Lemon and Ginger Cake {gluten-free}

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Lemon and Ginger Cake is served with Lemon Custard to make for a warm comforting pudding. The zealous lemon and spicy stem ginger flavour is enhanced with gorgeous sorghum flour making the cake happily gluten-free.

If you are looking for a dessert which is easy to make but punchy with flavour then Lemon and Ginger Cake with Lemon Custard will not disappoint. The sponge pudding packs in the zing of fragrant citrus and the spicy warmth of ginger using both ground ginger and stem ginger.

Why is this Lemon and Ginger Cake so brilliant?

• The sponge cake is easy to come together.
• We use the zest of 3 lemons in the sponge for a Sharp zesty taste.
• Gluten-Free – using the perfect blend of alternative flours to compliment the cake’s flavour.
• We use 2 types of ginger for maximum effect – ground ginger and stem ginger.
• Lemony custard. Please serve this cake with this amazing fresh lemon custard – you won’t be sorry! 

Gluten-Free Flours

Sorghum flour

The flavour of sorghum matches well here with the lemon and ginger. The earthiness of the sorghum appealingly contrasts to the fresh lemon but buddies up close with the rustic notes of the ginger.

This is the sorghum flour I’ve been using recently and I’ve been really loving it. It’s earthy, nutty and produces a fluffy and tender cake.

Sweet rice flour

Sweet rice flour is added to the blend to give the sponge bounce and help bind it all together

Almond flour

Almond flour is used for taste and added moisture. The protein within the almonds helps give the cake excellent structure without density.

True almond flour is hard to find in the UK and I’ve only ever been able to source it from Amazon. It panics me when my bag is starting to look empty as I use it all the time. It’s very finely milled and more powder-like than ground almonds or almond meal. However, it is very often out of stock and can vary wildly in price depending on availability. If you’re finding it difficult to get hold of you can substitute with ground almonds.

Gingerlicious

For this recipe I used Homemade Stem Ginger in the sponge batter since I had it to hand but by all means you can use it ready made from the supermarket. By the same token I decorated the top of the cake with Homemade Crystallised Ginger and although it isn’t necessary at all, it gave yet another dimension of ginger to the cake and was utterly delicious. Again, you can use shop bought or leave it off entirely.

How to make fresh custard

Do you make fresh custard in your house? It’s easier than you think and uses everyday ingredients. Actually it’s perhaps only five minutes more time than prepping Bird’s custard (if the latter is your habit). To make fresh custard all you need is:

• eggs
• sugar
• tapioca flour
• milk

Beat the eggs with sugar and tapioca flour until lovely and thick. Then heat the milk to just under a boil. Watch to see gentle movement beneath the surface before removing from the heat. Run the hot milk into the egg mixture in a thin stream, whisking all the time so the eggs don’t scramble. Once it’s all added, return to the heat and bring to a gentle simmer.

Lemon Custard

Since we’re making lemon custard here we will infuse the milk with the lemon peel. The lemon milk will need to infuse for at about 2 hours so you will have to think ahead a little.

Baker’s Tip: By infusing the custard with lemon peel rather than juice you are eliminating a concern for splitting. But a further reason for this method is that the infusion with the peel gives a wonderfully floral rather than sharp lemony taste.

Psst.  If you love lemon flavour and want an easy natural way to add lemon flavour to your cakes, bakes and savouries then have you tried using homemade lemon powder?

Be warned this custard is so deliciously good that you will be happily digging into the custard directly from the saucepan with your spoon. Also, if by chance you have some custard leftover you should definitely pour some over sliced bananas. Just sayin’.

FAQS

Can you make the cake ahead? Absolutely. This cake is delicious warm or at room temperature. If you want to serve as a dessert with the custard then it’s delicious if you warm it up in the microwave first (or in the oven covered in foil so the edges don’t get crisp).

Can you make the custard ahead? Yes! You can make up to 3 days in advance. Keep it in the fridge (separately to the cake) and just warm up in a saucepan when you are ready to serve.

