Lemon Ginger Oatmeal Cake with Dried Cranberries

This is a not-too sweet tea-cake full of oatmeal, bran, fresh ginger, lemon zest and chewy dried cranberries. It is the kind of cake you could justify eating for breakfast or as a hearty pick me up snack on a rainy afternoon. A simple sugar glaze and a smattering of crystallized ginger make it pretty and inviting and adding subtle heat to each bite. This recipe is a great way to use up your last batch of homemade crystallized ginger!


The cake gets baked in a 9' round cake pan but as I only have 8" pans, I made one 8-inch cake plus three single sized ramekin cakes which came out so pretty that I might just skip the large cake and make all mini cakes the next time and oh there will be a next time.


Lemon Ginger Oatmeal Cake
makes one 9' cake or one 8-inch cake and three ramekin cakes.
dairy
time: abut 1 1/2 hous

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
• 1-1/2 cups ap flour
• 1/2 cup bran
• 1/2 cup quick cooking ats
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
  
• 2 largeeggs, beaten
• 1 cup buttermilk

glaze:

• 2 cups icing sugar
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup finely chopped candied ginger

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch cake pan (or an 8-inch pan plus three 6-oz ramekins) and line the base with parchment paper. set aside.
2. Place ginger, 1/4 cup sugar, and lemon juice in a small pot over medium heat and simmer, stirring, until sugar has melted and mixture is hot. Remove from heat and stirring cranberries and lemon rind. reserve.
3. Combine flour, bran, oats, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
4. Beat together butter and remaining 3/4 cup sugar using an electric mixer untl light and fluffy. add eggs slowly and beat well. Beat in half of flour mixture, then buttermilk, then remaining flour mixture and beat until combined. Stir in cranberry mixture.
5. Spoon batter into prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes (even the rameking cakes took 40 minutes) or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let pan cool for 10 minutes then remove from pan, peel off parchment and allow to cool fully on a wire rack.
6. Whisk together icing sugar and buttermilk until it forms a thin icing. Drizzle over cake and sprinkle with candied ginger.

Adapted from LCBO Food and Drink Magazine winter 2011