Sticky maple gingerbread cake

I think you are going to love this cake. Sticky maple gingerbread cake is like the king of winter cakes. Goodnessly sticky, dark, moist and deliciously spicy. Humm…there is something just so comforting about it. 

Actually, I did not intend to do any baking this Christmas but since I am running around the kitchen past midnight making slumber tea. And since I've already started on Gingersnap cookies last week, it counts as already having one foot in the Christmas baking bonanza. I thought, what the heck, I might as well use up the molasses and spices. Frankly speaking, my spices are from last Christmas and I am not sure if they can hold up for another year.

I turn to oven dial to preheat.
It's kind of nice to bake at midnight, sliding around the kitchen floor with fluffy slippers. The quiet charm of midnight baking is rather relaxing with no rush in the world. When you pull out cake or cookie pan from the oven, there's this overwhelming sense of accomplishment almost like a runner's 'high' after a 5 mile run so to speak. Is there 'baking endorphin fix'? This feeling can be addictive. 

The scent of gingery spices bringing warmth. To me, it smells of Christmas and with that lingering in my hair and pyjamas when I go to bed, I feel like I might even meet Santa.
This sticky maple gingerbread cake is so easy. Easy as there's no mixing bowl to wash up. Basically, it's just melt, mix and bake; except for the icing bit. Well, that can wait until the morning I suppose.
Last week: Gingersnap Cookies
2 Christmas ago: Gingerbread Cookies

Ingredients
Makes 1 delicious 9x9 inch cake
150g butter
200g maple syrup
200g molasses
100g brown sugar
2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda, mix with 15 mL warm water
250ml full-fat milk
2 eggs, beaten to mix
300g cake flour

Method
Preheat the oven to 170°C and line a 9 by 9 inch baking tin. You can use a round cake tin if you wish.

In a saucepan, melt the butter over a low heat along with the sugar, maple syrup, molasses and spices.Take off the heat and let cool till warm. Add the milk, eggs and baking soda solution. Stir in the flour, mix until well incorporated. The batter will be quite liquid. Pour it into the prepared tin and bake for 45 minutes or until firm on top. Try not to overcook, as it is nicer a little stickier.

Let the gingerbread cool in the tin before transferring to a cake plate. The gingerbread is good to eat on it's own. Warmed slightly in a microwave and serve with a large scoop of vanilla ice-cream. Or, since it's Christmas, why not go over the top with some decadent cream cheese icing with pretty Christmas decorations.

Cream Cheese Icing
150g cream cheese, soften
150g butter, softened
80g icing sugar, sifted
½ tablespoonful vanilla extract

Simple syrup
3 tablespoon maple syrup
3 tablespoon warm water

In electric mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes on medium speed until very smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing. Add the vanilla extract and mix. Then slowly add the powdered sugar. Keep adding until you get to desired sweetness and thickness.

To built cake, lighten some maple syrup with warm water. Liberally drizzle the syrup over cake. This will make the cake super moist and even more sticky. Then either spread on with a blunt knife or spatula, or spoon into a piping bag to decorate the gingerbread cake. Decorate as you wish.

Till next post, ss. 

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