Drenched Ginger and Lemon Cake by PaddyL

[BakerAunt]

Drenched Ginger and Lemon Cake
Submitted by PaddyL on June 11, 2010 at 11:45 am

175 g/6 oz. unsalted butter
175 g/6oz. sugar
175 g/6 oz. light muscavado sugar (You can substitute light soft brown sugar.)
2 large eggs
grated zest of two lemons
1 tsp. baking powder
a pinch of salt
175 g./6 oz. self-raising flour (She used half whole wheat and half white, so I added 3/4 of a tsp. baking powder to 3 oz. of ww pastry flour; and just 3 oz. of regular, white self-raising flour.)
3-5 tbsp. milk
4 pieces of ginger from a jar of stem ginger in syrup

Drenching syrup:
juice of two lemons
35 g/1-1/2 oz. turbinado sugar (I used more of the muscavado sugar.)
2 tbsp. syrup from the jar of preserved ginger

Butter a 6 or 7-inch cake tin and line the base with a circle of buttered parchment. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Grate the lemon zest into the mixture, then sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and flour into the mixture, folding lightly with a metal spoon. (I don't know what, if any, difference a metal spoon would make; I used a plastic spatula.) Stir in enough milk to give a dropping consistency, then add the finely chopped bits of ginger and fold in lightly. Plop into the cake pan, smooth the top, and bake in the centre of a preheated 350F. oven about 40 to 50 minutes, until springy to the touch in the centre.

Remove from oven, and leave for 15 minutes before turning out onto a rack. When still warm, poke holes in the top of the cake with a skewer, right through to the bottom.

Put the sugar, lemon juice, and ginger syrup in a pot, stir as it heats to dissolve the sugar, then bubble it up fiercely for a minute or so. Put the cake on a plate and slowly pour the "drench" over the top of the cake, allowing it to seep down the holes. Serve warm or cold with creme fraiche, lightly whipped cream, or custard, or just leave plain.

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