Ginger COFFEE Cake

African-American cooks in the Old South sprinkled a brown sugar topping on their gingerbread. Here a similar pecan topping is swirled over the cake and forms a crunchy top. Lyle's Golden Syrup is a sweet thick syrup made from sugar cane.

Ginger Cake Batter

    2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    2 teaspoons baking powder
    2 teaspoons powdered ginger
    1 teaspoon orange zest
    1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
    1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    Pinch salt
    1 cup granulated sugar
    3/4 cup Lyle's Golden Syrup®
      3/4 cup butter, melted
    2 large eggs
    3/4 cup fat-free milk

Pecan Topping

    1 cup dark brown sugar
    1/2 cup butter, melted
    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    1/2 cup chopped pecans

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 . Butter a 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass
     baking dish, dust with flour.

2.  Cake batter: In a medium bowl, stir the flour, baking
     powder, ginger, zest, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda and salt.

3.  In a large bowl, cream the sugar, syrup and butter. Beat in
     the eggs. Add flour mixture in three additions. Starting and
     ending with flour.

4.  Pour into prepared pan; bake in preheated oven 25 minutes.

5.  Pecan topping: In a small bowl, mix sugar, butter, cinnamon
    and pecans just until mixed.

6.  After the batter has cooked for 25 minutes, gently pull the
     oven shelf out, being careful not to jostle batter too much.
     Spoon topping over cake and spread with a spatula to even
     out a little. The sugar and pecans will find their way over the
     cake. They just bake right into the top of the cake.

7.  Bake for another 15 minutes, test for doneness by inserting a  
     bamboo skewer or toothpick to see if it comes out clean.         

     Makes 12 cake squares