Billie’s Gingerbread Cake

From the book Delicious, by Ruth Reichl .

This recipe was in a book I read for my Book Group. The book wasn’t all that great, but this cake was described as ‘life-changing’ so, of course, I had to make it. I won’t say that it changed my life, but it was very good and my fellow book group members thought so as well. (I did use preground spices)

Ingredients

Whole black peppercorns                           Whole cloves                    Whole cardamom

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder                                      1 tsp baking soda

3 large eggs                                                     1 large egg yolk

1 cup sour cream

1 ½ sticks unsalted butter (6 ounces) @ room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 large pieces fresh ginger (1/4 cup lightly packed when finely grated)

Zest from 2-3 oranges (1 ½ tsps. Finely grated)

FOR SOAK: ½ cup bourbon                                                1 ½ TBSP sugar

FOR GLAZE: ¾ cup powdered sugar, sifted or put through a strainer                 
5 tsp orange juice

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Butter and flour a 6 cup Bundt pan. 
2. Grind your peppercorns, cloves, and cardamom and measure out ¼ tsp of each. (You can use preground spices but the cake won’t taste as good).
3. Grind your cinnamon stick and measure out 1 teaspoon. 
4. Whisk the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt in a small bowl.
5. In another small bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolk into the sour cream.  Set aside.
6. Cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer until the mixture is light, fluffy, and almost while.  This should take about 3 minutes.
7. Grate the ginger root – this is a lot of ginger – and the orange zest.  Add them to the butter/sugar mixture. 
8. Beat the flour mixture and the egg mixture, alternating between the two, into the butter until each addition is incorporated.  The batter should be as luxurious as mousse.
9. Spoon batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 40 minutes, until the cake is golden and a wooden skewer comes out clean.  Remove to a rack and cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

SOAK: While the cake cools in its pan, simmer the bourbon and the sugar in a small pot for about 4 minutes.  It should reduce to about 1/3 cup.
While the cake is still in the pan, brush half the bourbon mixture onto its exposed surface (the bottom of the cake) with a pastry brush.  Let the syrup soak in for a few minutes, then turn the cake out onto a rack. 
Gently brush the remaining mixture all over the cake.

GLAZE: Once the cake is cooled, mix the sugar with the orange juice and either drizzle the glaze randomly over the cake or put it into a squeeze bottle and do a controlled drizzle.