For the past few days, I have dreamt of a molasses cake that I used to buy in the early aughts at Marvelous Market, a now-defunct local chain that served delicious baked goods. They sold their molasses cake in square-shaped slabs, similar to the freshly baked cornbread at Whole Foods. The cake had notes of clove, cinnamon, and ginger.
We decided to try this recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019168-fresh-ginger-cake?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share. It is delicious, richly spiced, and moist. For the molasses, we used Grandma’s Original Molasses (unsulphured).
Our only modification: for the fresh ginger, we used frozen, peeled ginger knobs that we microplaned into a 1-cup dry measure. (We based the measurement on a helpful note from a fellow NYT reader that 4 oz fresh ginger = 1 cup.)
We also followed the instructions to use a 9-inch springform cake pan with 3” sides. We greased the bottom and sides with unsalted butter, and then we lined the bottom with a circle of parchment, guided by these helpful tips: https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-line-a-round-cake-pan-with-parchment-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-78450. Unlike Marvelous Market’s molasses cake, our slices aren’t square-shaped. But the flavor and texture are close enough to evoke nostalgia. (Oct. 2025)
Cooking Adventures 