This Turmeric and Ginger Cake is based on Alison Roman’s Lemony Turmeric Tea Cake from her book Nothing Fancy: Unfussy Food for Having People Over. I may have made it way back in April when we were stuck in lockdown level 5 (and before the online firestorm that followed Allison’s comments about Chrissy Teigen and Marie Kondo) but can still remember how utterly delicious this cake is.
According to Alison, “this cake is so good and so simple to put together, you might come to call it “house cake,” which is, of course, cake to keep in your house at all times. Just slicing into it makes a bad day better, the baked equivalent of burning sage or palo santo to clear the energy. It travels well, and can truly be brought anywhere for any occasion, but most of the time it won’t make it out of your kitchen”. All of those comments I can agree with. I love Alison’s recipes and always reference her first book, Dining In, when looking for easy and flavourful ideas.
I did not make changes to the recipe, except for increasing the turmeric to 1 teaspoon and adding a teaspoon of ground ginger to the batter. Ginger and turmeric is a lovely flavour combination and it works well in this sweet bake too. I baked the cake in small loaf tins purely as a styling and serving choice but the recipe below is for baking in a loaf tin.
The cake is buttery and smooth with a lovely bright yellow colour, with the sharp citrus tang from the lemon slices on top a tasty counterbalance for the sweet cake. But be warned, one slice is never enough.
I hope you enjoy this recipe for Turmeric and Ginger Cake. If you’ve made the recipe share it with me by tagging @heinstirred on Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #heinstirred. It is always a treat to see the recipes made and enjoyed.
Turmeric and Ginger Cake
Ingredients
- 215 g flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 2 lemons
- 200 g sugar plus 2 tablespoons for sprinkling
- 180 ml full-fat yoghurt plus more for serving
- 2 large eggs
- 115 g butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C
- Lightly grease a 10cm x 20 cm (or as close enough) loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray or butter, and line it with parchment, leaving some overhang on both of the longer sides so you’re able to easily lift the cake out after baking
- Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, turmeric and ginger in a large bowl
- Grate the zest from 1 lemon and place into a medium bowl
- Halve the zested lemon and squeeze 2 tablespoons juice into a small bowl and set aside
- Cut half the remaining whole lemon into thin rounds, discarding seeds (save the other half for another use)
- Add the 200g sugar to the lemon zest in the medium bowl and rub together with your fingertips until the sugar is fragrant and tinted yellow
- Whisk in the yoghurt, eggs and the 2 tablespoons lemon juice until well blended
- Using a spatula, add the wet mixture to the flour mixture, stirring just to blend
- Fold in the melted butter until combined
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top
- Scatter the top with the lemon slices and 2 tablespoons sugar
- Bake until the top of the cake is golden brown, the edges pull away from the sides of the pan, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. (If the lemons are getting too dark, lay a piece of foil on top to prevent burning.)
- Let the cake cool before slicing
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Carol
Jul 28, 2020
Hi Hein,
I love the look of the mini cakes, can you tell me how long you cooked them for? I have some mini tins that would be perfect for this recipe.
Thanks Carol.
heinstirred
Jul 28, 2020
Hello Carol
I started testing them for doneness after about 30 minutes and found them ready at 40 minutes. Not sure if your mini tins are the same so I suggest you also start testing at 30 mins and check every 5 min or so until a skewer comes out clean
Hope you enjoy!
Hein
Janet
Jul 11, 2021
Just baked this and it’s been a big hit with my family. Absolutely delicious.
heinstirred
Jul 12, 2021
So happy to hear Janet. Thanks for letting me know. It really is a delicious bake.