St. Patrick's Day: Gingerbread Cake

For The Gingerbread Cake

2 cups all purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 T ground ginger
1 T ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 T freshly grated ginger root
¾ cup unsalted butter, 1 ½ sticks, room temperature
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
1 cup molasses
2 each large eggs, beaten
1 cup Guinness stout
½ cup water

For the Caramelized Apples

4 each ripe, firm apples (Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, McIntosh)
3 T unsalted butter
4 T sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ cup sweet white wine, i.e. Robert Mondavi Moscato D'Oro
1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preparing the Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 inch cake pan and dust with flour.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
Place the butter, sugar, and brown sugar in a bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix until creamy. Add the molasses and fresh grated ginger and mix until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, bring the Guinness stout and water to a boil. Cool down to room temperature and add to the cake batter, mix until combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 45-50 minutes. Insert a skewer into the center of the cake to check for doneness. The cake is done if it comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and let cool on a rack for 5 minutes. Invert the cake onto a platter and remove from the pan. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for an additional 5 minutes.

Preparing the Apples

Peel, core, and quarter the apples. Cut each quarter in half lengthwise and toss in the lemon juice. Heat the butter over medium heat. When the butter begins to froth, add the sugar and stir to dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved add the spices and apples and stir. Cook on low to medium heat until the apples are tender and have a nice caramel color, about 7-10 minutes. Serve immediately or set aside to cool and reheat later.
Plating

Slice the cake into 8 even slices. Place the warm caramelized apples next to the cake and top with a scoop of Guinness ice cream (recipe attached). Serve immediately.
Bon appétit!