Procrastibake: Ginger Cake Donuts

I suspect most people will associate gingerbread with Christmas and Winter, but for me it is one super Autumn-ey flavour and perfectly nice for this time of year. With October truly on it's way and the Cake Slice Bakers time of the month swinging around, there was no doubt in my mind what I was baking when it came to choices.

The Ginger Cake is, as Roger Pizey in World Class Cakes, puts it "super-charged". While I omitted the Ginger Wine called for in the original recipe, the rest stayed the same. I had never heard of Ginger Wine, and couldn't find it readily so it didn't make the cut. I added a sweet cinnamon, cream cheese frosting instead. The Donuts were beautifully balanced and based on the oh-ahs that accompanied the tasters lip smacking, I trust they went down a treat.

I had a half of one, trying to be good and not deviating too far off my build-me-some-muscle gym plan. But honestly every time I meet my trainer he's asking what I have baked this week so I can never get away from it! My work colleagues are the same. It's like they want me to bake and complain I am making them put up weight.

And I love them for it.

Ginger Cake Donuts-

makes 18 donuts. Adapted from World Class Cakes page 70

170g butter
200g dark brown sugar
2 tbsp corn syrup
2 eggs
160ml whole milk
290g self raising flour
2 tsp ground ginger
75g chopped crystalised ginger

Preheat your oven to 325F/160C or Gas mark 3.
Spray a donut pan with non stock spray and leave to one side.
Melt the butter, sugar and corn syrup over a low heat.
Whisk the eggs into the milk. Add this to the melted butter. Mix to combine.
Sift the flour with the ginger and add the crystallized ginger. Add this to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined and smooth.

Fill a piping bag with the mixture and pipe in the donut holes until just before the fill line. Bake in your preheated oven for 13-15 minutes until the tops spring back when touched.

Allow to cool for a few minutes in the pan before tossing out and allow to to cool fully on a wire rack.

Make the frosting.

Cinnamon, Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

30g full fat cream cheese
1 to 2 tbsp whole milk
1 tbsp maple syrup
125g icing sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Add all the ingredients into a bowl and mix until smooth. If you need more milk to make it wetter, add in one tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached.

Once the donuts have cooled, dip in each one and allow to dry on a wire rack.

*** of course I don't have a picture of the finished forsting before dipping.. It was all too exciting!