Equipment
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cake
- 190 g all-purpose flour
- 4 g baking soda
- 4 g ground ginger
- 2 g ground cinnamon
- 1 g ground nutmeg
- 3 g salt
- 115 g unsalted butter, softened
- 100 g dark brown sugar
- 170 g molasses
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 120 ml buttermilk, room temperature
Ginger Syrup
- 240 ml water
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 30 g fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
Baked Peaches
- 400 g peaches, sliced
- 30 g unsalted butter, melted
- 40 g dark brown sugar
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 433 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbohydrates
- 71 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 51 g
- Sodium
- 330 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 10 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 5 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 63 mg
- Potassium
- 514 mg
- Calcium
- 95 mg
- Iron
- 1.8 mg
- Magnesium
- 69 mg
- Phosphorus
- 76 mg
- Zinc
- 0.5 mg
- Vitamin A
- 144 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 4 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.1 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.9 mg
- Vitamin K
- 3 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.2 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.1 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.06 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.09 mg
- Niacin
- 1.0 mg
- Folate
- 13 mcg
- Water
- 106 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat oven to 175 C or 350 F.
Whisk the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in a medium mixing bowl.
Cream the softened butter and dark brown sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy.
Beat the molasses and egg into the creamed butter mixture until completely smooth.
Fold the dry flour mixture and the buttermilk alternately into the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
Transfer the cake batter into a greased 20x20cm baking pan, spreading it into an even layer.
Bake the gingerbread at 175 C or 350 F for 30 minutes.
Simmer the water, granulated sugar, and sliced fresh ginger in a small saucepan over medium heat while the cake bakes.
Strain the hot ginger syrup through a fine mesh strainer into a heatproof vessel to remove the ginger slices.
Toss the sliced peaches with melted butter and dark brown sugar in a separate bowl.
Roast the prepared peaches on a baking sheet at 175 C or 350 F for 15 minutes.
Score deep holes all over the warm, baked gingerbread cake using a wooden skewer.
Pour the warm ginger syrup evenly over the pierced cake, allowing it to soak completely into the sponge.
Arrange the warm roasted peaches evenly over the top of the syrup-soaked gingerbread.
Serve the warm soaked cake immediately while the flavors are at their peak.
Chef's Notes
- Using robust molasses provides the deep, slightly bitter backbone needed to balance the sweet ginger syrup and rich peaches.
- Leave the skins on your peaches if roasting; it helps them hold their delicate shape and provides a lovely rosy hue to the finished dish.
- Do not rush the soaking step. Allowing the syrup to fully permeate the warm sponge over ten minutes is what transforms this from a standard cake into a true pudding-like dessert.
- For a cleaner presentation, slice the unsoaked cake first, plate the squares, and pour the warm syrup individually over each portion.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Store in an airtight container. The syrup will continue to soften the cake over time.
Freezer: 1 month — Freeze without the peaches. Thaw overnight and add fresh baked peaches before serving.
Reheating: Warm individual portions in the microwave for 30 seconds or in a 150C oven until heated through.
Troubleshooting
Cake collapses in the center after baking
Cause: Batter was underbaked or the oven door was opened too early during baking
Fix: Fill the center depression with extra baked peaches to mask the dip; the soaking syrup will hide any textural density
Prevention: Do not open the oven door during the first 25 minutes of baking and ensure a skewer comes out clean before removing
Syrup pools on top of the cake and does not soak in
Cause: Cake cooled too much before soaking, or the scored holes were not deep enough
Fix: Pierce more holes with the skewer and return the cake to the warm oven for 3 minutes to encourage absorption
Prevention: Pour warm syrup over the warm cake immediately after piercing deep holes
Cultural Context
Gingerbread has deep roots in British and Northern European culinary traditions, evolving from medieval heavily spiced breads into the tender, molasses-rich cakes popular today. Soaking the sponge bridges the gap between a classic American poke cake and a traditional British sticky toffee pudding, celebrating warming winter spices alongside sweet preserved fruit.
