ginger cake
**The smell in my kitchen is amazing right now—I’ve just taken a ginger cake loaf out of the oven.** I made one in class a few weeks ago and thought I’d try it again myself at home.
According to the teacher, ginger cake is less hassle than other types of cake, so I figured it should be easier for me to manage. I changed a few ingredients this time—I used margarine instead of butter. It might make it a bit less rich, though I haven’t tasted it yet, so I’m not sure. I was planning to cook it in the Ninja Speedi, but the tin I have doesn’t fit. I’d hoped it would speed up the baking and save having to use the main oven. I’ll need to find a tin that fits the Speedi for next time.
Things can definitely go wrong with these cakes—like forgetting an ingredient or overbaking it so it turns out dry. But if I get good at this, I might even start selling them. Homemade cakes are a treat many families miss out on these days, with so much else going on. I’ll need to do some proper road-testing first, of course!
I wanted to use wholemeal flour, but the one I have isn’t self-raising, so I’d need to add baking powder to it. I skipped that step this time, but I’ll give it a try next time to see if what they say is true. Apparently, the right ratio is one teaspoon of baking powder per 75g of flour.
I also read that using unsalted butter is better for baking—something to do with the salt content in regular butter, but I’m not totally sure. I’ll dig into that more.
Cake making can be a bit of a tightrope walk—one wobble and things can go sideways! Here are some common pitfalls to watch out for, beyond forgetting ingredients or overbaking:
- **Incorrect oven temperature**: If your oven runs hot or cold, your cake might rise too fast and collapse, or bake unevenly. An oven thermometer can be a game-changer.
- **Cold ingredients**: Using butter, eggs, or milk straight from the fridge can prevent proper mixing and lead to a dense or uneven texture.
- **Overmixing the batter**: This can activate too much gluten, making the cake tough instead of tender.
- **Under- or overfilling the tin**: Too much batter can overflow; too little might bake too quickly and dry out.
- **Opening the oven door too early**: It’s tempting, but it can cause the cake to sink if the structure hasn’t set yet.
- **Expired leavening agents**: Old baking powder or soda might not give your cake the lift it needs.
- **Improper pan prep**: If the tin isn’t greased and lined properly, your cake might stick or break apart when you try to remove it.
- **Not letting it cool properly**: Taking the cake out of the tin too soon can cause it to fall apart; leaving it in too long can make it soggy from steam.
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