guinness stout ginger cake with ice creams

This month’s Sugar High Friday, which is being hosted by the knowledgeable and prolific Ruth of Once upon a Feast, has a ginger theme. For the event, I decided to make a ginger dessert by the distinguished pastry chef Claudia Fleming. On my recent trip to New York, I hoped to sample some of Claudia’s desserts. I knew she had left New York’s Gramercy Tavern and Amuse. I did research and found out that she and her husband, chef Gerry Hayden, were in the midst of opening North Fork Table and Inn on Long Island's East End. Because it was not yet open, I searched further and discovered that Fleming and Hayden had designed the menu for the IFC Waverly pub in NYC. On the menu was Claudia’s Guinness stout ginger cake. So, I went to the IFC Waverly eagerly in search of her desserts, including the ginger cake. Yet, sadly, I was out of luck. The company that runs the IFC Waverly pub had cancelled her dessert menu, apparently because of cost and a lack of business.

So, here I am making the Claudia Fleming dessert that I didn’t have a chance to try. My contribution to Sugar High Friday #19 is Claudia’s Guinness stout ginger cake served with her ginger and gingersnap ice creams and a chocolate ginger sauce. It is variations on the theme of ginger and a tribute to Claudia Fleming. The ginger cake has a rich, intense flavour. The ginger ice cream is a pure pleasure—people who admire ginger’s spiciness and kick will absolutely love it. The gingersnap ice cream is comfort food, reminiscent of ginger snap cookies and with more complexity than the ginger ice cream.

Claudia’s recipes can be found in her sole cookbook, The Last Course. I very much hope that Claudia will put out another pastry book.


Guinness stout ginger cake

1 cup Guinness stout
1 cup molasses
1/2 Tbsp baking soda
3 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup grapeseed or vegetable oil
2 cups all purpose flour
2 Tbsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cardamom
1 Tbsp grated, peeled fresh gingerroot

1. Pre heat the oven to 350ºF. Butter a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan, line the bottom and sides with parchment, and grease the parchment. Alternatively, butter and flour a 6-cup Bundt pan.
2. In a large saucepan over high heat, combine the stout and molasses and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and add the baking soda. Allow to sit until the foam dissipates.
3. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together the eggs and both sugars. Whisk in the oil.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, ground ginger, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cardamom.
5. Combine the stout mixture with the egg mixture, then whisk this liquid into the flour mixture, half at a time. Add the fresh ginger and stir to combine.
6. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 1 hour, or until the top springs back when gently pressed. Do not open the oven until the gingerbread is almost done or the center may fall slightly. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.


Ginger ice cream

4 oz peeled fresh gingerroot, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
3 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/4 cups sugar
12 large egg yolks
Pinch of salt

1. In a heavy saucepan, combine the milk, cream, and 1 cup of the sugar and bring to a simmer.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks and the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar.
3. Remove the milk mixture from the heat and add a little to the egg yolk mixture to warm it, whisking constantly to keep the yolks from curdling. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the hot milk mixture, whisking the milk constantly as you pour.
4. Return the custard to the stove and cook it over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.
5. Remove from the heat and strain into a bowl. Stir in the crushed peppercorns and the salt. Chill the custard until it is thoroughly cold, at least 4 hours.
6. Strain again and freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.


Gingersnap ice cream

2 oz peeled fresh gingerroot, sliced (about 16 quarter-size slices)
3 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup granulated sugar
4 cinnamon sticks
1 Tbsp cracked black peppercorns
1/2 nutmeg crushed
2 cardamom pods, cracked
12 large egg yolks
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp dark molasses
Pinch of salt

1. Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add the ginger and let it blanch for 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the ginger to a heavy saucepan. Add the milk, cream, granulated sugar, cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg, and cardamom and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat and allow the spices to infuse for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks, brown sugar, and molasses.
3. Return the milk mixture to the heat and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and add a little of the hot milk to the egg yolk mixture to warm it, whisking constantly to keep the yolks from curdling. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the hot milk mixture, whisking the milk constantly as you pour.
4. Return the custard to the stove and cook it over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the salt and strain the custard through a fine sieve, Chill until thoroughly cold, at least 4 hours.
5. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

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