packet)
To serve
ripe strawberries
blueberries
edible flowers
Two 20cm x 2cm sandwich cake tins, greased
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 170°C.
Place the soaked dates, coconut oil and spices in a food processor and blitz to a rough purée. Add the remaining ingredients and process for a minute or two until smooth and well mixed. Scrape down the sides as needed while mixing.
Divide the mixture evenly between the two tins and use a spatula to smooth the surface.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until a skewer comes out clean when inserted.
Leave to cool for at least two hours before assembling the layers.
Repeat this process to produce another two layers of cake.
Filling: Combine the mascarpone, vanilla and maple syrup in a bowl and mix well.
To assemble: Place the bottom cake layer on your serving plate. Use a palette knife or thin spatula to spread evenly with ¼ of the mascarpone mixture. Gently place the second cake layer on top and spread with a further ¼ of the mascarpone. Repeat until you have spread the remaining mascarpone on top of the fourth cake layer.
Decorate generously with fresh berries and edible flowers.
Store the finished cake in the fridge until 30 minutes prior to serving. The cake must be stored in the fridge. Will last up to four days in an airtight container.
Kelly Gibney
Kelly Gibney is a food writer, stylist and photographer based in Auckland. For more of her inspiring wholefood recipes head over to her blog, bonnie delicious.
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In Dream Escape, we journey from Japan and Morocco to Italy, India and beyond, sharing recipes inspired by travel, heritage and comfort. We celebrate the champions of the Outstanding Food Producer Awards, explore the stories and recipes of chefs shaped by their cultural roots, and warm up with everything from West African soups and slow-braised lamb to porchetta, butter chicken and beef noodle soup. Alongside destination menus, Scandinavian sweets and cosy pub classics, Chrisanne Terblanche shares her favourite street-side dining spots in Bangkok, while Yvonne Lorkin explores red wine varietals. This issue, we invite you to slow down, turn the pages and escape through food.