Name of the dish: Gingerbread upside-down cake
This is a perfect holiday recipe. This cake is made from gingerbread and plantains. Now let’s talk about its origin. Denmark, Germany and US are well known for gingerbread. But you will be surprised to find gingerbread in the bustling big cities of Liberia also. I am not talking the same old gingerbread but it is a gingerbread with African spin. It is a standard upside down cake but instead of pineapple, it boasts a dizzying spiral of ripe, tropical plantains. The butter and brown sugar, bubble and brown, makes the edges of the cake a little bit crispy. This is its specialty and also the best part of the cake.
Complexity level: Moderate.
Time taken: 60 minutes
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
Pinch salt
Wet ingredients
2 eggs
4 tbsp butter, melted
1/4 cup molasses
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk
Base
4 tbsp butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1-2 mostly ripe plantains, sliced 1/8 inch thick
Process
1. First, preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients together with cinnamon, sugar, cloves and nutmeg.
3. Now mix the wet ingredients together, making sure to use the 4 tbsp of butter.
4. Place your cake pan over low heat on the stove top. Add the remaining 4 tbsp of butter and brown sugar. After the butter melts, try to make an even coating on the surface of the pan. This will add to the crispiness of your dish. Remove the pan from heat.
5. Slice plantains in round shape and then layer them in overlapping circles. It could get about two circles in a cake and a final circle in the center.
6. Now add the dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Pour into the cake pan.
7. Bake for 35 mins or until a sharp thing comes out clean and without any disturbance.
8. Let it cool for 45 mins and then serve in a form of platter.
9. A dollop of whipped cream will add to its taste and also to the responsibility of guard.
Tips
1. The color of plantains should be black but they should be a bit firm. If it is green in color, they will not soften even after cooking. You can substitute bananas for the plantains, but once cooked, they will probably soften to the point of disappearing into the cake.
2. You need not have to butter your cake pan because the extra butter on the bottom of the pan bubbles up the sides.
