Recipes

Recipe: Gingerbread Cake with Cranberry Compote

This festive cake recipe is pantry-friendly and absolutely delicious

By Colin Burslem /

Nothing is more frustrating than finding the perfect recipe but not having the ingredients to make it. As food costs rise, people aren’t keen on buying specific ingredients to use just for one recipe. Luckily, chef Colin Burslem at the JW Marriott Parq Vancouver has a few recipes that include ingredients most people are bound to have in their pantries. Heading into the festive season, here’s one of his favourites…

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 30 g fresh ginger, finely grated
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp each ground allspice and ground nutmeg
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup each molasses and
  • 1/2 cup golden corn syrup
  • 250 ml water
  • 2/3 cup vegetable oil

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Heat oven to 350°F.
  2. Combine flour, sugar, fresh ginger, ground spices, baking powder, baking soda and a pinch of salt in a bowl and mix well.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, molasses, golden corn syrup and oil, then beat well.
  4. Add 250 ml of water to the wet ingredients and stir. Then add to the flour mixture and whisk to combine.
  5. Pour batter into a buttered and floured 23-centimetre-diameter fluted ring tin and bake until a skewer inserted comes out clean (45 to 55 minutes).
  6. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate to cool for a further 30 minutes.
  7. Serve with cranberry compote (recipe below) spooned on top.

CRANBERRY COMPOTE

  • 1 3/4 cups white sugar
  • 100 ml water
  • 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
  • 2 tbsp mandarin orange juice
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Stir sugar and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat to dissolve sugar, bring to the boil, brushing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush, and cook until caramel (8-10 minutes).
  2. Reduce heat to low, add cranberries and juices (careful as hot caramel will spit), vanilla and stir to combine.
  3. Cool to room temperature and store in the fridge until required.
  4. Cranberry compote will keep for up to a week refrigerated in an airtight container.

This story was originally published in November 2022 and has since been updated.

Colin Burslem

Colin Burslem