Fresh Ginger Cake

This recipe is from "Room For Dessert" by David Lebovitz.
This cake freezes well.
Kay Hartman
One 9- or 10-inch cake; 10 to 12 servings

4 ounces fresh ginger
1 cup mild molasses [I used blackstrap]
1 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil, preferably peanut
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup water
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 eggs, at room temperature

1. Position the oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the
oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9 by 3-inch round cake pan or a 9
1/2-inch springform pan with a circle of parchment paper. [Following
the recipe, I didn't grease the pan. This was a mistake. The cake
stuck to the side. Of course I used a knife to loosen the cake from
the side of the pan, but the side of the cake was rough because of it.
I think some grease on the side would have helped. Maybe even grease
and flour. I'll try grease next and see what happens.]

2. Peel, slice, and chop the ginger very fine with a knife (or a
grater.) [I grated the ginger.]

3. Mix together the molasses, sugar, and oil. In another bowl, sift
together the flour, cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper.

4. Bring the water to the boil in a saucepan, stir in the baking
soda, and then mix the hot water into the molasses mixture. Stir in
the ginger.

5. Gradually whisk the dry ingredients into the batter. Add the
eggs, and continue mixing until everything is thoroughly combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for about 1 hour,
until the top of the cake springs back lightly when pressed or a
toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top of the
cake browns too quickly before the cake is done, drape a piece of foil
over it and continue baking.

6. Cool the cake for at least 30 minutes. Run a knife around the
edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Remove the cake from the
pan and peel off the parchment paper.

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