The cake has a light melt-in-your-mouth texture, and the ginger flavor and aroma lured me in immediately.
The Original Recipe
I first baked this cake after David Lebovitz republished the recipe in his December, 2022, Substack newsletter. Lebovitz’s recipe has been reprinted on many food blogs, and recently the New York Times featured it again. What I focus on in the New York Times rendition of recipes is the comments. And boy, can they be all over the place. For the fresh ginger cake I read through over 200 comment. Most were focused on health. The cake has a light melt-in-your-mouth texture, and the ginger flavor and aroma lured me in immediately.
What is fresh (summer) ginger?
Ginger grows is Hawaii year-round, but what I call summer ginger is young ginger that springs up in July. I find it only in farmers’ markets. As you see below in the recipe, it’s beautiful and alluring. I keep it on my kitchen counter and cut slices to flavor tea or to chop up for stir-fry dishes. Brown-skinned ginger works fine in this recipe, too, and is my go-too rhizome for most of the year. Sometimes I peel it if the skin is especially tough.
Using Coconut Oil
Here is what I did and the cake was great. Chop the ginger with the sugar to create a fine granular mix. This step is a timesaver. And it also assures there are no renegade large nubs of ginger that escaped the chef’s knife. I subbed in coconut oil for the suggested vegetable neutral-flavored oil. Coconut oil adds a bit of sweetness that combines well with ginger’s assertiveness. I use coconut oil a lot in my regular cooking. And now, let’s get baking! This cake is delicious all by itself. I cut a slice off the cake whenever I happen to be walking by. Excellent with tea.