Food In The Fort

Catherine and I stumbled into this wonderful little non-academic book club. The premise is simple. Each month we all read the same book and then have a pot luck supper at one of the members’ homes to talk about it. Sort of like dinner theater, but for books.

Since this month’s selection was Dune, it was perfectly obvious to me that nothing but spice cake would do. However, as one might expect, Melange is incredibly hard to find locally. Luckily, I found this recipe from Maxie’s Supper Club at Chow and decided that fresh grated ginger, while less trippy than melange, would be an adequate substitute.

Maxie’s recipe did not disappoint! The flavor was rich, intense and the black pepper added just the right bit of bite. The freshly grated ginger was a delight not only for the taste buds, but also provided a springy, almost meaty, texture not unlike carrot cake. The result is a heady, earthy treat with a decidedly old-fashioned^* feel.

In short, this is pure comfort food. Perfect for enjoying a a cup of tea while enjoying your favorite book.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup molasses
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 3 oz. fresh ginger (about a 4″ piece), peeled, grated and finely chopped
• 2 large eggs

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, arrange a rack in middle of oven
2. Butter and flour a 9″ cake pan; set aside
3. Whisk together flour, cinnamon, cloves and pepper in a medium bowl; set aside
4. Whisk together molasses, sugar and oil in a large bowl; set aside
5. Bring water to a boil (I microwaved it), and stir in the baking soda
6. Stir water and baking soda into molasses mixture
7. Stir ginger into molasses mixture
8. Gradually whisk dry ingredients into molasses mixture
9. Add eggs and continue mixing until thoroughly combined
10. Pour batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly
11. Bake 45 – 50 minutes until done
12. Allow cake to cool for at least 30 minutes before removing from the pan

^*Taste and memories are odd things. I mentioned that this cake had a definite old-fashioned taste to it. A few of the other members of the book group agreed. But how would we know what an “old-fashioned” taste is? Is it the food our grandmothers made when we were growing up? Well, I don’t know about your grandmother, but my grandmother loved her Duncan-Hines-in-a-box cakes. And it can’t be the intense ginger flavor because I’m sure I never saw fresh ginger root at the A&P or Victory markets growing up. So what makes something taste “old-fashioned”? I don’t know. If you do, please say something in the comments because these are the kinds of questions that keep me awake at night.

About the author:  Leo is a technologist and writer living in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is a transplant to the Mid West from Central New York and was promised cheaper gas and better winters. He feels somewhat lied to in this respect but otherwise finds the people pleasant. Read more from this author