Weights and Measures

I don't know why Nigel Slater is not a bigger deal in the United States. Like his British cohorts, he too brings simple, fuss-free food to the forefront, and does so in an engaging, straight-forward fashion. I love this man. That is why, when book shopping in Oxford, I was thrilled to find his latest book, The Kitchen Diaries. Half food chronicle, half traditional cookbook, it takes the reader through the months of the year, telling us what the author ate on any particular day. And on January 9, there was Double Ginger Cake to be found at the Slater household.

I adapted this recipe a bit, baking it in a round springform pan, and omitting the golden raisins (because really, who wants those in their cake anyway?). What I ended up with was a wonderful, not-too-sweet cake, with a loose crumb, packing quite a punch of spicy ginger flavor. But this seemingly everyday sort of tea-time cake, will really only be a special occasion sort of cake for me. Full of traditional English ingredients like golden syrup; dark brown demerara sugar; and cured ginger, packed in sweetened syrup, all purchased at Tesco before making the journey home, I'm afraid I will only be able to make the cake a few more times.

The book was purchased in England, as well as the ingredients, and the only reason I was able to make this recipe with a modicum of success was my handy kitchen scale. You see in most other countries, and in American bakeries, baking is all about weights and measurement. It is not approximately one cup of self-rising flour; it is precisely 250g of self-rising flour. Baking is all about precision, unlike cooking you cannot simply toss in a bit of one thing, and more of another. So I broke out the scale, and did what I was told. I carefully measured out my golden syrup, and my demerara sugar, and you know what, the cake turned out perfectly.

One addition that I did make was the luscious Caramel Glaze that you see spilling over the sides of the cake. Made very simply by melting one half stick of butter in a saucepan, adding a 1/4 cup each of white sugar and light brown sugar, and stir until blended, about 2 minutes. Then add 1/2 cup of heavy cream and bring to a boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. The glaze will be viscous and luxurious, with a cool caramel color. With a toothpick or bamboo skewer, while the cake is still warm, puncture the top of the dessert at regular intervals. Pour on the glaze, working it into the cake with the back of a spoon if necessary. Save a bit of the glaze to spoon on the cake plate when slicing and serving.

So you don't get the cake recipe, but the glaze would be wonderful on any sort of plain, unfrosted cake, be it bundt, chocolate, or even a ginger cake of your own.