Can you freeze this cake? Yes, double wrap the cooled cake in cling film then tin foil to avoid freezer burn. Remove from the freezer and let defrost fully. Then you can re-warm in the microwave (or oven) if you like and serve with the custard.

How long does it keep for? The cake will keep up to 3 days in an airtight container, stored in a cool dark place (not the fridge). The custard should be kept in the fridge and will also keep for up to 3 days.

Lemon Sultana Cake

For a variation you can replace the stem ginger with sultanas. This version is absolutely gorgeous too.

Do you love a good British pud? Then you also might like these recipes:

Bramley Apple and Mincemeat Pudding

Blackberry Lemon Pudding

Sticky Toffee Baileys Pudding

If you make this Lemon and Ginger Cake with Lemon Custard then please leave a comment below and/or give the recipe a rating. If you then go on to use this recipe as a launch pad for your own baking creation then I’d also love it if you’d share it and tag me on Instagram. It is so lovely for me to see your versions and variations of my recipes.

Lemon and Ginger Cake with Lemon Custard {gluten-free}

Lemon and Ginger Cake with Lemon Custard is gluten-free and zealous with flavour. A warm comforting pudding for these cold snowy days.

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: British

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 55 minutes

Servings: 9 servings

Calories: 453kcal

Author: Georgina Hartley

Ingredients

• ▢ 200 g unsalted butter
• ▢ 200 g caster sugar
• ▢ zest of 3 lemons
• ▢ 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• ▢ 4 eggs
• ▢ 90 g sorghum flour
• ▢ 75 g sweet rice flour
• ▢ 35 g almond flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• ▢ 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 70 g stem ginger finely chopped, about 4 balls
• ▢ 100 g crystallised ginger sliced to decorate (optional)

Lemon Custard

• ▢ 300 ml whole milk
• ▢ ½ lemon
• ▢ 3 egg yolks
• ▢ 1 tablespoon caster sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon tapioca flour * optional

Instructions

• Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4.
• Line and grease an 8 inch square baking tin.
• Cream the butter and sugar with the lemon zest for a few minutes until light and fluffy.
• Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until thoroughly incorporated and stir in the lemon juice.
• Sift together the flours, ground ginger, baking powder and salt then mix into the rest of the ingredients until just combined.
• Stir in the stem ginger.
• Pour the batter into the baking tin, smoothing the top and bake in the oven for around 30-35 minutes until the sponge has browned on top and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
• Remove from oven, rest for five minutes then carefully turn out onto a wire rack. Either leave the cake to cool completely to reheat later or serve whilst still warm with the custard. Arrange the crystallised ginger over the top of the pudding if using.

Lemon Custard

• Slice the peel away from the lemon half with a very sharp knife, making sure to remove all the pith.
• Place the lemon peel into a saucepan along with the milk and heat until just below boiling point.
• Remove the milk from the heat and leave the milk to infuse with the lemon for at least 2 hours.
• Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar in a medium bowl until pale and thick then stir in the tapioca flour if using.
• Remove the lemon peel from the milk and re-heat the milk in a medium sized saucepan until just below boiling.
• Take the milk off the heat and then pour in a very thin and steady stream into the eggs, whisking all the while until all the milk has been incorporated.
• Pour the custard mixture back into the saucepan and bring to a very gentle boil and the custard has thickened, stirring all the time.
• Remove from the heat and serve over the Lemon and Ginger Cake.

Notes

*I love a thick custard and I find tapioca flour is the easiest way without adding another egg which would make the custard too ‘eggy’. It also helps to stabilise the custard. However it is not necessary at all and I have made the custard quite happily in the past without the tapioca, the resulting custard is just a little thinner.

Nutrition

Calories: 453kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 188mg | Sodium: 180mg | Potassium: 234mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 800IU | Vitamin C: 4.9mg | Calcium: 103mg | Iron: 1.2mg

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