A warm cake with warm spices is perfect any time of year. Sorghum adds depth of flavor to this recipe. Top it off with your favorite ice cream or whipped cream, and you have a treat everyone will enjoy. Make this cake today!

Photos by Andrew Barton

Ginger Cake

Courtesy of Sandhill Farm, Rutledge, MO

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup sorghum
1 cup boiling water
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Directions:

Put the oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan.

Whisk together flour, ginger, and cinnamon in a medium bowl until blended.

Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Whisk together sorghum and boiling water in another large (at least 2-quart) bowl, then whisk in baking soda (mixture will bubble up and expand).

Add flour and sorghum mixtures alternately to butter mixture in 3 batches, mixing at medium speed until incorporated. Beat in eggs until smooth. Batter will be thin.

Pour batter into springform pan, and bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove the sides of the pan. Cool cake on the rack at least 30 minutes more. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

Serves 6-8

Article originally published in the August 2010 issue of Missouri Life.