For the Love of Bread: Besamin Box Cake

Friday, March 16, 2012

Besamin Box Cake

Yes, yes, I know it's been ages since I've posted. All I can say is I've been happily busy with army work and haven't been home too much to write. I don't know that things are going to let up, but for now, I'm gonna try to make up for lost time! A couple of weeks ago, I was asked to bring dessert for dinner and I decided to take a break from pie and bake a cake. I had my eye on this Besamin Box Cake from A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking but wasnt sure I would find ginger-ale in this country. I was really happy to find it in the supermarket and set about to make this spice cake that is perfect for winter. This cake was really successful, despite the fact that it was slightly under baked (they loved it that way!). People compared it to Entenmann's. Now I've never tasted their spice cake but if such a one exists then I imagine it's a high compliment! It was really moist with great spice flavor. I think I'd up the spices a bit and add a touch more salt. The glaze adds a slight but nice crunch. Altogether, a great cake to make again and again.

Besamin Box Cake
from A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking

1 cup shortening or margarine
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp rum extract
1 cup ginger ale
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp mace
1/2 tsp allspice
3 cups flour

Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tbsp orange juice
2 tbsp ginger ale

Preheat the oven to 350 and line a tube pan with parchment. Set aside.
In the bowl of your mixer, cream together the margarine and sugars. Blend in eggs one at a time and then add the extracts. Add the ginger ale. In another bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients and whisk thoroughly to aerate and disperse ingredients. Fold into the wet ingredients and mix well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.